Professor Fiona Patterson, Founding Director, said: “It’s an interesting time for organisational psychology right now. The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has forced companies to adapt and make changes to the way they work. So, it’s brilliant to have Amelia, Melissa and Elis join Work Psychology Group at such a progressive time.”
Dr Maire Kerrin, co-Founding Director added: “All three new starters bring a wealth of knowledge that spans the organisational psychology spectrum. This includes employee experience, diversity & inclusion, leadership development and training. All of which will strengthen and diversify the knowledge of our team.”
About Amelia Powell
Amelia previously worked in consultancy. She has designed and delivered a range of projects including engagement programmes, 360 feedback tools, leadership and talent development programmes, culture change initiatives and assessment.
Amelia said: “In my first week at Work Psychology Group I was thrown into a virtual escape room with my new colleagues. If ever there’s an activity to figure out team dynamics, that was it and I’d like to think I now have a pretty good grasp on who the extremely competitive team members are!”
When Amelia’s not working, she loves to play the piano. Her first job was teaching other children in her neighbourhood how to play. She also loves hiking.
Amelia adds: “I’m from Wicklow, in Ireland – which is known for its beautiful hikes. But in recent years, I’ve set myself more challenging targets. I climbed Mount Toubkal in 2018, the highest peak in North Africa, and was gearing up to do Everest Base Camp last April when Covid-19 put a stop to those plans.”
About Melissa Washbrook
Melissa joins us from a management consultancy, specialising in leadership development and change management. Whilst there, Melissa was responsible for a portfolio of clients and helped support the design, development, and operationalisation of large-scale programmes.
One of Melissa’s biggest passions is selection and assessment. In 2017 she completed a masters in Organisational Psychology and her research project explored the challenges faced by older workers, following redundancy from the retail sector.
Outside work, Melissa enjoys sports and anything that involves competition.
She said: “I grew up playing football and have had a Bolton Wanderers season ticket since I was seven. I also love travelling. In 2019, I took a year’s sabbatical to explore Asia and Australia, but this was cut short due to Covid-19. I did get to attend the Australian Open tennis tournament, before being locked down in Melbourne for 5 months though!”
About Elis Sugiyarto
Elis joined WPG in January, shortly after completing her Masters Degree in Organisational Psychology at the Alliance Manchester Business School. She graduated with a Distinction in 2020.
Elis’ background is in research. She worked as a Research Assistant across public and third sectors both in the UK and internationally. Elis loves combining her skills in organisational psychology and research to design and deliver data-driven processes for effective employee selection, training and development.
Elis said: “At Work Psychology Group, I’ll be focusing on developing SJT materials for large-scale projects across a variety of healthcare fields, such as medicine, pharmacy and dentistry. These projects oversee the recruitment into specialist fields for more than 40,000 healthcare professionals.”
Having moved to the UK from Indonesia, Elis enjoys the tropics and learnt how to swim before she could walk. She loves to dance and has performed in many shows growing up, including her high-school production of Grease.
Work Psychology Group specialises in developing innovative and practical based solutions for organisations using the latest research. Get in touch to find out how we can help you and your business.
