Client stories

 

We’ve helped hundreds of mid-market businesses drive growth with technology.

 

To find out what they have to say about us, browse below or use the pull-down menu to select your sector.

TopSource Worldwide

'Freeman Clarke Principal has demonstrated how essential strong Leadership is to our IT team and in turn the growth of our wider organisation' Read more

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Causaly

"I can’t recommend Freeman Clarke highly enough. It was great to have someone who knows not only the pitfalls to avoid, but also how to take a pragmatic approach to speeding things up" Read more

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Areen Design

“We had the confidence to embark on a programme of investment and renewal that we simply could not have achieved otherwise” Read more

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Attivo

"Leveraging digital technologies to win and serve clients, and to drive and maintain further efficiency, is at the core of future growth and value" Read more

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e-bate

"With e-bate’s new platform, costs are lower, while they’re still able process the scale and volume of their next generation of customer" Read more

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Dart Tool Group

"DART is now in a position where we can quickly scale our systems to meet the needs of our customers and the business" Read more

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Assetz Capital

"Freeman Clarke’s Principal shored up cybersecurity and improved communication between teams, so that the tech strategy supported the business goals, and the business team had a better grasp of technical issues" Read more

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Southern Sheeting

“A new CRM is on the way, plus we’ve opened a new depot as part of a nationwide expansion plan. Without Freeman Clarke on our side, none of this would be possible" Read more

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Hawkins/Brown

"We realized we needed expert help to advise us about technology, and help us with the selection of products, services and suppliers" Read more

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South East Fabricators Ltd

"We knew what we wanted to achieve but found it difficult to engage with the right suppliers. Freeman Clarke handled all that for us and guided us through the selection and implementation" Read more

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New York Cruise Lines

"Hiring Freeman Clarke was a smart move. They knew what we needed and got us the right person on the first try" Read more

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Validant

"The support we received from Freeman Clarke helped expedite and elevate our IT integration transformation project" Read more

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ImOn

"Not only did Freeman Clarke provide ImOn with an outstanding interim CIO, but also a person who aligned with ImOn’s culture and fit right into my senior staff. ImOn is off to a great start thanks to David and Freeman Clarke USA" Read more

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Sircle

Working with Freeman Clarke has made Sircle safer and more efficient: “We’re able to go after more complex projects with confidence." Read more

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Boundless

“Our Freeman Clarke IT leader brings an objective external viewpoint to the table. He can say things others may be unwilling to, and we see huge value in that.” Read more

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YFM Equity Partners

"Freeman Clarke has implemented substantial improvements in YFM’s IT infrastructure, cyber resilience, and systems controls" Read more

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Sussex Beds

"Freeman Clarke is extraordinarily beneficial in helping us evaluate what the business needs, what systems are available, and how to assess suppliers. It’s been a revelation, and we’re avoiding so many potential problems having a Freeman Clarke IT leader on our team." Read more

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Healing Hands

"A Freeman Clarke Principal completed several projects and served as a strategic advisor to the executive leadership team. The first year of integration with our new parent company was successful thanks to Freeman Clarke" Read more

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X-Chem

"The Freeman Clarke team are shaping a new vision for our IT, which will significantly contribute to the value of the business" Read more

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Tyndale

"Freeman Clarke made an immediate positive impact by aligning IT services and business needs – focusing on operational stability, sustainable change, business value, and customer value" Read more

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Health Economics and Outcomes Research Ltd (HEOR)

"Freeman Clarke's Principal has been an invaluable partner and critical friend at a time of significant growth and investment for our business" Read more

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Equilaw

"The Freeman Clarke model has worked well for our business and puts us in a great place for our future growth plans" Read more

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Gardiners Bros

"Freeman Clarke have challenged us over how we currently work and how we need to adopt new systems and ways of working" Read more

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Murray Uniforms

"Freeman Clarke has become a highly valued partner to us. With their help, we have been able to streamline our business and improve service to our customers" Read more

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The Millboard Company Ltd

"Freeman Clarke’s Principal has become a trusted member of our senior team and has enabled a transformative change" Read more

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Selo

"Freeman Clarke provided a valuable lift to our IT and systems leadership. Their Principal has helped us completely restructure our IT, systems, product catalogue, and processes" Read more

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Word360

"Freeman Clarke has not only led the specification of requirements and identified companies to help design the UX and UI, but also helped build the team, and develop the overall business strategy for the company" Read more

