A former Chief Superintendent who spent 30 years breaking barriers in specialist policing has launched a new North East consultancy to help organisations improve how they attract, recruit and retain female talent. Samantha Rennison, founder of The Experience Effect, is drawing on three decades of leadership experience to support employers in identifying hidden barriers within recruitment processes and workplace culture that can prevent women from joining and progressing within organisations.
Having joined the police at just 20 years old, Samantha became one of only two women in her force’s firearms department before rising through the ranks to lead tactical and specialist operations, including firearms, roads policing, dogs, horses and marine units. After retiring from policing in January 2026, she quickly realised she wanted to continue helping organisations improve through their people.
Samantha said: “What I missed most was helping organisations become better through the people they employ. During my policing career, I saw first-hand the positive impact that better representation can have on behaviours, performance and public confidence, and I wanted to help other sectors experience those same benefits.”
Recognising what she believed was a gap in the market, Samantha established The Experience Effect to help organisations examine every stage of the employee journey, from recruitment advertising and interview processes through to onboarding and long-term retention. Rather than focusing solely on women in leadership positions, the consultancy takes a whole-system approach to understanding why female talent may be discouraged from applying or choose to leave organisations.
She said: “If 50 people apply for a role and only five are women, that’s telling you something. The objective should always be to recruit the best candidate, not simply the best male candidate. “This isn’t just about doing the right thing. Organisations with better gender balance benefit from stronger decision-making, healthier workplace cultures and improved productivity. Increasingly, they’re also expected to demonstrate meaningful progress on representation when bidding for contracts and tenders.”
Although Samantha had spent her career leading large operational teams and managing significant budgets, launching a business was an entirely new experience. She turned to TEDCO for support, working with business advisor Colin Lynch who delivers support through South Tyneside Council’s “Start Up South Tyneside Programme”. It is funded by North East Mayor Kim McGuinness and the North East Mayoral Strategic Authority. Colin helped Sam to develop her business plan, validate the market opportunity and prepare for launch.
Samantha said: “TEDCO gave me exactly what I needed at the right time. Colin became a genuine sounding board who helped me challenge my thinking, shape the business and turn years of experience into a clear proposition. Having someone to guide me through every stage of starting the business gave me real confidence.”
Before The Experience Effect had even officially been named, Samantha secured her first client, providing early validation that organisations were actively looking for practical support to improve recruitment and workplace culture.
Colin Lynch, Business Advisor at TEDCO, said: “Samantha brought an exceptional depth of leadership experience and a genuine passion for helping organisations improve. From our very first conversations, it was clear she had identified an important gap in the market and a business built on real expertise. “It’s been a pleasure supporting Samantha as she developed The Experience Effect, and we’re excited to see the positive impact she’ll continue to make for organisations both across the North East and beyond.”
Although proudly based in the North East, Samantha’s ambitions extend nationally, with her first client already operating across UK and international markets. She has also been invited to speak at the European Construction Equipment Conference later this year to share her experience.
She added: “Representation doesn’t improve by accident. It improves when organisations understand where the barriers exist, fix the leaks in the pipeline and create cultures where talented people can join, stay and thrive.”
