In March 2023, People Puzzles appointed its first Regional Director for Scotland, Kathryn Hume. One year on, we are looking back at the highlights of that first year and celebrating the achievements and rapid expansion of our Scottish team.

“There is huge potential and appetite for growth in Scottish SMEs,” says Kathryn. “We are constantly being introduced to ambitious businesses keen to grow and invest in their people. Our fractional model allows growing businesses access to Board-level People Directors on an affordable, flexible basis, so they benefit from the right skills and experience without the large salary and associated costs on their own P&L.”

She adds, “Our offering is being well received within Scotland from mid-tier SME, as we provide so much support and guidance in developing robust people plans that complement and deliver business strategies that are fully aligned with a wider vision and realise potential growth within their organisations.”

As proud sponsors of the Business Excellence Ayrshire Awards in 2024 and the Ayrshire Chamber of Commerce Business Awards Hospitality Business of the year award in 2023, we have been incredibly impressed at the calibre, commitment and vision of the rising stars of Scottish business, as well as the more established side. Kathryn says, “We have seen first hand the incredible talent, innovation and ambition on display and are so excited about the years to come as we continue to help Scotland’s businesses to thrive.”

Kathryn’s team has grown rapidly, with new additions including Jacqui Mallin, Sharon Catchpole, Angela Hoey and Clyde Marwick, all of whom are deeply experienced People Directors and established experts in their fields. “With People Directors of this calibre available to help Scottish businesses to grow and scale, we offer a significant competitive advantage without the long term risk or cost of a full time hire,” says Kathryn. “Every member of my team is committed to the success of Scottish business and I am so proud to have such incredible expertise available to local businesses.”

The team has been out and about attending plenty of events over the last year, including the All-Energy Exhibition and Conference, the Glasgow Business Show, where Jacqui hosted an informative and hands-on workshop on taking a business strategy forward to create a roadmap for growth, Scale Up Scotland and Business Beats Cancer; we have hosted breakfast meetings, attended conferences and met a huge range of brilliant people, and look forward to sponsoring the Vistage Summit in Edinburgh in May, where members of the team will also be delivering an interactive workshop for delegates.

Kathryn says, “With ongoing connections with the Scottish Business Network, Chambers of Commerce, Vistage and our many collaborative business partners, we are really excited about what the year ahead has in store, and we look forward to introducing our unique offering to more and more of Scotland’s growth-minded businesses as strategic partners and trusted people experts.”

Community and partnership is hugely valued and Kathryn and the team have relished the opportunity to work with Liberti colleagues from The CFO Centre, The Marketing Centre, Kiss the Fish and Freeman Clarke, each complementing the People Puzzles offering with specialist, fractional C-suite executives to give growing businesses the ultimate commercial and strategic advantage.

“2024 is looking very exciting and we look forward to continuing to support our existing clients, and meeting many new ones in the coming months,” says Kathryn. “ESG is becoming ever more of a focus for Scottish businesses, and the role of leadership continues to evolve and we are well positioned to support businesses with those capabilities. The fractional exec model is a really significant opportunity for ambitious businesses to access the top tier of HR and people talent on a low-risk, affordable basis, creating an enhanced employer value proposition to help attract and keep the best people. Scotland is an incredibly exciting place to be from a business perspective and I can’t wait to see what the future holds.”