Fractional CPO & Pragmatic HR for UK Tech.

A woman with curly red hair sitting on a wooden chair in front of a green wall. She is wearing a black blazer, a white top, and has a smartwatch on her left wrist. Her hands are folded on her lap, and she is smiling slightly.
A woman with curly red hair sitting on a wooden chair in front of a green wall. She is wearing a black blazer, a white top, and has a smartwatch on her left wrist. Her hands are folded on her lap, and she is smiling slightly.

I’m Alex Townsend, a UK-based Fractional CPO and HR consultant specialising in supporting tech companies between 10 and 100 employees.

I help founders of scaling teams build HR and People infrastructure that actually works, without the C-suite overhead.

No fluff, no "policy wallpaper," just results.

Book a Discovery Call

Scaling is hard. HR doesn’t need to be.

  • Avoid "People Debt"

    The processes that worked for a small team can become blockers over time. I help you identify and resolve these structural hurdles, before they stop you.

  • Investor Readiness

    Preparing for Series A, B or M&A? I ensure your contracts, compliance, and People strategy are where they need to be before due diligence starts.

  • Seniority, Fractional Cost

    You need a Chief People Officer’s brain on your SLT, but you don’t need the £150k+ salary on your P&L. I’m your partner, not just a consultant.

Take the Scale-Up Stress Test

How I work

  • The HR Reality Check

    For when you know things need improving but don’t know where to start, an HR audit designed to find the gaps before they become problems.

    Perfect for founders who need a roadmap for the next 12 months.

    Get a Reality Check

  • Fractional People Leadership

    Your dedicated Chief People Officer, part-time. I work alongside SLT to navigate the complexities of scaling, from high-impact culture builds to managing active ER cases.

    Senior-level strategy, scaled to your growth stage.

    View Fractional Packages

What my clients say:

“Her honest and direct communication style allowed me to make well informed decisions quickly, and was paramount to our ability to scale.”

Jack Hampson, CEO, Deeper Insights

"She became a trusted voice we could turn to when things got complex... the advice was always practical, knowledgeable, and proportionate to our business."

John Masterson, CEO, AG Grid

"Alex brought exactly what we needed: pragmatic, straight-forward advice combined with a genuinely action-focused approach."

Rachel Hillman, CFO and Co-Owner, Simpson Associates

"Alex quickly got to grips with the details, gave clear and direct advice whilst guiding us through all matters in a way that was commercially sensible and legally sound."

Omar Flatekval, Founder, Kval Systems

Read the case studies