Team – Axis

Meet our team

Makbool Javaid

Makbool Javaid is a Partner in the Employment Team at Simons Muirhead & Burton LLP in London, United Kingdom.He is widely regarded as a leading practitioner in the employment law field and related regulatory and investigative matters.

Makbool has substantial experience advising public bodies and was formerly head of Litigation Services at the Commission for Racial Equality and has been involved in several high-profile cases in the appellate courts.

He is described by The Legal 500 as a “highly respected discrimination law practitioner” and previously as “business minded”, “down-to-earth” and a “good man to haveon your side”. Chambers has stated that he “runs a tight ship” and employs a “particularly intuitive understanding of discrimination cases”.

Makbool is the Managing Director of Axis HR Consulting South Africa. He is well regarded in South Africa for offering practical and cost-effective solutions to HR and Legal issues.

David Riddle

David has substantial in-house experience on matters of public law.

He is a former local authority Chief Executive and Solicitor to the Metropolitan Police Authority.

David has been a Non-Executive Chair of an NHS Primary Care Trust in London and is involved in professional regulation with the General Pharmaceutical Council. He is an accredited mediator.

David has dealt with police complaints and misconduct allegations against senior police officers, and he has extensive experience of conducting investigations and inquiries on governance and management matters.

Patience Enenmoh

Patience is an HR consultant with proven expertise in change management, TUPE transfers, reducing costs, reorganising departments, managing employee relations casework and improving efficiency.

She is excellent at project management and leadership skills allied with strong commercial awareness.

As an experienced investigator, Patience has conducted several multiple complex investigations involving allegations of discrimination and sensitive workplace disputes. She is familiar with both the public and private sector landscape and has particular knowledge of the third sector.

Makbool Javaid

Makbool Javaid is a Partner in the Employment Team at Simons Muirhead & Burton LLP in London, United Kingdom.He is widely regarded as a leading practitioner in the employment law field and related regulatory and investigative matters.

Makbool has substantial experience advising public bodies and was formerly head of Litigation Services at the Commission for Racial Equality and has been involved in several high-profile cases in the appellate courts.

He is described by The Legal 500 as a “highly respected discrimination law practitioner” and previously as “business minded”, “down-to-earth” and a “good man to haveon your side”. Chambers has stated that he “runs a tight ship” and employs a “particularly intuitive understanding of discrimination cases”.

Makbool is the Managing Director of Axis HR Consulting South Africa. He is well regarded in South Africa for offering practical and cost-effective solutions to HR and Legal issues.

David Riddle

David has substantial in-house experience on matters of public law.

He is a former local authority Chief Executive and Solicitor to the Metropolitan Police Authority.

David has been a Non-Executive Chair of an NHS Primary Care Trust in London and is involved in professional regulation with the General Pharmaceutical Council. He is an accredited mediator.

David has dealt with police complaints and misconduct allegations against senior police officers, and he has extensive experience of conducting investigations and inquiries on governance and management matters.

Patience Enenmoh

Patience is an HR consultant with proven expertise in change management, TUPE transfers, reducing costs, reorganising departments, managing employee relations casework and improving efficiency.

She is excellent at project management and leadership skills allied with strong commercial awareness.

As an experienced investigator, Patience has conducted several multiple complex investigations involving allegations of discrimination and sensitive workplace disputes. She is familiar with both the public and private sector landscape and has particular knowledge of the third sector.

Paul Riddell

Colin Hann

Colin is a diversity specialist. Colin was a Director of Communications and Strategy at the UK Government Agency, the CRE, where he ran award winning campaigns (including for example kick racism out of football) and other innovative media campaigns.

He also led trail blazing legal investigations into employment/HR and housing areas as well as leading on a range of policy initiatives. This included working with law enforcement agencies (e.g. HUD) in Washington USA, as well as with the European Commission.

Rachel Harding

An employment law solicitor for over 18 years, Rachel trained with a leading international law firm and has advised both public and private sector clients on a wide range of employment related issues. For a number of years she sat within the HR team of a national police force and has considerable experience within that sector. She has conducted, overseen and advised in respect of numerous grievance investigations, often involving sensitive subject matter, complex factual backgrounds and numerous personnel.

