Optionis bolsters senior team as earnings rise
BUSINESS support firm Optionis has bolstered its executive team after recording an increase in annual earnings.
Figures released by the Warrington firm show pre-tax profits increased 8% to £2.7m on turnover of £316m. Net assets more than doubled from £5.5m to £11.8m.
The group has appointed Andy Hague, formerly managing director at human resources specialist Croner, as SME operations director.
Meanwhile Andy Gunson joins as finance director from industrial recruitment firm Gap Personnel, where he spent just over two years in the same role. They join chief executive Rob Crossland, managing director Derek Kelly and operations director Ifti Ahmed on the Optionis senior management team.
Optionis group consists of employment services provider Parasol and small business and contractor support specialist ClearSky.
Mr Kelly said: “After a solid year of trading that supports our long-term strategy of sustainable growth, these two appointments will help us to take the business to the next level. Andy Gunson is a talented finance director who possesses first-class knowledge of the staffing industry – a key audience for us.
“At the same time Andy Hague’s experience of providing support services to small and medium-sized firms will be invaluable as we look to grow market share in that space.”
In January 2014 the Optionis management team completed a secondary buyout (SBO) backed by international investment firm MML Capital Partners. The deal provided an exit for private equity firm Inflexion, which backed an original management buyout in 2006.
In addition to its two offices in Warrington, Cheshire, Optionis has bases in London, Middleton in Greater Manchester and Poole and Dorchester in Dorset, employing around 250 office-based staff in total.
