A company which has helped develop dozens of businesses in the north and north-east of Scotland over the past 15 years is poised for significant expansion.
Robert Beattie, managing partner at HIE Ventures (Managers), and James Cameron, former director of finance at Tulloch Homes, have taken a 50% stake in GHRL which provides interim management and business support services.
Since it was founded in Nairn 15 years ago by husband and wife team Brian and Fiona Sherret, GHRL has built up a team of 18 experts who have provided guidance to companies ranging from small family owned businesses to corporate organisations as large as £200million turnover.
Mr Beattie has moved into the new role of chief executive officer and Mr Sherret is now chairman.
Mr Sherret said: “We think GHRL has huge growth potential but we have been limited in our ability to maximise that until now. Robert and James have the experience and the drive to help us achieve a step change and take the business to the next level.
“We sell experience and our success has been built on the quality of our hand-picked team.They have all enjoyed successful careers and achieved significant milestones and are keen to pass on some of their experience.”
Mr Beattie said: “James and I were keen to make a commitment to GHRL because it is a great business which has huge growth potential.
“We would like to be the first port of call for any business requiring external support.
“When a business identifies an issue and accepts that it has neither the time, resources or skills in-house to tackle it we can step in and address it. We have the skills they need when they need them. Some companies may consider appointing a non-executive director who comes in one day a month to pass on his or her expertise. For the same cost we can offer a range of people of the same calibre, all with different skills, to assist for the same number of days.
“We are looking to expand our team and our geographical area but initially will be consolidating in the North and North-east where we have all been involved in business for many years,” he added.
Garry Millard, chief executive officer of the of Flexlife Group, has used GHRL in previous businesses in which he has been involved and believes interim management can play a significant role in company development.
“In one company we used them to help us sort out some of our HR objectives. They assisted in setting the objectives and came in regularly to see where individuals were in delivering on these objectives and to help them develop.
“At another company a GHRL interim manager helped to put in place a new strategy which had been developed and provided significant assistance in achieving the buy in of the other directors.
“It was helpful to have someone there who wasn’t a director who could ask the blunt questions of the directors – ‘Have you done this, where are you with this process. ‘
It can be very beneficial to have a third party who understands the process to drive people without any of the personality clashes which might arise between fellow directors.”