Ama Owusu

Strategic Executive Director and People & Culture leader with a proven record of accomplishment of leading organisational growth, driving business transformation, and building impactful partnerships across Africa, the UK, and the Middle East. Experienced in overseeing complex operations, developing innovative revenue-generating initiatives, leading organisational strategy, and representing organisations with government bodies, international institutions, and key stakeholders. Adept at aligning people, culture, and business goals to deliver sustainable growth, operational excellence, and long-term organisational success.

Recognised for fostering high-performing teams, championing inclusive cultures, and implementing transformative initiatives that strengthen organisational impact, enhance stakeholder engagement, and drive measurable business outcomes

Executive Director – Ghana at Heritage Times (2025-12 – Present) • Oversee the day-to-day progress of the entire organization.

• Manage all activities and development of the AfriHeritage Foundation, including AfriHeritage Awards, AfriHeritage Magazine and AfriHeritage Centre/Diaspora village.
• Develop current ideas and creative business models to drive organizational growth.
• Establish and manage business collaborations and partnerships for the Heritage Times HT brand.
• Supervise all Human Resources functions and initiatives across the organization.
• Convene and lead strategic meetings with potential clients, partners, and vendors.
• Engineer and protect the long-term growth and interests of the organization.
• Represent Heritage Times HT in engagements with government entities and international institutions. People & Culture Business Partner – UK & Middle East at MAP (2024-07 – 2025-11) • Give HR advice tailored to UK & Middle East region in line with legal frameworks ensuring compliance with local labour laws and organisational policies.
• Act as the first point of contact for all employee relations matters supporting managers on best practice.
• Monitor and evaluate recruitment and onboarding practices, identifying areas for improvement to enhance employee engagement and talent retention.
• Lead on the creation and set up of company's Applicant Tracking System (ATS) for all recruitment • Collaborate on comprehensive policy guides and toolkits to support managers and employees with understanding and applying policies effectively.
• Setting and reviewing pay structures and employee rewards and benefits • Managing the 3 HR assistants within the team HR Advisor at NHS England (2023-10 – 2024-05) Support all NHS England -east of England regional staff in the restructuring & transitonal changes of NHS England as they merge with NHS Digital to become one organisation, dealing with over 1200 redundancies and restructuring of the whole organisation into one.
• Currently leading on the HR organisational development plan project and co lead on all sessions.
• Supporting managers and employees with employee relation cases i.e., grievances, sickness, queries around leave, disciplinaries, performance management.
• Supporting staff with queries around recruitment, including adverts, shortlisting, interviews, and fixed term contracts • Creating SOPs in line with the new organisations processes • Supporting the HRBPs with their directorates • Project lead for the internal workforce committee project around workforce data HR Operations Manager at Camden & Islington NHS Trust (2023-01 – 2023-08) • My team acts as the primary contact for all managers, allocating and overseeing HR Operations administration at a task level.
• Managing the leave requests of all HR Operations Officers, ensuring that the department has appropriate cover • Led and approved for the trust Certificate of Sponsorship visas renewals for non-medical workers • To produce weekly/monthly compliance to review progress and resolve any issues regarding payroll • To ensure that the team follow the agreed and right process to verify each candidate's identity and right to work, for DBS renewal and right to work compliance checks.
• Acting as the main Operations Project Lead in implementing new initiatives that streamline HR Operations processes and improve efficiencies.
• To provide ad-hoc HR Operations training (how to fill in HR forms etc) for staff as needed.
• To ensure that all HR Forms have clear instruction prior to taking action to update ESR or pass on pay-impacting instruction to the payroll provider.
• To support managers and give guidance for any employee relations matters.
• To work with Payroll to agree efficient processes that minimise errors and avoid duplication.
• To devise SOPs processes and documents necessary to ensure effective and efficient service HR Lead at Southwest London & St George's NHS Trust (2022-04 – 2022-12) • To provide both written and verbal advice on HR policy and procedure • Advising senior management on operational issues relating to staffing • Supporting managers with recruitment including reviewing job descriptions and adverts, supporting with shortlisting and interviews • Team leader for the day-to-day management of the workforce team • Supporting the head of workforce in creating a process for recruitment and retention • To ensure that appropriate protocols, processes, and records are developed, refined, and maintained to ensure that all consultants and SAS doctors have up to date job plans, trainee doctors receive work schedules, and related workforce processes are delivered in line with national guidance • Project management – leading & supporting business related projects to drive HR and the business forward Shared Workforce Services Assistant Manager at Royal Free NHS Trust (2021-03 – 2022-03) • To coordinate and operate robust and integrated administrative systems (physical and electronic) to ensure efficient and effective operation of the consultant job planning system, trainee doctor rotations and related medical workforce processes – for one or more customer organisations, including the coordination of appraisal processes and the collection and provision of documents and correspondence within set timescales • Supported with reviewing and amending job description for medical recruitment • Set up AAC panels for consultant level recruitment • To produce client reports and information on a regular basis (both for ad hoc projects and regular workload, such as reports on job planning rates, progress toward meeting targets, monitoring and evaluation of the process etc.; this is not an exhaustive list) ensuring high quality format and content so that client groups and executives are regularly informed of activity.
• To liaise with external organisations over the provision of information (e.g., trainee information from HEE) or systems (e.g., the e-job planning system), to ensure effective and efficient delivery of services and running of all processes HR Staffing Manager at Kings College NHS Trust (2016-09 – 2020-12) • To take a lead role in the monitoring and management of the junior doctor's rotas to ensure compliancy with the New Deal and EWTD legislation, ensuring that hours, service, and training needs are met.
• Advising senior management on operational issues relating to staffing • Responsible for advertising all medical and dental appointments and keeping check on progress on TRAC and issues contracts to successful candidates.
• Drafted contracts, and finalised recruitment for all new hires.
• Create and manage weekly activity reports on agency usage and costs to be reviewed by senior management and finance • Provide information for performance monitoring purposes on sickness absence, turnover, vacancy, establishment, and annual/study/professional leave • Working alongside the finance team to ensure all staff within my budget line are correct and not overspent.
• Management of return to work after short term or long-term sickness • Project management – leading & supporting business related projects to drive HR and the business forward HR Administrator/ Rota Co-ordinator at South London & Maudsley NHS Trust (2015-02 – 2016-09) • Working closely alongside Consultant and Post Graduate Centre for the junior doctor's rotas; work to ensure the junior doctors rotas are EWTD compliant, efficient, and effective. Providing electronic copies to doctors in advance of their rotation commencing • Liaising with Human Resources and Consultants to ensure that all junior medical staffing recruitment and staffing needs are found and actioned.
• Ensure sickness records for all junior doctors are up to date, using the Oracle Electronic Staff Record (ESR). To make sure junior doctors are completing relevant paperwork and working with the Consultants to identify any need to refer junior doctors to Occupational Health

Level 5 HTQ in Business Strategy, Communication and Relationship Management – Morley College (2025-02 – 2025-08)

MSC in International Human Resource Management with Level 7 CIPD accreditation – Kingston University (2020-09 – 2022-06)

BA (HONS) in American Studies History – University of Kent (2008-09 – 2012-06)