THANK YOU FOR VISITING FRESH THINKING
Catherine Fitzsimons-Belgaid
Hello and welcome to the Fresh Thinking website purposed to highlight the services that we offer to our clients whom are mainly individuals and small business owners.
Firstly, let me introduce myself. My name is Catherine Fitzsimons-Belgaid. I initially set up Fresh Thinking during the recession when I found myself unemployed and looking for a fresh challenge. I come from a strong PAYE background, so the thought of enterprise was scary but exciting! This provided me with the opportunity to hone my experience and passions into an area that is fast becoming problematic for most employers within both the private and public sectors.
I have collaborated and formed relationships with other like-minded individuals over the last decade to expand on my capacity to deliver to clients; therefore, I have great pleasure in introducing my colleagues: Colin Daly, for all your accounting and payroll needs; Marcello Pietrocola, for all your data protection (GDPR) needs and Pensions advice and support: Margaret Quinn, a human resource management consultant and trainer in ICDL.
My qualifications in this area include a LLM (Employment Law in Practice) awarded by Northumbria University and the Law Society of Ireland; an MSc in Human Resource Management from the IPA and UCD, a post-graduate diploma in employment law from the Law Society of Ireland and accreditation in mediation from Friary Law and ADR UK. I'm also an accredited member of the Mediation Institute of Ireland.
My humble background and interest in personal and professional development have spearheaded my holistic approach to my endeavours as an eternal student with a strong philosophy in life long learning. This provides me with the skills, experience, and knowledge to add significant value to my work.
I typically work with employers, offering advice and support from a pro-active perspective where my philosophy is 'prevention is far better than cure, particularly for small enterprise whereby the financial shock of a workplace claim could cause a collapse to their business.
I provide practical workshops for employers, including diversity training, recruitment and selection, performance management, grievance and disciplinary handling, workplace investigations and regular breakfast briefings in local employment law compliance. While I am not a solicitor and do not offer legal advice, I often represent clients, including both employers and employees with a workplace relations claim.
On a separate note, I am a dedicated educator and coach who has trained in Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) to master practitioner level with the Irish Institute of NLP. This training has advanced my dedication to supporting individuals in their career and life planning challenges.
My personal development from a typical working-class background has motivated me to set challenging goals and develop robust action plans to achieve them. I can assist you to become your best self and reach your full potential if you really want to?
Our Approach
The Fresh Thinking approach is premised on the following commitments:
Client-centred approach
Attention to detail
Mutual respect and trust
Common-sense
Best practice
Regular audits
Our Philosophy
The Fresh Thinking philosophy is premised on the following beliefs:
Continuous professional development
Continuity of service
Deliver on promise
Learning from mistakes
Great relationships
Diversity
Honesty and respect
Confidentiality Assured
Our Guarantee
The Fresh Thinking guarantee is premised on the following deliverables:
Confidentiality
Aftercare
Reasurrance
Easy communication
Security