During her time in the People Team at Hearst UK, Zoë played a vital role in helping me to drive positive change and transformation during my first two years as Editor-in-Chief of ELLE UK. Zoë was a real bright spot at Hearst, with an inspiring, supportive, and no-nonsense approach. During a time when so many emerged from the pandemic looking to reimagine the future of work, Zoë understood that the key to this was to promote a culture that is collaborative, inclusive, enjoyable and meaningful

Kenya Hunt, Editor-in-Chief, Elle Uk

Zoë was Head of HR at Freud Communications for four years and during this time brilliantly combined a pragmatic, supportive and passionate approach to our people and culture.

She understood the challenges posed by a busy office and navigated her way diplomatically and effectively . She was always solutions focussed whilst being smart and empathetic to all points of view. 

I have continued to regularly engage Zoe on various projects over the years and would highly recommend her.

Rebecca Hirst, Chief Operating Officer, Freuds

Zoë was the Head of HR at Iroko for 3 years, looking after our 100+ person global team across Lagos, London and New York. She understood the pressures of a new tech & media business and was adept at running due diligence & funding processes, guiding us through periods of expansion and meaningful change, and implementing the HR basics to all three offices. She understood start-up culture whilst all the time working to embed more structure and process into the company, as we worked towards a more efficient and productive team. I found her pragmatic, unafraid of challenges & having difficult conversations and able to work under pressure & tight deadlines and would highly recommend her.

Jason Njoku, Founder Iroko TV, Investor, Advisor and CEO 

Zoe really delivered a human-centric HR consultancy service for my international company; we’ve struggled to scale and build infrastructure for a growing team, and Zoe took time to understand our needs, helped us to prioritise our requirements and gave expert guidance in terms of project delivery and roll-out. She’s been an incredible support and we’re in a much better position now than we were just three months ago. She’s expert in both UK and EMEA employment law,and can navigate the challenges of international comms.

Jessica Hope, CEO Wimbart Public Relations

Zoe joined us as HR Director at C-Space As we were scaling our London agency through a tricky period of growth and cultural change. In her time with us, she had a transformational impact on our people and business, leading initiatives which ranged from organisational redevelopment,  building and optimising legally compliant HR policies, to overhauling our performance review process and developing our diversity, equity and inclusion strategy. She was a true trusted partner to me in my role as Joint Managing Director.

Phil Burgess, former Chief People & Operations Officer @ C-Space and co-founder and Managing Partner of Within 

I worked with Zoë for over two years in a very high-pressure environment where the people department was definitely the most sought-after in the company. She consistently demonstrated exceptional professional ability and grace under pressure. Her extensive experience was evident in every project, providing invaluable insights and solutions that were both effective and innovative.

What truly sets Zoë apart is her proactive approach. She anticipates challenges before they arise and takes initiative to address them, ensuring smooth and efficient progress all that linked to an immense creativity. Moreover, Zoë’s gentleness and empathy make them a joy to work with. She creates a positive and supportive atmosphere, always ready to lend a hand or a kind word. Her combination of professional excellence, proactive mindset, and creative flair, all delivered with a gentle touch, makes Zoë an outstanding colleague and an invaluable asset to any team.

Pedro Henrique C.A Martins, Partner at Mishcon de Reya and Somos Co-founder 

I highly recommend Zoë Cotter-Morton, whom I had the pleasure of working with during her tenure as Chief People Officer at PGMBM. Zoe is an exceptionally competent professional who excels at handling difficult situations with ease and clarity. Her empathy and genuine concern for both employees and the company’s interests make her a truly outstanding and inspiring leader. Zoë‘s ability to balance professionalism with a caring nature is instrumental to a positive and well-balanced work environment. She is a first-class professional and certainly invaluable to any organisation.

Tomas Mousinho, Partner at Mishcon de Reya and Somos Co-founder

I have worked with Zoë for 15 years, on a variety of people projects for diverse industries, and in that time has always demonstrated her ability to influence HR best practice at the highest level whilst operating commercially. Zoë strikes that balance between being an HR professional, advocate of culture as well as a trusted advisor at all levels. Ultimately, if I want to run a challenging situation by a peer, Zoë will be that person I contact.

Craig Kenworthy, Head of HR, Portman Estates

I have worked with Zoë on several projects both as a collaborator and when she was my client. I have nothing but admiration for Zoë’s professionalism, intellect, and her ability to drive meaningful change. Zoë has successful embedded ED&I strategy and policy whilst developing organisational culture. I would not hesitate in recommending her.

Adam Tobias, Co-Founder Inventum Group 

Zoë demonstrates just how much value-add a seasoned CPO can bring to an organisation at all levels. She is a strong and strategic leader, delivers pragmatic and adaptable processes, is a clear, candid and warm communicator and is adept at handling employee relations with judgement, skill, sensitivity and integrity. I would welcome the opportunity to work with Zoë again and recommend her highly. 

Kate Davies, Chief Legal and Compliance Officer

Zoë Cotter-Morton was instrumental in the successful restructuring and organisational development of the Venus Charity Housing Organisation. Her professionalism, innovation, and comprehensive approach were key to our success. Zoë developed new role profiles, a performance review process, and a management training programme, all of which significantly improved our operations. Her deep understanding of the charity sector and ability to involve all staff and support the changes with robust policies was exceptional.

Jan Souness, Former Managing Director, LiveWire Community Interest Company

Zoë expertly supported the charity with developing and delivering appraisal and performance processes. Her incredible professionalism, impressive expertise, depth of experience and personable nature resulted in a critical piece of our HR operations being in place. Any charity, small or large, would benefit from her expertise.  

Nina Kowalska, Trustee Director, Helen Bamber Foundation 

I worked with Zoë on organisational development projects at a PE backed start up. She expertly led our team in an incredibly organised manner, working in a complex and fast- moving environment. 

Zoë dealt brilliantly with many unexpected issues when pulling together the structure for the organisation involving multiple teams, many moving parts and obstacles. 

The amount achieved by her in a short space of time was a testament to her work ethic and positive, ‘can do’ approach working out how best to deal with different personalities and areas within the business that required varying approaches.

She is calm and methodical, extremely approachable and has a wealth of experience and many brilliant ideas to bring to any situation. 

Lisa Faulkner, Professional Support Lawyer and Head of L&D

Working with Zoë was a great experience. She is a focused and professional HR Leader who quickly articulates stretching and commercial strategic goals, supported by a clear HR operating model. Zoë moves quickly and with real intent, getting things done at pace and always with a sense of purpose and clarity.

What makes Zoë stand out however is her ability to motivate and lead a diverse team of HR professionals. Zoë manages individuals and teams effectively, ensuring that everyone is focused and motivated to achieve their goals and the broader business objectives. 

Zoë is a rare HR Leader in that she is able to think in a truly commercial way. She effectively influences and supports senior leadership and brings an ethical and professional approach to her role. 

James Onyango-Watkins, Head of Talent at Dentsu