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The former chief legal officer of Phones 4U has joined the board of business and freelancer services group Optionis.
Steven Lloyd spent eight years on the Phones 4U board, overseeing several major acquisitions and disposals between 2006 and 2014. Prior to that, the qualified solicitor served as legal director for the Caudwell Group.
Lloyd’s new role on the Optionis executive team will initially see him assume responsibility for the group’s sales and marketing functions. He will then move across to operations, with a focus on service improvement and innovation.
Lloyd said: “I was attracted to Optionis by the group’s ambition and growth prospects. There is a real entrepreneurial spirit and can-do attitude.
“It’s a private equity-backed business with a solid financial profile and a determination to grow, both organically and through acquisitions.
“As such I felt my career experience to date, particularly at Phones 4U, would enable me to add value and help the group to fulfil its potential.
“In many ways Optionis is a very different business to Phones 4U, but one similarity is the focus on acquisition, retention and maximising the lifetime value of customers.”
Headquartered in Cheshire, the Optionis Group employs more than 300 office-based staff across six UK sites. Group turnover for 2013/14 was £316m.
It comprises three companies – Parasol, ClearSky Contractor Accounting and ClearSky Business – that together provide support to tens of thousands of freelancers, contractors, small businesses and recruitment firms every year.
Optionis has acquired four accountancy firms in the past 18 months, as it pursues an aggressive growth strategy designed to build market share in the SME space.
A secondary buyout (SBO) backed by international investment firm MML Capital Partners was completed in January 2014, and former Havas executive vice president Iain Ferguson was recently appointed non-executive chairman.
Optionis managing director Derek Kelly said: “Steven has a huge amount of relevant experience, and has held senior management positions in the corporate world.
“His knowledge and expertise mean he will be a tremendous asset as we look to grow the business over the coming years. We are delighted to welcome him aboard.”
