From numbers to new heights – transformational growth for Godfrey Wilson through strategic HR

Flourishing accountancy firm Godfrey Wilson had reached a tipping point. With a growing team and limited leadership time, the founders knew they needed support with their people strategy to define their future goals and free up the Directors’ time.

Founded 20 years ago by husband-and-wife team Alison Godfrey and Rob Wilson, Godfrey Wilson is an accountancy firm on a mission to make a difference, specialising in serving the charity sector.

As it grew from a home-based operation to a firm with 25 staff in central Bristol, Alison and Rob recognised that they had reached a tipping point and needed to bring in external expertise to sustain their growth, maintain consistency and address post-COVID recruitment challenges.

Too much depended on the founders; they needed to free up their time to work on the business rather than in it. They needed a strategic partner to help design the organisation, develop career pathways, and create a management structure that would support further growth.

Watch the video or read on to see how they achieved their goals.

Balancing Act

Alison Godfrey knew that she needed help with high-level business strategy rather than merely support with compliance, which most HR providers were offering. She contacted People Puzzles with the hope of accessing a more strategic, high-level approach to people planning. After establishing the right fit with the team, Godfrey Wilson engaged People Director Alison Cooper for a day a week.

Alison began by conducting a comprehensive Discovery exercise, which included an employee engagement survey and meetings with staff and senior leaders. It revealed that Godfrey Wilson was a positive place to work, but there were some areas for improvement.

The founders had run things quite instinctively and Alison helped them articulate their goals and values and brought a sense of structure, planning and strategic direction, which resulted in a strategic plan focused on:

• Organisational design and structure
• Career pathways and manager training
• Operational planning aligned with business goals

“I think the most satisfying part is revisiting the initial output from the discovery phase and the plan that Alison put in place … at the time thinking it all seemed rather unrealistic and unachievable but looking back at what we’ve achieved now I think it has been a real success” Alison Godfrey, Founder Director, Godfrey Wilson

Easing the load

Alison introduced a proven model to facilitate strategic discussions and align the organisation’s direction and provided training and coaching to managers. She also leveraged the relationships that People Puzzles has with its partners to secure discounts on essential HR software, Breathe, and implement the Hireful Applicant Tracking System, which streamlined the recruitment processes.

Adding value

The support from Alison yielded significant benefits:

• Improved retention: defined career pathways from graduate level recruits to qualifying as an accountant. Good people management has been prioritised, which has resulted in a higher performing team and more staff satisfaction.
• Talent development: identified talent to develop a management level to run teams and run workshops to upskill those people in management skills and provide ongoing coaching.
• Structured growth: Clear strategic and operational plans allowed for sustainable expansion. Godfrey Wilson can now define what the company will look like in 3,5- and 10-years’ time and they have a plan in place to achieve those goals.
• Freed-up leadership: They have expanded the board to four Directors, which allows them to focus on strategic initiatives rather than day-to-day operations.
“It has freed up my time to spend on those more strategic aspects of the business” Alison Godfrey, Founder Director, Godfrey Wilson
Beyond numbers

“I think as a founder it can be very difficult to let go, but If you don’t let go you are restricting the growth potential, the sustainability of your business and I don’t think I would have realised that without Alison’s help.” Alison Godfrey, Founder Director, Godfrey Wilson

The strategic support from Alison transformed Godfrey Wilson, enabling it to navigate growth challenges and achieve long-term objectives. The firm now boasts a robust management structure and a clear vision for the future, positioning itself as a leading provider of accounting services to the UK charity sector.

The impact that Alison Cooper has made to Godfrey Wilson exemplifies how strategic HR support can drive accelerated growth, relieve pressure on the Directors, deliver exceptional value and unlock a business’s full potential and is summed up by founder Alison Godfrey as “transformational.”

To find out more, do simply give us a call, as we’d love to help your organisation go from strength to strength, helping your people deliver on your business plans.