Emma Tolhurst

Emma Tolhurst MCIPD has enjoyed a distinguished career that encompasses leadership and employee experience. Having worked in consulting, HR, marketing and communications, Emma has forged a strong reputation as a strategic advisor and NED. Renowned for her almost 24-year tenure at Accenture, a time during which she reached Global People Communications Lead for Accenture, Emma worked at the epicentre of a company that boasted more than 500k employees. Now hired as a keynote speaker, Emma shares her expertise on all things workplace culture, change management, business transformation and more at global corporate events.

Renowned for her decorated career with Accenture, Emma initially joined Accenture in its People Enablement Programmes, Transition and Transformation department. Progressing through the ranks, later roles of Emma’s included being the Internal Communications Lead of the UK and Ireland, fostering her knowledge of impeccable communication, and Employer Brand Director for Accenture. A pivotal experience at Accenture saw Emma working a two-year secondment to the Royal Navy for the Trafalgar 200 Programme. In this role, Emma was ranked Commander and was responsible for leading teams of Naval personnel, delivering the youth, child and disabilities offering for the celebrations and securing 50K young people aboard ships. 

Leaving Accenture in 2020, Emma went on to become the Director of Connects Consulting Ltd – providing consultancy services on the importance of a strong company culture. She later became the Executive Director of Brand-Lead Employee Experience for Landor & Fitch, a distinguished company of branding experts, and Associate Director of Client Services for Kin&Co, a purpose-led culture consultancy. Building a strong reputation for her expertise in corporate culture and employee experience, Emma’s distinguished career has seen her awarded the Best Employee Engagement Campaign at the RAD Awards and winner of the Innovation in Recruitment award from Personnel Today Awards. Having also been the recipient of the Best Graduate Initiative award at the CIPD RMA Awards, Emma most recently became the owner of CQCO Ltd Strategic Culture & Employee Brand Advisory.

Currently an Executive Advisor on Employee Engagement for Woodrow, Emma is also highly sought after as a keynote speaker to empower the creation of exemplary corporate cultures. Helping organisations to apply new people-led practices, Emma drives the transformation of communication functions and ignites new processes and procedures in business. If you are looking for a speaker who can impart wisdom on how to boost staff morale, how to build positive workplace cultures and the top HR practices, hire Emma Tolhurst MCIPD.