Human resources expert, table tennis ace, church choir leader, mother of three successful daughters. And now, business owner.
After 20 years in the industry, Matilda Stevens has set up her own company offering outsourced human resources advice and support to small and medium-sized businesses in north west Kent.
Based out of offices in The Historic Dockyard in Chatham, The HR Dept Rochester and Chatham will support business owners in local towns – including Strood, St Mary’s Island, Matilda’s home town of Gillingham, and the surrounding areas – with all they need to navigate the increasingly complex employment landscape.
It’s the realisation of a long-held dream for the 58-year-old, who returned to the UK in 1991 after living with her parents in Nigeria for more than 20 years while growing up. It’s a country which she represented as a 14-year-old table tennis sensation, before deciding that her professional future lay elsewhere.
Now, following the pandemic and a decade of commuting four hours a day to work in the north east of London, Matilda has decided to focus on supporting her local Kent business community.
With two daughters forging careers in law and finance and the third being two years away from finishing medical training, Matilda says she can take the risk of setting up her own business.
“I’ve spent a long-time commuting, working corporate jobs and helping to look after my family,” she said. “Now I’m excited about spending more time locally and developing a business here.
“People management is really challenging for business owners at the moment, with difficult economic times, changing legislation and the ongoing impact of the pandemic to consider.
“Human resources is a core element of what makes a company successful, and due to the events of the past few years, this is becoming more recognised. So I’m looking forward to helping business owners, MDs and CEOs make the most of their HR.
“Companies need to focus particularly on good recruitment practices and retention strategies; on how to find, train and keep hold of talent in a candidate’s market.
“It needs creativity and solid understanding of the legal framework and the principles of good employment, managed by someone with good organisation, determination and competence.”
Matilda brings her experience to The HR Dept Rochester and Chatham, which is one of a network of 75 franchisees providing services in 112 territories in the UK, Ireland and Australia.
Its experts provide high-level experience but at an affordable rate for growing businesses, who need the expertise on hand but have neither the need nor the budget for an in-house HR team.
The company also provides an option for experienced HR practitioners looking for better work-life balance and a new challenge after working in corporate life.
Matilda has fulfilled roles in wholesale, financial services and health and social care, with experience advising at board level on the alignment of HR strategies with business goals.
Running her own business will provide a new challenge, one which she says she is looking forward to. “I’m excited about it,” she said. “I’m confident in my abilities but of course also nervous about starting something completely new.
“I’ve been thinking about setting up my own company for quite a long time. Now that my last daughter is almost finished with her studies, it feels like the right moment.
“I’m already involved in my community through my church and the choir there, so I have some insight into the various types of businesses. It’s a very diverse area with large and small businesses in many sectors, so I’m sure there will be plenty of companies needing my support.
“It will certainly be nice to not have to drive four hours around the M25 each day! It’s great to be getting started.”
Felicity Kenny, managing director of The HR Dept, said: “It’s great to see someone of Matilda’s calibre and experience offering HR services to SMEs in her part of Kent. We wish her all the best operating the licence and are sure she will make it a great success.”