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After seven years with People Puzzles, and six years as Managing Director, Alex will be leaving the business on 30 June 2026 as founder Ally Maughan and co-owner Helen Stenhouse step back into day-to-day leadership, sharing the Managing Director role.
The transition has been planned over the past six months and marks an exciting new chapter for the business as it continues to evolve and grow.
People Puzzles was founded 16 years ago by Ally Maughan, with Helen Stenhouse joining the business three years later. Together, they have built a national business with a clear purpose: helping ambitious businesses access high-quality fractional people leadership to build Better People. Better Business. Better Life. TM From July, Helen will lead marketing and sales, while Ally will take responsibility for services, team and finance.
Reflecting on the transition, Ally said:
“It feels like the right time for Helen and me to take the business back over. We remain as passionate about People Puzzles today as we were when we started and are incredibly excited about what comes next.”
During his time with People Puzzles, Alex has played a pivotal role in the company’s success. As Managing Director, he has led the business nationally, steering it through the challenges of the pandemic with a steady hand while remaining firmly aligned to the company’s values and purpose.
A thoughtful, kind and strategic leader, Alex has fostered a positive and inclusive culture, strengthened relationships across the business and helped drive sustainable growth. Most recently, he has led the adoption of AI across sales and marketing, delivering significant improvements to the way the team works every day.
“Alex has made an enormous contribution to People Puzzles,” said Helen Stenhouse. “He has led with integrity, kindness and humility, always putting our people, clients and values first. We are hugely grateful for everything he has done and wish him every success for the future.”
Looking ahead, People Puzzles is excited about the opportunities ahead. The business is continuing to broaden the range of organisations it supports, deepen its understanding of the measurable impact it delivers for clients through a new project with Oxford Brookes University and Innovate UK, and continue leading the market in defining what exceptional fractional leadership looks like.
“We are blown away every day by the quality of work our team delivers for clients,” added Ally. “With closer founder involvement and an outstanding team around us, we’re excited to take People Puzzles to the next level.”