Speakers

Colette is the Director of People Services - Assistant Chief Executive for Essex County Fire and Rescue Service (ECFRS); her responsibilities include people, values and culture, leadership and development, inclusion and diversity, industrial relations, and people performance. Colette is a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) with 25 years of experience in the field. In 2024 she was recognised as the 'most influential woman in Fire' by Fire Excellence and received an Asian Fire Service Association award for her contribution to equality, diversity and inclusion. Alongside her role as Director of People Services, Colette also plays an active role for the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) and is the NFCC Lead Officer for People. She has led work on both People Policies and Culture Dashboards. Prior to joining ECFRS in January 2017, Colette held a variety of HR and Safeguarding roles as a Director, consultant, and business partner in the private, public and charity sectors. Colette continues to be an accredited mediator and coach and has recently used her expertise in occupational psychology to conduct research into positive action and psychological safety. She describes herself as being happiest when at home being 'Mum' to two teens, loving dark chocolate and (embarrassingly for the children) is usually first on any dance floor.