Paul Riddell

Paul has over 30 years of experience in the field of equality and diversity. He specialises in conducting equality and diversity audits; policy development and implementation; equality impact assessments; analysing and evaluating data; action planning; and workplace investigations. Paul is also an experienced equality and diversity trainer and has developed and delivered general and specialised diversity and equality training courses at all levels within the private and public sector.

Colin Hann

Colin is a diversity specialist. Colin was a Director of Communications and Strategy at the UK Government Agency, the CRE, where he ran award winning campaigns (including for example kick racism out of football) and other innovative media campaigns.

He also led trail blazing legal investigations into employment/HR and housing areas as well as leading on a range of policy initiatives. This included working with law enforcement agencies (e.g. HUD) in Washington USA, as well as with the European Commission.

Rachel Harding

An employment law solicitor for over 18 years, Rachel trained with a leading international law firm and has advised both public and private sector clients on a wide range of employment related issues. For a number of years she sat within the HR team of a national police force and has considerable experience within that sector. She has conducted, overseen and advised in respect of numerous grievance investigations, often involving sensitive subject matter, complex factual backgrounds and numerous personnel.

Suzanne Gordon

Alexander Gallagher

Alexander is a solicitor specialising in litigation, investigations and regulatory law. He has expertise and knowledge of the inner workings of financial services blacklisting with a particular regard for anti-discrimination, data protection and privacy rights. He is experienced as an investigator and has dealt with sensitive and complex matters. He also has been a member of a disciplinary panel of an international news broadcaster in London . He has worked in dispute resolution acting for corporates and individuals in multifaceted disputes.

He works as a mentor for both Mosaic in inner city schools and for the Adam programme for young offenders .

Moi Ali

Moi Ali has significant senior complaints and investigations experience; senior recruitment and selection experience; and more than two decades of Board level governance experience.

Currently she is the Independent Assessor of Complaints for the Crown Prosecution Service, and she is the former Judicial Complaints Reviewer for Scotland. She has been a police complaints committee member for the biggest police force outside the Met; Chair of Postwatch independent complaints review panel; complaints reviewer, Office for Judicial Complaints, Ministry of Justice; Chair of professional conduct panels for the world’s biggest healthcare regulator; and she was on the Board of the Postal Redress Scheme.

She has been a Non-Executive Director in the public sector for over 20 years, and she is a successful author of over 20 books on communications for publishers such as Dorling Kindersley. She currently chairs the People Committee for the Ministry of Defence Police Board and she sits on the Board of the Professional Standards Authority.

Suzanne Gordon

Suzanne is a highly qualified commercially astute HR professional who specialises in dispute resolution. She has a strong background in employment law and has conducted and advised on many investigations/ appeals and grievances in a diverse workforce. She has a wealth of experience that covers the entire spectrum of HR and has coached, either one to one or in teams, including those at Director level, individuals to understand and initiate robust performance manage processes to engage the workforce and avoid future disputes.

In addition to her professional life in HR, as a magistrate, the world of conflict within business and society is one of which Suzanne has a deep understanding.

Alexander Gallagher

Alexander is a solicitor specialising in litigation, investigations and regulatory law. He has expertise and knowledge of the inner workings of financial services blacklisting with a particular regard for anti-discrimination, data protection and privacy rights. He is experienced as an investigator and has dealt with sensitive and complex matters. He also has been a member of a disciplinary panel of an international news broadcaster in London . He has worked in dispute resolution acting for corporates and individuals in multifaceted disputes.

He works as a mentor for both Mosaic in inner city schools and for the Adam programme for young offenders.

Moi Ali

Moi Ali has significant senior complaints and investigations experience; senior recruitment and selection experience; and more than two decades of Board level governance experience.

Currently she is the Independent Assessor of Complaints for the Crown Prosecution Service, and she is the former Judicial Complaints Reviewer for Scotland. She has been a police complaints committee member for the biggest police force outside the Met; Chair of Postwatch independent complaints review panel; complaints reviewer, Office for Judicial Complaints, Ministry of Justice; Chair of professional conduct panels for the world’s biggest healthcare regulator; and she was on the Board of the Postal Redress Scheme.

