Heather Whitehead Brings National Leadership Skills Back Home to Support Staffordshire Businesses

At NetworkIN, we’re proud to champion advocates who not only excel in their field but also share their expertise to help other businesses grow. Today, we shine a spotlight on Heather Whitehead, founder of HW Leadership Consultancy and a valued NetworkIN advocate, who is using her wealth of leadership experience to support businesses in her home county of Staffordshire.

Heather is a leadership consultant and psychologist with a remarkable background — including senior leadership roles in government departments and the private sector. A former Prison Group Director in HM Prisons and Probation Service, Heather has now turned her focus to strengthening leadership in the business world, from small SMEs to larger organisations.

“Through my career, I’ve acquired a lot of high-level leadership experience and, while I love working with large organisations, I want to pass on my skills to business leaders in Staffordshire,” says Heather. “I’m proud to be from Blurton and now I want to give back to the business community that shaped me.”

Supporting Local Business Growth

Heather works one-on-one with business owners and senior teams to develop leadership capacity, focusing on understanding strengths and challenges, creating strategies, building resilience, and unlocking success. Her unique mix of psychology expertise and hands-on executive leadership experience means she understands both the people and performance sides of running a business.

Two NetworkIN-linked businesses have already benefited from Heather’s support:

• Crystal Klean (Stoke-on-Trent) – Owner Claire Gilbert turned to Heather after rapid growth led to new leadership challenges. Claire shared:
  “Heather has been an excellent communicator and brought the structure and strategy our team leaders needed. She has helped us visualise goals, build confidence, and lead more effectively as we grow.”
• Big Reputation Marketing (Newcastle-under-Lyme) – Managing Director Chelsea Spencer, winner of the Start-Up and Step-Up Award at the 2025 Staffordshire Chamber of Commerce Business Awards, said:
  “Heather has been a huge support as I’ve grown my team. She helped me find my feet as a leader, built structure behind the scenes, and given me clarity and confidence. She just gets the reality of growing a business.”

Heather’s Journey

Heather holds a Psychology and Criminology degree from Keele University and a Master’s in Criminological Psychology from Birmingham University. Her career path saw her lead psychological services in prisons before progressing into senior governor and group director roles, where she advised ministers and senior leaders on complex organisational challenges.

Today, as both a NetworkIN advocate and founder of HW Leadership Consultancy, Heather is committed to helping Staffordshire businesses thrive through better leadership.

🔗 Learn more about Heather’s work at www.hwleadershipconsultancy.co.uk