About Dawson HR
Dawson HR is led by the experienced consultant Helen Dawson. Originally founded in 2008, the business became known as Dawson Kaveney HR when Helen took over ownership in 2022. In August 2025, it rebranded to Dawson HR, reflecting the firm’s evolution and future direction.
Helen’s approach to HR is pragmatic. With an honest and down-to-earth style, she enjoys supporting owners of all sizes of business, as well larger companies and their HR teams that benefit from her vast HR knowledge and experience.
About Helen
Helen is a Chartered Fellow of the CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development) having operated in Senior HR roles for more than 10 years before taking the step into HR Consultancy.
She has over 20 years' experience of dealing with all aspects of HR and the Employee Lifecycle including managing people, employment law and legislation, recruitment, selection, retention, exits, policy implementation and management, employee relations, managing change, training & development, performance management and absence management. She has many tricky cases over that time to reference!
Helen started her career with a local manufacturing and distribution business where she worked for more than 20 years, joining the business in their production team and progressing to a Senior HR position within the business.
Since then, Helen has broadened her sector experience working in the legal, hospitality and start up sectors and today enjoys the variety of sector experience that HR consultancy delivers.
She has a sound commercial mind, helping businesses achieve their desired outcomes whilst being honest and realistic about how these can be achieved. She enjoys working with businesses to really help shape an organisation and create a positive working environment. All of this done in a relaxed and personal way.
Helen is an advocate as HR as a profession and supports her local CIPD Cumbria Branch and other HR colleagues including and those developing their careers and experience in the world of human resources.
Outside of her professional life, Helen enjoys time with her family and friends including her husband Mark and step-daughter Jessica, who know all about her two other great loves - her cats and her car!
Her friends describe her as honest, reliable and good fun to be around - all traits that Helen likes to apply to her work too!
About Zoe
Zoe Heaven joined the Dawson HR team in June 2025.
With a Master’s in International Human Resource Management and more than a decade of hands-on HR experience, Zoe brings a well-rounded approach.
She has held senior roles in both the public and private sectors, including the NHS, primary care and food manufacturing.
She is especially skilled in employee relations, policy development and equality, diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Day to day, Zoe undertakes all aspects of HR delivery and has a particular interest in training.
A Chartered Member of the CIPD and a passionate neurodiversity advocate, Zoe is committed to helping businesses become safer, fairer and more inclusive spaces for everyone, blending HR insight with lived experience.
Zoe is an active member of her local CIPD Cumbria Branch and in addition to the work that Zoe does at Dawson HR she delivers the CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development) curriculum at a local college developing the HR workforce of the future!