Birmingham, United Kingdom – June 2026 – NFP, an Aon company (Europe) has appointed Gemma Saunders as Group Chief People Officer, marking a significant leadership transition as the organization continues to expand its presence across the UK and Ireland.
Saunders assumes the role after serving as Group Operations Director at NFP, where she played a critical role in shaping the company’s operational strategy, organizational effectiveness, acquisition integration, and growth agenda. During her leadership tenure, she worked closely with executive leadership to support ambitious expansion plans while overseeing key initiatives across people, operations, employee engagement, organizational development, compensation, benefits, recruitment, and learning.
Prior to her role as Group Operations Director, Saunders served as Director of Human Resources and Operations at NFP, where she held overall responsibility for people and operational functions across the UK and Ireland business. She led strategic workforce planning, acquisition integration programs, performance management initiatives, employee relations, talent acquisition, training, and organizational transformation efforts that supported the company’s continued growth.
Before joining NFP, Saunders spent more than four years with Gleeson Recruitment Group, where she advanced to Head of Human Resources – Associate Director. In this role, she led a broad range of people and organizational development initiatives, including employer branding, organizational design, performance management frameworks, employee engagement strategies, CSR programs, recruitment capability development, and major change initiatives such as GDPR implementation and technology transformation projects.
Earlier in her career, Saunders held recruitment and talent leadership roles with Hudson, Phee Farrer Jones Ltd, MG Rover Ltd, and Alexander Chapel Associates, building extensive expertise in talent acquisition, leadership hiring, organizational effectiveness, workforce planning, and people strategy.
An accomplished HR and organizational development professional, Saunders holds an MSc in Occupational Psychology and is qualified in occupational testing and assessment methodologies. Her career has been defined by a strong focus on employee engagement, organizational growth, leadership development, talent strategy, and culture transformation.
In her new role as Group Chief People Officer, Saunders will lead NFP’s people strategy across the UK and Ireland, supporting business growth, strengthening organizational capability, advancing talent development, and fostering a high-performance culture aligned with the company’s long-term objectives.
About NFP, an Aon Company (Europe)
NFP, an Aon company, helps organizations and individuals address complex Risk Capital and Human Capital challenges through specialized advisory and consulting solutions. With operations across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Ireland, the company delivers expertise in commercial insurance, employee benefits, people consultancy, health and safety, wealth management, and financial planning.
Leveraging the strength of the Aon network, NFP combines global capabilities with localized expertise to provide customized solutions that help clients manage risk, enhance employee wellbeing, and achieve sustainable business growth.
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