She has been a Non-Executive Director in the public sector for over 20 years, and she is a successful author of over 20 books on communications for publishers such as Dorling Kindersley. She currently chairs the People Committee for the Ministry of Defence Police Board and she sits on the Board of the Professional Standards Authority.

Neil Anson

Neil has over 30 years’ experience as a HR professional, having worked in senior HR roles for a number of public sector bodies delivering a range of HR services, including developing and implementing business restructuring programmes. As the former Head of Human Resources for a high-profile law enforcement agency, he has coached and mentored senior executives. Neil specialises in the management of complex disciplinary and grievance investigations and has dealt with such issues involving employees across businesses up to and including at Board level.

Avtar Banse

Avtar is a highly committed, conscientious and versatile, multi sector HR professional with wide-ranging capabilities refined within various world class HR environments in the private sector, complemented by all round general management and project management skills developed throughout a varied career in large corporate FTSE and private equity organisations. Avtar has outstanding HR change management and interpersonal skills and is an effective communicator at all levels with excellent written and oral skills. He has strong line management as well as HR business partnering experience with a strong background in mergers and acquisition and resulting integration of different businesses. Avtar is a skilled employee relations specialist with a disciplined approach and has always shown a strong achievement of targets during his career which has ranged from the retail, financial services, IT, global travel and data analytics and publishing sectors. Avtar welcomes new challenges and is flexible and skilled in both a ‘hands on’ or strategic approach. Avtar's range of specialties includes - Employee Relations, Change Management, Organisational and Competency framework design, Performance Management, Recruitment strategy development, Reward benchmarking, Job Architecture frameworks, Management Coaching and Development, Mergers and acquisition including TUPE.

Maxine Ayton

Maxine has numerous years’ experience as a HR practitioner and holds a master’s degree in Strategic HR and Change Management. For the past 13 years, Maxine has worked as an independent consultant, including a 2-year period with KPMG, which consolidated her ability to quickly determine the root cause of problems and determine appropriate remedial action.

Maxine has extensive experience of equality and diversity, organisational development and cultural change. Her last permanent role was CEO of the Commission for Racial Equality.

Maxine is also a qualified project manager and has managed a range of programmes in the public, private and voluntary sectors, including the development of work programmes, management of risk and management of stakeholders and communications.

Neil Anson

Neil has over 30 years’ experience as a HR professional, having worked in senior HR roles for a number of public sector bodies delivering a range of HR services, including developing and implementing business restructuring programmes. As the former Head of Human Resources for a high-profile law enforcement agency, he has coached and mentored senior executives. Neil specialises in the management of complex disciplinary and grievance investigations and has dealt with such issues involving employees across businesses up to and including at Board level.

Avtar Banse

Avtar is a highly committed, conscientious and versatile, multi sector HR professional with wide-ranging capabilities refined within various world class HR environments in the private sector, complemented by all round general management and project management skills developed throughout a varied career in large corporate FTSE and private equity organisations. Avtar has outstanding HR change management and interpersonal skills and is an effective communicator at all levels with excellent written and oral skills. He has strong line management as well as HR business partnering experience with a strong background in mergers and acquisition and resulting integration of different businesses. Avtar is a skilled employee relations specialist with a disciplined approach and has always shown a strong achievement of targets during his career which has ranged from the retail, financial services, IT, global travel and data analytics and publishing sectors. Avtar welcomes new challenges and is flexible and skilled in both a ‘hands on’ or strategic approach. Avtar's range of specialties includes - Employee Relations, Change Management, Organisational and Competency framework design, Performance Management, Recruitment strategy development, Reward benchmarking, Job Architecture frameworks, Management Coaching and Development, Mergers and acquisition including TUPE.

Maxine Ayton

Maxine has numerous years’ experience as a HR practitioner and holds a master’s degree in Strategic HR and Change Management. For the past 13 years, Maxine has worked as an independent consultant, including a 2-year period with KPMG, which consolidated her ability to quickly determine the root cause of problems and determine appropriate remedial action.

Maxine has extensive experience of equality and diversity, organisational development and cultural change. Her last permanent role was CEO of the Commission for Racial Equality.

Maxine is also a qualified project manager and has managed a range of programmes in the public, private and voluntary sectors, including the development of work programmes, management of risk and management of stakeholders and communications.