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Juno Records

"A Freeman Clarke IT leader stabilized our IT systems and websites, then spearheaded a business-wide digital transformation, including warehousing, distribution, online retail, operations, information governance, and finance" Read more

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Hydrock

"Freeman Clarke made IT a strategic enabler, aligned with our business strategy. Hydrock's systems now provide much greater support for staff, reducing wasted time, costs, and problems" Read more

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St Monica Trust

"Freeman Clarke understood our requirements, prioritized our scope, and created a technology strategy that ensured we maximize the business benefits of data assets and technology-focused initiatives" Read more

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Bonhill Group plc

"We needed best-in-class technology leadership in the US and the UK, and so we contacted Freeman Clarke" Read more

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JJS Manufacturing

"A Freeman Clarke CIO has not only helped us with creating a strategic roadmap. He also became a key member of our senior leadership team" Read more

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Diamond Logistics

"The knowledge that Freeman Clarke brought to our business was really essential for us" Read more

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Sterling

"Freeman Clarke has been instrumental in implementing industry best practices around the management, support and financial management of the IT function" Read more

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Gateley Plc

"The flexibility and depth of experience provided by the Freeman Clarke model has been ideal for us as we’ve grown" Read more

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PPS Equipment

"Freeman Clarke helped design and develop PPS’s own system used daily by hundreds of companies across the sector. There is a strong vision for further development" Read more

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The Wilkes Partnership

"A Freeman Clarke IT leader demonstrated how important it is to have proper support in the IT team, particularly with upcoming projects" Read more

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Quipsound

"We would not be where we are now without Freeman Clarke's guidance and support" Read more

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Exigent

"Freeman Clarke provided us with the perfect individual to be our CIO. He quickly connected with Exigent’s high-energy culture and helped to get colleagues excited about the possibilities of change" Read more

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P&M Group

"A Freeman Clarke IT leader improved IT infrastructure, process efficiency, software selection and licensing, cybersecurity and cyber insurance, computer aided design, websites and telephony" Read more

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BioCity

"BioCity is now highly data-driven and is seeing the benefits in terms of better decision-making and more predictable outcomes" Read more

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Knights Plc

"Freeman Clarke has been our trusted IT advisor and has helped us to develop the IT capability to support our profitable, growing business" Read more

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Traffic Group Signals

"Freeman Clarke delivered what we believed was a mammoth task within our timescales, with no drama. Fantastic" Read more

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L W Cole

"A Freeman Clarke IT leader moved multiple services to the cloud, established the requirements for a new ERP system, and supported the transition to a more efficient and functional system, including the migration of current data" Read more

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At Your Service (AYS)

"AYS now has integrated IT systems that will enable growth and the flexibility to adapt to our sector's continuous change and disruption" Read more

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Career Connections

"Freeman Clarke has been our trusted advisor in all IT-related matters. The team spent time understanding the business and designing an IT strategy. They then supported us in executing this strategy" Read more

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Quanta Dialysis

"The Freeman Clarke model has worked well for us at a crucial phase, ensuring progress from product development to commercial launch, and creating a stronger, more secure IT environment" Read more

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Chartered Institute of Taxation (CIOT)

"Freeman Clarke led and supported us through our IT systems transformation, ensuring we now have the right platforms in place to engage with all our stakeholders in a more dynamic, digital environment" Read more

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Turnaround Publisher Services

"Freeman Clarke have overhauled our purchase order system, is driving down costs wherever possible, and is raising efficiency through process improvements, dragging us into the 21st century" Read more

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SWIFTCLEAN

"We needed an independent expert to get to know us, understand us, and challenge our thinking through digital innovation" Read more

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Palletline

"Our Freeman Clarke IT leader is very professional and pragmatic. The fractional model has served us very well" Read more

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Amberjack

"It was vitally important that our IT strategy and delivery were led by an expert who understood our values" Read more

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GRS Roadstone Group

"Having an IT Director with previous experience in the sector has given us the confidence to make significant investments in systems, putting us at the leading edge of our industry" Read more

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Future Biogas

"Engaging a Freeman Clarke Principal as our part-time IT Director, in the C-suite, has proved extremely worthwhile" Read more

