The Business Exchange Swindon & Wiltshire Edition 45: Oct/Nov 2019 | Page 13

Professional services business drives forward with new appointment Swindon-based Optimum Professional Services has appointed a new head of its audit division as part of the firm’s ambitious growth plans. Rob Stokes joins the company from Cheltenham accountancy practice Randall & Payne, where one of his specialisms was accounting and audit for a raft of academy schools and charities. Optimum, based in Stratton, is unique in Swindon and the wider area for offering business advisory, accountancy and legal services under one roof. Rob’s appointment strengthens the audit division, which will also now offer services to academy schools and charities, alongside the corporate audit already offered. “I am looking forward to the new opportunities that working with a firm offering advisory services, together with regular accountancy and legal services, can bring,” said Rob. “My first task is to integrate the clients who I am bringing with me, then to develop our offering and team before increasing our reach further towards Cirencester. We will also be offering accountancy and auditing to academy schools.” Rob, who hails from Gloucester, began his career in accountancy at a firm in Tewkesbury, where he became audit manager. He then joined a Newbury practice, where he rose to associate partner. After a spell in lease Rob Stokes and Richard Matthews administration at RBS, he returned to Tewkesbury where the firm he joined eventually merged with Randall and Payne. Here, he became a partner. Richard Mathews, CEO of Optimum, who created the business in 2017 as a way of bringing professional services together, said Rob’s was an important appointment for the company. “Rob is an excellent addition to the team. He is highly experienced, brings with him some loyal clients, and his expertise will also allow us to offer services to academy schools,” said Richard. “This is an exciting development in Optimum’s journey and we are delighted to have Rob on board.” Optimum provides a range of professional services. The accountancy team offer business planning, personal and business tax planning, audit, bookkeeping, and payroll; the legal team specialise in wills and probate, commercial and residential conveyancing, and associated services (such as equity release, powers of attorney, remortgaging, land acquisition and sale). There have been further appointments at Optimum recently. Megan Williams joined at the start of the summer, as accounts senior and Dorothy Grafton has been appointed payroll clerk. Optimum is also staging regular networking events, to support the local business community. The next is a breakfast on Wednesday 2nd October, from 7.30-9:00am. All events are free to attend. There are also plans to organise an event to tie in with the Budget, once a date has been announced. This year, the team have chosen two charities to support: MIND, which focuses on mental health, and children’s cancer charity CLIC Sargent. Their next fundraiser is a quiz, on Thursday 10th October, at The Village Hotel, Shaw Ridge, which is open to teams of four. For more information, to enter a team for the quiz, or to book on for the networking event on 2nd October, email [email protected], phone [phone] or visit: www.optps.co.uk Meet the woman behind the business transforming the recruitment industry Rosie Stevens is the founder of Mployable, a fresh take on recruitment. Having worked in the industry for over ten years, Rosie saw the potential to do things a different way, helping businesses to grow stronger teams and attract and retain top talent. Rosie said, “We take the stress and hassle out of recruitment by blending the ease, familiarity and expertise of an in-house recruitment team, with the flexibility of an outsourced service. We come to your business, get to know you and follow a carefully crafted process to embed within your business, ensuring we ‘look, act and feel’ like we work for you. “We build a strategy that saves you time and money by streamlining and outsourcing your recruitment with our subscription or pay as you go service. As an embedded hiring service, we work as an extension of your team to create a positive recruitment experience for both employer and talent.” Mployable offer a monthly subscription or pay as you go service offering flexibility throughout the year. The costs are based on the current size of your business and your ambitions for growth. They offer three packages, Scale, Grow and Pro. The idea is that you can use Mployable’s service when you need it and the transparent hourly rate gives you specialist recruitment support and advice without the commitment. The Mployable Way Step 1: The Onboarding We get everything in place to set up for success – including setting up a ‘careers@ yourbusinesshere’ email address and access your social media, so we never miss an opportunity to promote you as an ‘Employer of Choice’. Step 2: The Research We get to know you, your competitors and the movers and shakers of your industry. Knowledge is power. Step 3: The Foundations We get super clear on who you are looking for, and where we are going to find them, through expertly crafted job descriptions, adverts and targeted marketing campaigns. Step 4: The Implementation Now we’re ready to run the process. CV screening, candidate selection and LinkedIn searching all come as standard, with our interview attendance as a ‘bolt on’ and support with the offer and negotiation process. Step 5: The Delivery We secure you the perfect candidate, time after time, with our ‘culture first’ approach to hiring. We run this process for all your recruitment, and combine it with regular meetings, calls and contact to consistently keep up to date with the changes to your business. “I’ve worked on recruitment projects, from a multimillion-pound renewable energy business, where I build the HR and Recruitment strategy from the ground up, to innovating and leading a national graduate recruitment programme. I also implemented successful searches for the Chief Technology Officer and Chief Financial Officer. “I am CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development) qualified to diploma level and REC (Recruitment Employment Confederation) certified.” Rosie’s skills are complemented by Mployable Recruitment Co-ordinator, Zoe Meaden. Zoe is an experienced Marketing and Development Manager, with a particular passion for business strategy and employer branding. Zoe said, “I have also been in recruitment for nearly a decade working closely with small and medium enterprises to large global brands. There is nothing greater than helping businesses solve their problems and streamline their offering.” Mployable offers a complimentary 30-minute strategy call, understanding why your hiring efforts aren’t working, getting to grips with how to communicate with candidates in your industry and offering tips and tricks on how to build a recruitment strategy and process that aligns with your wider business goals. Visit the Mployable blog packed with key subjects and tips: www.mployable.co.uk/recruitmentblog Attend an Mployable event. Mployable run talks and workshops throughout the year across the South West. Visit the website to find out more. 01749 345832 [email protected] For more info: www.mployable.co.uk THE BUSINESS EXCHANGE 2019 13