Unlocking Growth: Insights from the HR Scale Up breakfast with FWB and BGF

On Wednesday 6^th December, FWB and BGF co-hosted an insightful HR scale up breakfast. The event brought together HR leaders and professionals responsible for human resources in scaling organisations, offering a platform for discussions on the crucial intersection of HR and business growth.

In the ever-evolving business landscape, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) serve as engines of innovation and job creation. Acknowledging their significance, BGF, an investment company dedicated to investing and supporting SMEs across the UK, collaborated with FWB to explore avenues for scaling up and achieving growth potential.

The event was hosted by Gemma Hamilton and Fiona Dornan from BGF, who delved into topics such as Growth Capital vs Private Equity, diverse funding strategies for scale-up businesses, and the BGF partnership model for minority investment. Drawing upon their extensive experience, they understood the importance of an organisation's culture and approach to people, especially in the context of external investment.

The speakers openly discussed the HR perspective on the benefits of external investment, which included clarity on a company's growth strategy, recruiting the right people and filling any “gaps”, building proper processes, systems & controls and focusing on the “S” of ESG. They stressed the significance of preserving the existing culture with minimal disruption, placing emphasis on supporting people development and the management team.

From their experiences, Gemma and Fiona shed light on what a minority investor looks for and the intricate dynamics at play. There was discussion recognising the importance of career development opportunities, diversity, training, recruitment, and retention figures.

The subsequent Q&A session that followed proved to be a highlight of the HR Scale Up breakfast. Participants engaged in a productive discussion, actively sharing live examples and diving deeper into the intricacies of growth capital funding and the pivotal role of HR leadership in organisational development.

Attendees left the event with enhanced knowledge and a network of connections, having enjoyed a delightful breakfast in the fantastic surroundings of BGF's Edinburgh office.

FWB extends a heartfelt thanks to Gemma, Fiona and the entire BGF team for their valuable contributions to making this event a success. The HR Scale Up breakfast proved to be a valuable forum for fostering understanding and collaboration in the journey toward business growth and success.

If you are interested in attending our future Scale Up Series events, please email us at: events@fwbparkbrown.com.