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Immunocore

"Our Freeman Clarke IT leader's ability to pick up on our industry's complex technology, combined with his capabilities, resulted in Immunocore being in a stronger, more secure IT environment" Read more

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Sleaford Quality Foods

"The Freeman Clarke model works well for our business, providing us with access to a senior IT Leader who helps us achieve our ambitious goals" Read more

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Rendall and Rittner

"Our Freeman Clarke IT Director made what felt like full-time impact even though he was in fact dedicated to us two days per week" Read more

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Oxitec

"Our involvement with Freeman Clarke came at a crucial phase. We needed a serious IT director to review our IT and our IT suppliers, and to help us grow our production and distribution capabilities" Read more

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Sandberg Translation Partners

"Due to our Freeman Clarke IT leader, we are more efficient, and I feel I have an IT strategy in place to scale up my business" Read more

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DEKRA

"As our bespoke software became more complex, we needed an IT Director to oversee suppliers and software development roadmaps" Read more

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BRC

"Freeman Clarke provided a first-class, committed IT leader on a long-term but flexible basis" Read more

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J Tomlinson

"Our IT leader's knowledge and experience of business change with IT as a key enabler has added value to our project" Read more

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Crown Golf

"I now have someone on the senior team who can explain the complexities of IT in business terms and has provided clarity and direction to my technology team" Read more

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Alltruck

"We needed an experienced IT Director to provide continuity and strategic thinking to address our IT issues" Read more

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British Pathé

"Having someone completely independent and trusted who understands both the business and the technology has proved to be a significant business enabler" Read more

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Simplify Digital

"Freeman Clarke was crucial to the successful transformation of our IT" Read more

Client story

coxlondon

Cox London

Cox London is an artisan manufacturer based in North London that is growing rapidly. It has an enviable list of discerning clients that appreciate the beauty and quality of its products. Nicola Cox, co-owner, said, “David Tellis, part of the Freeman Clarke London and Northern Home Counties region, has become an invaluable member of our team — opening our eyes to the art of the possible and shining a light on areas for improvement. He supports our culture, and I feel confident asking his advice on a wide variety of business-related subjects. His experience and recommendations are always insightful.”

Nicola Cox, Founder and CEO

colorminium

COLORMINIUM

Colorminium has been shaping the London skyline for almost 50 years and are now one of the most experienced building façade specialists in the UK. Their Finance Director, Simon Byne, stated, “We have worked with David Tellis from Freeman Clarke for six months now as an external CTO, which has positively challenged many of our IT practices and caused us to aim higher in what we can get out of both existing and new systems. In particular the confidence, from experience, to go out and systematically select new vendors where needed has assisted us to find some great new solutions instead of sticking with the status quo!”

Simon Byne, Finance Director

big-life

The Big Life Group

David provided invaluable, thought-provoking support during our tender process to transition our VDI managed service to a new supplier. As part of Freeman Clarke’s North West team David provided truly independent advice — a trusted partner I would have no hesitation in recommending to other potential clients in need of part-time IT Director support.”

Cazz Ward, Assistant Director

GHO Capital

“GHO has been working with Freeman Clarke for several years on a range of engagements with several of our portfolio companies. Freeman Clarke provided pre-deal advice, conducted due diligence projects, and planned and delivered complex systems and digital integration strategies. They are an important and reliable partner and their people have been excellent.”

David Miller, Operating Partner

BGF

“Freeman Clarke has been working with BGF for many years now, providing both fractional leadership to some of our growing portfolio businesses as well as assisting BGF directly with our tech diligence process. Since we have been working with the Freeman Clarke team, we have been introduced to a number of their excellent people. Freeman Clarke has worked hard to understand our needs, are quick to respond, and provide first-class leaders with relevant skills around the entire country. We look forward to continuing our successful relationship.”

Andy Watts, Portfolio Talent

Southern Sheeting

“Ian demonstrates excellent leadership skills and has the innate ability to encapsulate complex situations into easily understood courses of action. Ian is wholly ‘bought-in’ to our enterprise and is able to drive projects forward for the betterment of the business. We now need to capitalize on his strategic thinking skills within IT and the wider business. Ian is a pleasure to work with and is a highly respected friend and colleague. I am delighted Ian wishes to continue working with us.”

