After three decades in policing, many people would be looking forward to a well-earned retirement. For Samantha Rennison, however, stepping away from a career that saw her rise to Chief Superintendent and lead some of the country’s most specialist operational policing teams revealed something unexpected: she wasn’t finished helping people succeed.
Today, Samantha is the founder of The Experience Effect, a consultancy helping organisations improve how they attract, recruit and retain female talent by identifying and removing hidden barriers throughout the recruitment journey.
Her business is built on lived experience, practical insight and a determination to create lasting cultural change.
As a member of the National Enterprise Network (NEN), TEDCO supports aspiring entrepreneurs and established businesses through guidance, advice and tailored business support. Samantha’s journey highlights the difference this support can make when someone is ready to turn years of professional experience into a new business venture.
Breaking Barriers Throughout Her Policing Career
Samantha joined the police at just 20 years old and spent almost her entire career working in specialist firearms policing, becoming one of only two women in her force’s firearms department at the time.
Over the following three decades, she progressed through senior operational roles, leading tactical and specialist teams across firearms, roads policing, dogs, horses and marine units. She became a Tactical Firearms Commander and Strategic Firearms Commander before progressing to Chief Superintendent, working across North Tyneside and Northumberland.
Working in environments where women were consistently under-represented gave Samantha first-hand experience of the challenges women can face throughout their careers. It also showed her what organisations can achieve when they genuinely commit to change.
“Policing often gets a hard time but during my career I saw real progress in female representation, and I was fortunate enough to help drive some of that change. I’ve been the woman in the room full of men. I understood the dynamics, I understood why things needed to change, and I saw the benefits when they did.”
When Samantha left policing on 1 January 2026, she initially planned to take time out, travel and enjoy retirement. However, it wasn’t long before she realised something was missing.
“What I missed most was helping organisations improve through their people. That’s always been the part of the job I loved.”
As she considered what came next, Samantha began to identify an opportunity to use her experience in a different way.
“There are plenty of conversations about women in leadership, but very few people are talking about the pipeline beneath it. You can’t fix leadership representation if the pipeline is leaking – and pipelines will always leak if nobody is looking after them.”
That thinking became the foundation for The Experience Effect.
Rather than focusing solely on senior leadership representation, Samantha works with organisations to examine every stage of the employee journey, from recruitment advertising and interview processes to onboarding, workplace culture and long-term retention.
As she explains:
“If 50 people apply for a role and only five are women, that’s telling you something. The aim should always be to recruit the best candidate, not simply the best male candidate.”
More Than Doing the Right Thing
For Samantha, creating more balanced workplaces is about more than equality. She believes it is also a business priority.
Organisations that take meaningful steps to improve gender balance can benefit from stronger decision-making, healthier workplace cultures and greater trust among employees, customers and the wider public.
Increasingly, businesses are also expected to demonstrate meaningful action on representation when competing for contracts and tenders.
“This isn’t just about doing the right thing,” Samantha explains. “It’s about helping organisations become stronger, more resilient and more competitive.”
Despite her extensive experience leading large teams and managing significant operational budgets, starting a business presented a new challenge. Samantha understood leadership and organisational change, but turning her expertise into a viable commercial venture required a different set of skills.
That was when she turned to TEDCO for business support.
How TEDCO Helped Turn Experience into Enterprise
Through TEDCO, Samantha received guidance from business adviser Colin Lynch, who helped her transform years of professional experience into a structured business plan and prepare The Experience Effect for launch.
The support was delivered through South Tyneside Council’s Start Up South Tyneside programme, funded by North East Mayor Kim McGuinness and the North East Mayoral Strategic Authority.
Working with Colin, Samantha explored the market opportunity, refined her business model, developed financial plans and worked through the practical considerations involved in launching a consultancy.
For Samantha, one of the most valuable aspects of the support was having someone who could challenge her thinking, help her explore ideas and provide a sounding board as she navigated unfamiliar territory.
“The biggest thing TEDCO gave me was someone to think alongside. Colin became a genuine sounding board. I could test ideas, challenge my own thinking and work through every stage of building the business with someone who understood the start-up journey.”
The support helped Samantha move from having an idea for her next chapter to developing a clear plan for taking it to market.
Her experience demonstrates the importance of tailored business advice, particularly for people transitioning from established careers into self-employment. Even with decades of leadership experience behind her, having access to specialist start-up guidance helped Samantha approach the process with greater confidence and clarity.
Through its work supporting entrepreneurs, TEDCO helps people explore their ideas, understand the practicalities of running a business and take informed steps towards launching their own ventures.
As a member of the National Enterprise Network, TEDCO’s work reflects the value of accessible business support in helping people turn their skills, knowledge and ambitions into new enterprises.
Overcoming Doubts and Finding the First Client
Ironically, Samantha’s biggest concern wasn’t whether she could run a business. Instead, she worried about the possibility that organisations might not recognise the importance of the work she wanted to do.
“I worried that organisations simply wouldn’t see gender balance as important.”
As the parent of both a son and a daughter, Samantha has always been conscious that their experiences of entering the workplace are unlikely to be the same. This concern became one of the strongest motivations behind launching The Experience Effect.
However, her fears were quickly eased.
Before the business had even been officially named, Samantha secured her first client. It was an encouraging early sign that organisations were looking for practical support to improve recruitment processes and workplace culture.
“It validated everything. It told me this work mattered and that organisations genuinely wanted help to get it right.”
Securing that first client helped reinforce the commercial potential of her idea and demonstrated that the issues she wanted to address were relevant to businesses.
With her business model taking shape and early demand established, Samantha could begin building the foundations for a consultancy designed to help organisations make meaningful, lasting improvements.
Looking Ahead: Building a Business with Purpose
Although proudly based in the North East, Samantha sees The Experience Effect supporting organisations well beyond the region.
Her first client already operates nationally and internationally, reinforcing her belief that the challenges surrounding representation and recruitment are shared across industries and geographical boundaries.
She has also been invited to speak at the European Construction Equipment Conference later this year, where she will discuss her experiences in policing and the challenges and opportunities surrounding female representation.
For Samantha, however, success isn’t measured simply by speaking engagements or business growth. It is about creating workplaces where talented women no longer feel they have to question whether they belong.
“Representation doesn’t improve by accident. It improves when organisations understand the system, fix the leaks, and build cultures where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.”
Her journey shows how experience gained over a long career can become the foundation for a new business, particularly when that experience is combined with a clear purpose and the right support.
Through TEDCO’s guidance, Samantha has taken the first steps towards building a consultancy that aims to make a difference to organisations and the people who work within them.
Supporting Entrepreneurs to Take Their Next Step
Samantha’s story is an example of the work our member TEDCO does to help aspiring entrepreneurs turn ideas into viable businesses.
Starting a business can feel daunting, whether someone is taking their first steps into self-employment or, like Samantha, bringing decades of professional experience into a new venture. Access to practical advice, business planning support and an experienced sounding board can help make that transition more manageable.
As the National Enterprise Network, we are proud to highlight the work of our members and the role they play in supporting entrepreneurs, strengthening local economies and helping people realise their business ambitions.
TEDCO’s support for Samantha demonstrates that starting a business isn’t just about having a good idea. It is also about understanding the market, planning for the future and having the confidence to take the next step.