Transforming creative workplaces through fair, equity‑focused people practice.
About Ayo
Based in Glasgow, Ayo (pronounced Eye-Oh) Schwartz is a People & Culture leader with over a decade of experience shaping effective people strategies and building high‑performing, values‑driven workplace cultures across the UK and US. With a strong foundation in HR operations, employee relations, leadership advisory, and policy development, Ayo brings a practical, relationship‑centred approach to helping organisations grow with clarity, compassion, and confidence.
Ayo has lead wide‑ranging initiatives in learning and development, workforce planning, wellbeing, safeguarding, compliance, and conflict resolution. Their experience spans both strategic and operational HR, from navigating complex employee issues and crisis management to guiding organisations through change and delivering people‑focused transformation.
Ayo is an HR leader brought in by executive leadership teams to build and rebuild People and Culture functions within complex organisations. Over the course of their career, they have led the development of People and Culture departments from the ground up, establishing strategic frameworks, governance structures and operational foundations aligned to organisational ambition. They were appointed as the sole HR professional to establish the first HR department at the National Theatre of Scotland, creating the organisation’s people infrastructure and embedding professional HR practice across the organisation.
Beyond their consultancy and HR leadership work, Ayo contributes to sector development and governance internationally. They serve on the Board of The Play Company in New York City, as well as the Scottish charities Company of Wolves and Independent Arts Projects. From 2024-2025, Ayo supported national policy discussions as part of the Scottish Government’s Culture Fair Work Task Force.
Grounded, collaborative, and values‑led, Ayo partners with organisations to create workplaces where people feel supported, empowered, and able to thrive.
Values
Integrity
Accountability
Continuous Learning
Solidarity
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