Tony Hobbs, Managing Director

The FD Centre

“The FD Centre has expanded rapidly in recent years and plans to continue this growth in the future. A scalable CRM system and sales and marketing platform is at the heart of this vision, but we had struggled to get this project underway for many months. Freeman Clarke helped us understand our objectives, clarify options, and turn this into a plan of action. Their Principal directed the project and led us through a potentially difficult product and supplier selection negotiation. As well as the technical aspects, he also deals with the vital tasks of keeping the business objectives in view and everyone on board. He has the confidence, experience and authority to make this happen and is only interested in helping our business.”

Colin Mills, Chairman

Securus

“We are a software technology business and have been digitally protecting children in schools and colleges for over seventeen years as well as providing services to healthcare, police forces, and other sectors. As an ambitious growth-focused business, we recognized the need for a technology leader, but a full-time role would have been overkill. The Freeman Clarke model suited our needs, and we have been delighted with the outcomes that our quality CTO has driven. His business and strategic focus has been a major factor in positioning us as a technology innovator.”

Derek Allen, Chairman and Co-Founder

Keltbray

“Keltbray is a £500m ($600m) specialist construction business that has had a rapid growth trajectory. With the growth of new digital tools we felt we needed some more senior IT specialist advice without necessarily requiring a full-time CIO. Steve joined us in August 2019 and as a fractional/part-time CIO provided exactly the input required. He has the experience of working as a CIO in several organizations and was able to mentor and guide our senior IT and Business Systems leaders. He helped us make better use of existing systems instead of acquiring new ones and helped to direct the efforts we were making in developing new systems so that we were getting improved value-added. He also implemented structures to review the priority areas and focus on procurement and implementation in those areas. He is very professional and worked well with all levels of staff.”

John Keehan, Group Deputy CEO

nacro

Nacro

“Nacro is a charity dedicated to positively changing lives, strengthening communities, enhancing social inclusion, reducing crime, and preventing offending behavior. With an ever-changing social justice landscape, we needed to revisit all aspects of our strategy including the delivery of ICT to support our staff and our service users. Lacking suitable internal resources, we spoke with Freeman Clarke, and they seconded a Principal to take over as Head of ICT on a part-time basis. Since then, he has been working with the Executive Leadership Team, Senior Managers and the ICT Team to reposition ICT to better support the charity in a more cost-effective manner. Apart from contributing to the overall business and cost reduction strategy, a significant amount of work has been done within ICT to make it more flexible, enhance mobility with our frontline workers and enable the charity to better understand and report on its outcomes.”

Jacob Tas, Chief Executive

assura

FCC Assura

“Assura is a leading UK healthcare Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) listed on the London Stock Exchange.  Assura’s vision is to be the UK’s best developer and owner-manager of primary care property, partnering with GPs to deliver high quality patient care in the community.

Consistently high quality and secure technology services are absolutely critical to the efficient running of our centralized operation and the property management service we provide to our client GPs.  To this end we appointed David as our part-time Freeman Clarke IT Director. David has helped us identify and deliver a series of tactical and strategic initiatives to position us for ongoing service quality and business growth.  The two main areas addressed to date include a review and improvement of IT security and transition to a totally new IT infrastructure and Managed Service Provider. Having a part-time, experienced IT Director has enabled us to get traction on some important improvements and deliver with pace and confidence.”

Jonathan Murphy, Finance Director

pennies

Pennies

“The Pennies vision always had technology at its heart, so, from the beginning, we needed a first-class technology leader as a trusted and committed member of the team. Freeman Clarke filled this gap for us and has continued to do so ever since – their part-time model means the price point works very well and has given us access to specialist IT expertise we could never have afforded or required on a full-time basis. They have set technology strategy, defined solutions, and helped us form technology partnerships, as well as contributing to our wider board discussions. Importantly, they have felt like a core member of the team and coached others so we even benefited when they were not on-site! Their approach has been pragmatic, attentive and focussed. They have had a pivotal role in helping us develop our business model, which happens to be in the charitable sector and has already raised hundreds of thousands.”

Alison Hutchinson, CEO

st-philips

St Philips Chambers

“St Philips is a rapidly expanding barristers chambers in Birmingham. Last year we completed an acquisition in Leeds and opened a new office in London. This expansion created technical and capacity issues in IT and the small IT team was struggling to manage the change. Freeman Clarke initially provided an IT Director to conduct an IT strategy review to identify if IT was ‘fit for purpose.’ The Board agreed the recommendations from the review, and, over the last 10 months, Freeman Clarke have been helping St Philips to deliver these recommendations and support St Philips’s ongoing growth.”

