Nicola Hale People Consulting has rebranded to Ballast, ahead of the business’s third anniversary this November.
Founded by Nicola Hale in 2023, the business has built its reputation providing embedded fractional Chief People Officer leadership, giving organisations access to senior strategic people leadership alongside a deployable team of specialists who turn that strategy into delivery. That reputation hasn’t changed. What has changed is the name, and the clarity behind it.
“Like ballast in a ship, the role is to create the balance, steadiness and alignment that help organisations move forward with greater clarity, stability and momentum,” says Nicola Hale, Founder and Fractional CPO. “We don’t just advise. We get embedded in the business and do the work alongside the team.”
Ballast works with organisations in four core ways, scaled to what each business needs: Fractional CPO leadership; an Embedded Team Model pairing a senior lead with specialist delivery support; Transformation and Change support through acquisitions, restructures and leadership transitions; and Specialist Expertise across reward, talent, communications, coaching and organisational development.
With a small in-house team led by Nicola, and a strong associate network, Ballast supports clients across sectors and ownership models, including private equity-backed organisations, employee-owned trusts and family businesses such as Stourflex and fellow chambers member DeltaXignia.
The rebrand comes ahead of a milestone year, reflecting where Ballast is headed as much as where it’s come from. The way the team works, embedded, commercially grounded and honest, remains unchanged.
Ballast continues to support organisations across Herefordshire, Worcestershire and beyond.
For more information, contact Nicola Hale at [email protected] or visit theballast.co.uk.