A business that was established and grown by a Warwickshire mum – at the same time as home-schooling her daughter – has won a regional award and has reached a key staff milestone.

Kathryn Brooks started Warwick HR in 2019 after initially offering to help a local business that posted online that it needed HR support.

Kathryn had taken time out of her career to look after her daughter, Imogen, and was looking for new opportunities when she saw the post and decided to offer her services.

It led to her supporting the Warwick-based company which remains a client and has grown from a handful of people to 40 staff.

And Warwick HR has followed suit and has now hit the ten staff mark, has moved into more space at Pure Offices at Tournament Fields and picked up an award for Leading Outsourced HR Provider from the Midlands Enterprise Awards 2023.

The business offers HR and recruitment support to firms of all sizes and sectors, but has found a sweet spot of companies between 30 and 70 staff. It has also carved out a niche with the automotive sector, for which it is ideally located.

Kathryn said: "It is a great testament to the team that we picked up this award and it caps off a really positive period of growth.

"I originally started the business when I was looking to get back into industry after taking a bit of time out of my career.

"We picked up our first client and we've continued to work with them ever since. They've been a huge advocate for the way we work with clients.

"When the pandemic hit, I was trying to establish the company but also had to home-school my daughter, who is nine now. Most clients understood because they were testing times for all of us!

"For some businesses, we work with them full-time and for others, we offer one day a week support. We want to be more than just a HR handbook and look to guide and support clients in a practical way that works for their business. In the vast majority of cases, they are SMEs who won't have their own HR team but need to make sure they getting things right from that point of view.

"It is all about building relationships and giving the impression that we are part of the team because that is very important."

Warwick HR is now looking to grow even further and is making the most of the support on offer from Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, including its networking opportunities.

Alex Kerr, of the Chamber, said: "It's great news that Warwick HR continues to grow and support companies across the region.

"And we are all thrilled that they have picked up a regional award that highlights the great service they deliver for their clients."