Our
Story
We didn’t start with a business plan.
We started by listening.
To what leaders were really facing.
To how exhausted change-makers were feeling.
To what wasn’t working anymore.
What grew from that is Pivot Forward: a consultancy built in real time, responding to real people, in real moments of change.
We’ve made big things happen without big budgets or perfect conditions. We’ve led without the titles, the backup, or the script.
Now, we’re building responsive, human-first solutions that help people lead through uncertainty and come out stronger.
Because change should be something you do with pride - not something you survive.
Meet Gemma & Suzi
Between us, we’ve led change at every level. From startup pivots to global restructures and million-dollar mergers.
We've helped businesses navigate uncertainty and emerge stronger, always in ways that stay human.
Gemma Popejoy
Co-Founder at Pivot Forward
Gemma is a former Chief People Officer with deep experience leading transformation across startups, scaleups, and global organisations, including a $500m+ M&A deal. She’s known for building inclusive cultures, driving growth, and creating the conditions for people to thrive through change.
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Commercial and creative in equal measure, Gemma brings energy, empathy, and a sharp instinct for what’s coming next. She helps leaders find their voice, trust their power, and drive bold impact without losing themselves along the way.
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Gemma is also Non-Executive Chair of Inclusion for The Alliance of Independent Agencies, shaping action across 1,800+ agencies and 10,000 employees. She’s a regular speaker and writer on leadership, culture, and the future of work.
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Her industry experience spans WPP, GroupM, Mindshare, Dare, Elvis, BD Network, tms, HAVI and Stanley. She holds an LLB in Law, MA in HRM, and is a strengths coach practitioner with training in counselling and change leadership.
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Gemma’s purpose is simple: help people find their power. She creates space for people to find their voice and achieve bold impact on their own terms.
Suzi Lilley
Co-Founder at Pivot Forward
Suzi is a people-first strategist with over 15 years’ experience leading complex change across global businesses. Known for clarity in chaos and courage in the hard conversations, she helps leaders and teams move forward with confidence, energy, and impact.
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She’s led large-scale transformation and workforce scale-ups in fast-paced, high-growth environments; blending big-picture thinking with deep empathy to cut through complexity and build belief. Suzi’s entrepreneurial mindset and commercial instinct have consistently taken her beyond the HR remit, where she’s been trusted to represent organisations in client-facing work thanks to her ability to connect, communicate, and create strategic value.
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An engaging storyteller and passionate inclusion advocate, Suzi brings challenge, creativity, and collaboration to every room she’s in. She’s coached mid-level talent to leap industries and titles, supported Black and female founders to pitch for investment, and championed women-owned businesses.
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Her experience includes Reed, Havas, tms, HAVI and Stanley. She holds a BSc in Psychology and is trained in change, inclusion, and AI in the workplace.
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Suzi’s purpose is to help people believe in themselves, speak their truth, and grow into their confidence
Working With Us
What sets us apart is how we do it - together.
Our styles are different and that’s our strength.
You get two lenses, two minds, and one aligned mission:
to help change-makers find their power and lead change with pride.
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We show up, dig in, and help you unlock the momentum to move forward.
With courage, with heart, and with partners who’ve got your back.