HLS Business Solutions was established in 2009 by owner Helen Stothard.

By believing in getting it right the first time, and offering an effective and accurate solution to clients problems, HLS Business Solutions has quickly grown to become a team effort.

Whilst Helen still heads the company and is the main point of contact for clients, she has created a team who all share the same values and high standards, and who have introduced new skills to the team.

The team work closely together to ensure that HLS Business Solutions clients get the best possible service.

The collaboration and sharing of skills between the team members has strengthened the business, and ensures that holidays or sickness do not prevent work being completed to tight deadlines.

The Team

Helen Stothard has over twenty years experience of helping business efficiently organise and complete their administration. In 2009, Helen set up HLS Business Solutions to offer a virtual Executive Support service to coaches, trainers, recruiters and consultants.

Helen is known for her pragmatic and Yorkshire spirit – and is regularly in demand for ideas and inspiration on how to improve administration processes, and implement social media within your business marketing mix.

Helen is an inspiration to many virtual assistants and people running a 5-9 business. She is one of the few people who have successfully made the jump from a 5-9 business to a 9-5 business. After only six months of running HLS Business Solutions, her proactive service and high standards were so much in demand, that HLS Business Solutions added in four team members – and enabling HLS Business solutions to deliver a full virtual executive business support service.

She is married and a mother to one, and combines her love of all things technological with a desire to get back out running in her spare time.  She has experience in finance, automotive and architecture and is a convert to WordPress and cloud based technologies.  She is also a happy Twitter addict with no plans to reform!

Helen is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office for Data Protection under Registration Number: Z1921400 and with HMRC under their Money Laundering Regulations under Registration Number: 12583626 and carries the appropriate indemnity and liability insurances.

Sarah Bradley is an award winning, classically trained shorthand Executive PA with over 25 years’ experience.   She has worked at senior director and chairman level in various sectors including global merchant banking, personal financial services, IT, retailing, retail property investment, management consulting, manufacturing and advertising from multi-million £ global corporations through to entrepreneurs and sole traders.

Sarah is a switched on cookie and has a deep understanding of business administration which, combined with her great sense of humour, natural charm and unending desire to help people work Smarter not Harder, makes her an invaluable member of our team.

Sarah lives in Somerset with her husband, two young sons and their latest (surviving) goldfish called Bob.

MLR reg no: 12631549

ICO DPA Reg no: Z2114414

Professional Indemnity Insurance: Hiscox Underwriting Ltd PI1693245

Carole Meyrick has over 30 years’ experience in senior secretarial roles, as a PA at Chairman and CEO level, and as an Office Manager. She has worked for chartered surveyors, architects, solicitors, loss adjusters, charities, in merchant banking, manufacturing, marketing, and sales.  Born in London of Scottish parentage, she has lived in France, Scotland and England and moved to Wales in 1993 where she is now settled in rural Mid Wales.  She lives contentedly on the side of a hill in the Cambrian Mountains, with her shepherd husband, their working sheepdogs, chickens, and two cats.

Carole is a Member of the Institute of Leadership & Management, and an Affiliate Member of the Institute of Certified Bookkeepers.  She is currently pursuing further ICB qualifications.

Rachel Brett started 30 years ago as a classically trained secretary and worked abroad for community development organisations before returning to the UK in order  to get her HND in Finance and Marketing which she passed with Distinction.  Working as an administrator at a senior level for IT and Telecom companies, she worked in various departments from Customer Service, Facilities, Marketing, HR, and Training developing processes and procedures as required.  As part of her development she also trained as an IT trainer for Microsoft Office.

Rachel is happily married and living in Hertfordshire with her husband and two children and works from her ivory tower overlooking the wonderful countryside.

Nicola Wilson set up in business in 2006 after qualifying as a bookkeeper with the Institute of Certified Bookkeepers. She offers bookkeeping support, training and advice as well as being a great advocate of Xero online accounting.  She is a Xero Certified Advisor as well as training others on how to use Xero.

Nicola has always worked with numbers as she was previously a draughtsman to Consulting Engineers in Oxford and then an estimator for a handmade tile and flooring company. She lives in Cheshire with her husband and two children.

Alison Cooper started her career back in 1986, she is a classically trained shorthand secretary learning how to touch type on a manual typewriter.

Her career started at New Scotland Yard where she was a copy typist, she then moved on to become an Alfred Marks temp working for major institutions in the City of London.  Wanting stability she became permanently employed as secretary to a team of accountants by Price Waterhouse Coopers (then known as Price Waterhouse) based at London Bridge, amazed that they had a swimming pool in the basement she stayed for several years.  She then decided to train as a legal secretary and worked for several years at Norton Rose based in Bishopsgate and then moved on to Linklaters where she worked as a PA for a senior partner.  Whilst at Linklaters she became an IT Trainer ultimately ending up in IT Support where she currently works two days a week on the IT support help desk, training new analysts who join the team.  During her 24 year career Alison has worked not only in England but also Brazil, Belgium and Sweden.

For the remaining five days of the week Alison works as a Virtual Assistant having set up her business in April 2010.

Alison is a Microsoft Office User Specialist, has an ITIL V3 Foundation Certificate in IT Service Management and is a Senior Service Desk Analyst as awarded by the Service Desk Institute.”