Corporate depth with boutique focus

Twenty years in global Fortune 500 HR have taught me one fundamental truth: companies don’t succeed because of strategy alone, they succeed because of the people who bring that strategy to life.

I’m Rachel Wilson Rugelsjøen, founder of Level-Up HR, and I partner with leaders and HR teams to make that happen.
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My career spans the full spectrum of global HR leadership, from Barclays Capital and Bank of America Merrill Lynch in London, to Cognizant’s matrixed operations across India, the US, and Europe, to the Norwegian Oil Fund (NBIM), where I learned the art of balancing Nordic governance with international ambition. Two decades across financial services, technology, and investment management have given me something invaluable: pattern recognition for what actually works when building high-performing cultures.
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Too many consultants hand over glossy reports and walk away. I collaborate directly with your teams, combining board-level strategic thinking with hands-on implementation. After two decades inside complex, high-stakes organisations, I know what actually works in practice and what doesn’t. That’s my edge, and why so many of my clients keep coming back.

My expertise spans three disciplines that most firms separate:

1. Strategic HR Leadership: Organisation design, culture architecture, change management, and talent strategy.
2. Employment Law & Compliance Advisory: UK and Nordic expertise in restructuring, performance and contract matters, global mobility, and evolving regulations such as EU pay transparency.
3. Executive Coaching: Leadership development, team effectiveness, and behavioural change.

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I hold degrees in Psychology, Human Resource Management, and Employment Law. As a Chartered Member of the CIPD and a certified practitioner in advanced psychometric assessments – including EQ testing, high-performance team development, and leadership coaching tools – I bring both rigour and insight to my work.

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I’m often invited to share my perspective on leadership, culture, and the future of work, from international conferences to podcasts and panel discussions. But credentials alone don’t drive results, values do.

Everything I build is anchored in five principles: delivering tangible value, genuine compassion for the human experience, uncompromising integrity, relentless curiosity, and the belief that collaboration beats competition every time.

Based between Oslo and London, I work with organisations across the UK, Nordics, and internationally. Whether you’re scaling from 50 to 500 employees, guiding a HR team through transformation, or redefining your leadership culture, I’ll help you do it better.

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Let’s help your people – and your business – LevelUp and thrive, together.