Clair Staines

Clair Staines is an award‑winning Chief People Officer, writer and speaker with over 20 years’ experience working across HR and people leadership. She specializes in supporting small and midsized organisations to build engaged, inclusive and high‑performing workplaces through practical, people‑first approaches.

Clair currently serves as Chief People Officer at POWWR, where she leads people strategy across engagement, reward, financial wellbeing, leadership development and workplace culture. Since joining POWWR, she has focused on creating an environment where people feel valued, supported and able to bring their authentic selves to work. Working closely with the leadership team, she champions transparency, career progression and wellbeing, with a strong belief that sustainable business success is built on trust, fairness and meaningful employee experience.

Throughout her career, Clair has worked with a wide range of SMEs, supporting organizations through growth, cultural change and periods of uncertainty. She is known for transforming disengaged cultures into motivated, values‑led organizations by grounding strategy in real human experience rather than policy alone.

Clair’s impact has been recognized nationally, including being named on the CIPD HR30, leading POWWR to win “Best for Financial Wellbeing” through the Greater Manchester Good Employment Charter, and being nominated Leader of the Year 2025. In 2026, she was named winner of the HR Award at the Business Awards UK, recognizing her sustained contribution to people‑centred leadership and financial wellbeing. She is also a Chartered Fellow of the CIPD, the highest level of professional accreditation in the HR profession.

As a writer and commentator, Clair regularly publishes on topics including financial wellbeing, flexible working, employee engagement, leadership and fair employment. Her work has appeared in outlets such as HR Grapevine, HR Review, Employee Benefits, and Cloud Reseller News, and she has been interviewed or quoted by platforms including The Leadership Library. She has also contributed thought leadership and case studies for organizations such as Stribe and CIPD Leading Voices.

Clair is a regular speaker and panelist at industry events and podcasts, including CIPD panels and podcasts, Good Employment Charter events, HR Grapevine, and Engage Business Media, where she shares practical insight drawn from real organizational experience.

Alongside her professional work, Clair is a mentor for the CIPD Trust. Through her writing and speaking, she aims to challenge assumptions, spark thoughtful conversation, and advocate for more human, fair and sustainable ways of working.