Sonia Rai, Founder & Managing Director

Sonia started Nectar HR initially in 2011 but took an 18-month break in 2014 due to personal circumstances. In 2016 Sonia relaunched Nectar HR and the business continues to go from strength to strength. 

Sonia worked part-time in HR from 2000 whilst studying and graduated from the University of Wolverhampton in 2003 with a degree in Human Resources and Marketing. She went on to complete a Masters in Human Resources and Business from Aston University, obtaining CIPD accreditation in 2004. 

Sonia has worked in some large corporate organisations and has a vast amount of experience from strategic and board level HR right down to understanding administrative HR processes. She has worked across a wide range of industries from banking and construction to health and social care and is an expert in regulated industries such as health care and education.

Sonia loves talking to new clients about their HR needs and ensuring that the Nectar HR team add value to our clients every step of the way. Sonia is very passionate about ‘doing HR properly’ and her pet hate is generic, off the shelf HR. Sonia also does not believe in lengthy contracts with our clients, instead offering flexible solutions that best meet the needs of our valued clients.

Janice Wilson – Junior HR Consultant

Janice joined Nectar HR in December 2021 part time to broaden her HR skills further in different sectors. She gained her CIPD Level 3 in June 2020 whilst working as an HR Administrator/Coordinator for one of the UK’s largest GP Partnerships.

She splits her time between HR, swimming teaching, family and volunteering for Girlguiding UK both as a Leader and DBS verifier.  She is a mum to 2 teenage daughters who keep her on her toes, and keen lover of animals with 2 dogs, 1 cat, 1 rabbit and 2 guinea pigs at home.

Janice supports in all areas of the employee life cycle.

Janice is also experienced in HR administration duties and working with HR generalist matters, which has helped her gain a well-rounded understanding of Human Resources.

Janice is particularly skilled at recruitment processes including onboarding new starters where there are strict regulated requirements and she is also passionate about employee wellbeing within the workplace.

Wendy Barnes – HR Consultant

Wendy joined Nectar HR in March 2024 as a HR Consultant, bringing over 25 years of HR experience to the team.  Wendy is CIPD qualified and passionate about doing the right thing, partnering/supporting clients and their employees to enable them to achieve the business objectives and support with business growth.

Wendy’s experience during this time including working in a wide variety of industries including manufacturing, logistics, machinery plant hire and facilities management companies.

Wendy has worked as a HR Generalist with wide ranging experience covering the whole employee life cycle including whole spectrum of Employee Relations, Delivering HR Projects including TUPE Transfers (In and Out), Restructures, Harmonisations, Redundancies, Exit Plans, Absence Management and Performance Management.

Andy Stanney – Senior HR Consultant

Andy joined Nectar HR in May 2024 as an HR Consultant. Andy has over 3 decades’ experience in HR and project management and is CIPD Level 7 qualified as well as holding a Level 5 diploma in leadership & management, a level 4 certificate in recruitment practice and the APMP project management qualification.

In his youth, Andy wanted to be a pilot in the Royal Air Force. That wasn’t meant to be but Andy did join the RAF aged 18 and trained as an HR specialist, beginning a career that took him all around the world over the next 30 years, culminating in him leading the HR function for the emergency evacuation of Afghanistan in August 2021. Andy subsequently chose to leave the RAF to further his career in civilian employment. His first role after leaving the RAF was as Head of People for a well-loved local charity, where he stayed until he saw an opportunity with Nectar HR to move into consultancy, opening the door for him to work with a variety of clients in a multitude of sectors.

 Andy is very much an HR generalist with experience covering the whole employee lifecycle. He especially enjoys developing and delivering bespoke training to line managers on a range of topics aimed at helping them get the best from their teams and has a track record of working successfully with senior leaders and trade union representatives on complex matters including contract variations and organisational restructures.

Andy has a long-suffering wife and 2 adult children at university. In his spare time he is a governor at a primary school, a trustee at a multi-academy trust, a rugby union referee, a parkrun enthusiast and an amateur guitarist.

Josie Onions – HR Consultant

 Josie joined us in May 2025.  Before moving into HR, Josie spent several years managing people and operations in the hospitality sector, experience that helps her truly understand the day-to-day challenges businesses face. She later moved into in-house HR within manufacturing, where she developed expertise in complex employee relations, recruitment, policy development, management coaching, and designing and delivering training programmes.

Now, as an HR Consultant, she combines that operational insight with a practical, people-focused approach to help businesses build fair, effective, and supportive workplaces. Fairness, equity, and honesty guide everything she does, and is known for her ability to stay objective while bringing warmth and understanding to every situation. Outside of work, Josie enjoys lifting weights at the gym, the odd park run, baking with her children and cooking for her family.

Amrita Rai – HR Intern

Amrita is a HR Intern at Nectar HR, working part-time while pursuing a degree in Human Resources and Business Management at Aston University. Her journey with Nectar HR officially began in September 2024, shortly after completing her A-levels.

Amrita’s role particularly focuses on managing social media and handling administrative tasks, while also shadowing the team to gain hands-on experience in a variety of HR practices. This opportunity has allowed her to develop practical skills and deepen her understanding of the HR field, equipping me for a future career in this dynamic and rewarding industry.

Outside of work and studies, she enjoys watching football and is a proud Liverpool fan.