2024 has been a significant year on a number of fronts for independent customs firm, Bethan Customs Consultancy.
During the past 12 months the team has doubled in size to meet growing demand for their specialist support across new service offerings and geographies and undergone a restructuring to ensure that these roles best align with clients’ needs.
In April Jemma Harrold joined the business as a Customs Co-ordinator and is Bethan’s first fully remote team member. Jemma is based in Worcestershire, ideally placed to provide customs compliance support across the industrial hubs in the North of England, as well as Bethan’s existing clients across Scotland and the rest of the UK.
The Customs Documentation team has doubled in size, with the appointment of Customs Documentation Co-ordinators, Kat Sim and Sophie Gall. In line with Bethan’s commitment to developing their team, Kat and Sophie are on a comprehensive training programme designed to develop their knowledge and professional skills. Executive Assistant Jo MacAngus marks a year with the company in a role newly created for the business.
Jemma Harrold, Kat Sim and Sophie Gall
Stephanie Gillespie was recently promoted to the position of Operations Manager. Her promotion is a strategic appointment designed to achieve the firm’s ambitious growth objectives. Stephanie’s remit encompasses commercial support, operational responsibilities, and business development across the UK.
While Founder and Managing Director, Nicola Alexander, has been short-listed for the BWC Athena Awards for the Women in Business Support and Consultancy category, with the final taking place on 15 November.
In line with the growth of the business, Bethan have launched two new service offerings in response to clients’ requirements amid a rapidly evolving customs landscape. The modular customs health-check offering has been designed to allow businesses to select focus areas according to their budget and business needs. The health check entails a comprehensive audit of an organisation’s existing compliance practices, developed to help businesses understand the measures they need to take to become compliant and to provide strategic solutions.
Additionally, the firm’s new short-term project service offering sees members of the team working in-house for clients for a period of time to cover particular projects, or staff absences / recruitment drives within businesses. Recently, one of their Customs Co-ordinators completed a 6-month stint at Stena Drilling, contributing her expertise to a customs compliance project, which was driven by a surge in imports and the need for annual leave and illness cover.
2024 has also seen the business, which recently celebrated its 9th birthday, go through a period of reflection and consolidation. Founder and Managing Director Nicola Alexander, and her team made a conscious decision at the start of the year to pause on efforts to grow the business further, with the aim of consolidating the progress already made, focusing on streamlining systems and processes to improve efficiencies, enhancing company culture and re-affirming their core values and practices.
Leadership team: Jo MacAngus, Nicola Alexander and Stephanie Gillespie
Explaining the rationale behind this strategy, Nicola said:
“The past few years have been turbulent and challenging for many SMEs, and we are no exception. From Brexit to the pandemic, the impact has been wide-reaching and well-documented. We have achieved so much in our time in business, but felt it was an opportune time to take stock, optimise our operations, re-affirm our core values, and position the business for future growth.
This hugely valuable exercise has re-energised our direction and yielded multiple benefits, not least of which has been a seismic cultural shift. Mental health is a non-negotiable theme for me, and the business as a whole, and as such has featured prominently during this re-set period. Behind each and every role within our team is a person, each and every one of whom has a unique personality, attributes and of course a life beyond work. Embedding this understanding and awareness across everything that we do has been a game-changer for Bethan, and I am extremely proud of the whole team for all they have achieved.”
Operations Manager, Stephanie Gillespie championed the project, adding:
“We passionately believe that when people thrive, business growth follows naturally, and that has been key to reshaping Bethan’s approach to staff development. By incorporating both the company’s goals and individual aspirations, we create an inclusive and collaborative approach that has positively boosted staff morale and engagement.”
Based in Aberdeenshire, Bethan’s friendly, experienced team provides customs and supply chain support, as well as training, to a wide range of businesses across the UK. Offering a tailored and solution driven service, the Bethan team helps clients to be compliant across their importing and exporting processes, streamlining the supply chain, and unlocking potential.
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