About Melisa
I’m Melisa Cunningham FCIPD, founder of Culture & Employee Experience.
I support organisations with practical people, culture and inclusion work that helps leaders feel more confident, employees feel better supported and businesses manage people challenges with care, clarity and purpose.
With over 20 years’ experience across the public, private and charity sectors, my background spans employee relations, diversity and inclusion, wellbeing, disability and neuro-inclusion, with a focus on turning complex workplace issues into practical, human solutions.
Throughout my career, I have seen how deeply workplace culture shapes both organisational performance and individual wellbeing. I have seen the difference it makes when people feel heard, valued and included, and I have also seen the impact when workplace issues are left unresolved, when leaders lack confidence, or when employees do not feel safe or supported to contribute at their best.
That experience has shaped my purpose: to help organisations build workplaces where people can thrive, leaders can lead with confidence, and culture becomes a genuine driver of trust, engagement and performance.
I bring a calm, thoughtful and commercially aware approach, helping organisations create workplace experiences that are fair, inclusive and built for real impact. My work is practical and people-centred, but always connected to the wider needs of the business.
I am a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, with senior-level experience across employee relations, inclusion, wellbeing, culture and employee experience.
My Purpose
Over the years, I have worked with people and organisations through some of the most sensitive and complex workplace moments. I have seen how much difference calm, fair and thoughtful support can make, not only to the outcome of a situation, but to how people feel throughout the process.
Those experiences have shaped the way I work today. I care deeply about helping organisations create cultures where people feel respected and supported, while also helping leaders make clear, confident and commercially sound decisions.
For me, culture and employee experience are not abstract ideas. They show up in everyday conversations, decisions, behaviours and moments of trust. My role is to help organisations strengthen those everyday experiences so that both people and business can thrive.