Newcastle's Sapphire HR rolls out services after five-figure investment

A Tyneside HR company is putting expansion plans into action on the back of a five-figure investment.

Newcastle-based Sapphire HR was launched six years ago to provide HR solutions to small business owners, and the last year has seen bosses gear up for rapid growth.

The team moved to its new, bigger premises at Clavering House in Newcastle city centre in June, where it has been developing its services and investing in new IT infrastructure.

Now, with the help of a five-figure loan from NPIF II – NEL Smaller Loans Fund, which is managed by NEL Fund Managers as part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II (NPIF II), the company is set to recruit two new HR advisers, develop its marketing strategy, grow its client base, and more than double turnover in the next year.

Sapphire has also launched a new service called HR in a Box, designed for businesses with fewer than five employees, providing them access to affordable support – a product which comes at a crucial time as small business owners navigate new challenges, including changes to the national minimum wage, national insurance contributions, and the upcoming employment rights bill.

Founder and managing director Michael Dobson said: “I started Sapphire HR with a vision to support businesses who may not have the budget to hire a larger consultancy firm, or the time or skills to manage their own HR function. We pride ourselves on offering the same products and services as our larger competitors but with a much more personalised offering. Six years on, I’m delighted with how the business has developed.

“We have a number of loyal customers who we’ve worked with since 2018 and now, with substantial planning and the investment from NEL, we’re looking to increase our client base dramatically. There are some major employment related changes happening and we needed to scale to support many more businesses which will need professional HR support to navigate their way through them.”

Susan Snowdon, investment executive at NEL, added: “The Sapphire team presented a thorough review of the business’s growth potential and the robust plans they have in place to take advantage of the opportunities in front of them. It was a pleasure to work with Michael and I look forward to seeing his and his team’s hard work pay off with the backing of NEL’s investment.”

Sapphire HR was introduced to NEL Fund Managers by Michael Cantwell, corporate finance partner at Clive Owen LLP.