Meet the C-level experts behind The Fractional Group - offering on-demand expertise to Sheffield SMEs

21st October 2020

C-level experts from a cross-section of professional services have joined forces to create a new executive consultancy offer for small businesses in South Yorkshire, the East Midlands and surrounding areas.

Eight specialists with vast experience in areas such as data security, HR, operations, supply chain, marketing, finance and technology have set up The Fractional Group.

Its purpose is to gives SMEs on a small budget the opportunity to have “on-demand” access to individuals at the top of their industry.

The group was set up by Sheffield based IT consultant Ian Hilton, who for the past two years has been helping Guernsey Electricity to transform their IT operation and has 25 years’ experience including senior IT roles at global Fortune 500 manufacturer Flowserve.

He said: “The Fractional Group is a coming together of brilliant businesses from across the South Yorkshire and the East Midlands to provide a powerful force that will help SMEs develop and grow.

“I am very proud to be part of this, working with exceptional people and developing this concept of collaborative working even more.

“We can offer advice and guidance in any business or sector, in any combination, which benefits business tremendously.

“All the advice and delivery capability they need in one place, so The Fractional Group becomes their long-term trusted partner.”

How does The Fractional Group help businesses?

The consultants, who have all worked for large corporations in senior vertical roles, can be used by businesses on an hourly, daily or retained basis.

After an initial “discovery” exercise to understand the challenges faced by a business, The Fractional Group – which operates as a limited liability partnership – will prepare a “roadmap for change” to take them where they need to be.

It’s at this point where its USP is created. While other national organisations offer similar on-demand access to part-time – or “fractional” – CIOs, CTOs and IT directors, The Fractional Group differs because the consultants will then help deliver the changes they recommend rather than leave clients to get on with them.

It also ensures that all implications are considered across a range of operations that make a business successful.

Ian said: “I wanted to compete with traditional IT consultancy firms but then realised how much stronger the offer would be if it was across the board.

“In these current times, when businesses are wondering what to do next and what the future looks like, they might have let go a number of C-level executives, so this gives them the chance to move forward again.

“We also have massive connections to call upon outside our group, so anything the customer can throw at us, we can get an answer for them easily.

“We’ll match local providers to the customer – it helps the local economy but also allows them to get in the same room.”

The Fractional Group’s team of C-level consultants

As well as Ian, The Fractional Group’s team includes:

• Co-founder Peter Storer, a senior-level IT executive with more than 35 years’ in Information Technology, business change, customer service, project management and strategy.  He has held a number of senior positions at Boots, E.ON, Micros Retail, Healthcare at Home and Midland HR. 
• Mike Donoghue, a strategic technology leader with more than 30 years of global IT consultancy experience for organisations including FedEx, Boeing, Rolls-Royce, the US Air Force and US Navy
• Pam Cannell, an international senior HR professional who has spent more than two decades working in designing and implementing people strategies within companies such as GlaxoSmithKline, Capital One, Experian, Babcock International Group and Bupa
• Phil Webster, who brings 25-plus years of operations experience to boardrooms after delivering operational transformation at organisations including Experian, Equifax, Thomson Reuters, Atos and NSL
• Gilbert Tuplin, a procurement and supply chain director and consultant with extensive experience across various B2B and B2C sectors for companies including Panasonic Europe, Johnson Matthey, Plastic Logic GmbH and Cooper Industries
• Paul Chapman, a marketing director who has been in the industry at all levels for more than 20 years, working on projects including the relaunch of the Raleigh Chopper
• Alastair Rennie, who has a demonstrated history of working in management for non-profit organisations, with skills in areas such as business processes, customer relationship management, IT service management and business transformation

Pam Cannell, who runs LadybayHR, said the ability to tap into the group’s expertise would help companies become more profitable.

“I’m excited to work with like-minded professionals to provide real value to businesses across the region,” she added.

“The Fractional Group delivers a truly collaborative approach and uniquely recognises that making changes in IT, for example, very often has implications for HR, procurement and operations.

“This means that businesses can be reassured that our service is delivered holistically and in a really cost-effective way.”