Joe Wilson, Chief Clerk

ComXo

“ComXo is a fast growing business providing global switchboard support services to professional service firms across the City of London and beyond. I needed the experience of a full-time IT Director, but didn’t want the cost, and Freeman Clarke’s model provided exactly what was required. I now have someone on the board who is used to working at that level and who brings a positive and progressive attitude to my technology function. Our switchboard is wholly reliant on our unique technology, and over the last couple of years, since we’ve been working with Freeman Clarke, we have taken major strides forward, rolling out our Switchboard Anywhere system, removing single points of failure, improving security and delivering projects on time and within budget.”

Andrew Try, CEO

The Delivery Group

“The Delivery Group is one of the UK’s largest e-commerce, retail and postal logistics businesses – delivering over 500 million items per year for a diverse range of B2B and B2C clients including Screwfix, Centrica, Morgan Stanley, and J.P.Morgan. Dependable, high-quality technology services are absolutely critical to the Group’s dedication to fulfilling client and end-customer promises. To this end, we appointed David, our part-time Freeman Clarke IT Director, to work alongside our IT team to prioritize and drive through a program of IT improvement projects to help position us for ongoing service quality and business growth. These projects included various improvements to IT disaster recovery and security capabilities, technical platform configuration, and IT supplier management. In addition, David identified some strategic considerations to factor into our Group operating model. Engaging with an experienced IT Director through Freeman Clarke has ensured we have implemented some important projects at a fraction of the cost of employing a permanent member of staff – a great model from which we will continue to benefit.”

Michael Owen, Group CFO

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bridgethorne

Bridgethorne

“As a niche consultancy, we’re very dependent on IT – but we simply don’t need and don’t want a full-time IT Director. Freeman Clarke solves this problem. They manage our cost and service issues with our suppliers, and have given us a simple IT strategy that connects our IT investment to our business aims. We have an enduring relationship that’s delivered significant value to us while keeping our costs under control. They take our business as seriously as we do.”

John Nevens, Owner and Founder

pitmans

id=”pitmans”>Pitmans

“Pitmans is a successful, expanding legal firm who need to use IT to improve our internal activities as well as our services to clients. We don’t need a full-time IT director, but Freeman Clarke gives us access to a first-class individual for trusted advice, assistance and leadership. They have helped us to reduce our IT costs and improve our efficiency by removing day-to-day IT issues, and helping us to raise our sights to new ideas and opportunities that IT can offer us.”

Christopher Avery, Managing Partner

wandle

Wandle

“Wandle is a medium-sized provider of affordable housing in South London. High-quality and reliable IT is key to providing good service for over 25,000 customers. With the speed of change in IT, as well as the changing needs of customers, our need for a well defined and deliverable strategic direction for IT is paramount. But from a value-for-money perspective, a full-time IT director is neither justified nor needed. The fractional model fits our need entirely, and we are able to scale up and down the input we need according to the projects and planning cycles.”

Tim Coppard, Business Partnerships Director

dovetail

Dovetail Services

“Dovetail provides a complete subscription fulfilment management service to many of the UK’s magazine publishers. Information technology is a critical element of what we do, and our bespoke IT systems are central to our business strategy. We needed a leader to take charge of these systems – someone with the expertise, confidence and authority to deliver on our plans and to own and run our IT. Freeman Clarke provided us with options for people, which allowed us to choose the right individual who would build the kind of positive and committed culture in the IT team that we need. Freeman Clarke’s IT director got stuck in, addressing a range of short-term issues as well as providing a long-term roadmap. He brings deep experience of software development, data migration and real-world business and people management. He has become a valued and committed member of our senior team.”

Rupert Miles, Managing Director

Grangewood Builders

“For over 20 years, Grangewood has been applying its expertise, craft and passion to the refurbishment of some of London’s most impressive and important residential buildings. In 2015, we embarked on an ambitious growth plan and needed to ensure our IT was fit for purpose so we decided to bring in an expert IT Director. Freeman Clarke was the obvious choice, given their reputation, and one of their leaders started working for us as our IT Director to lead a review and upgrade of our IT systems. In 2016, we moved offices and implemented a number of significant upgrades to our systems, processes, and organization. We are particularly impressed with the way that he has integrated with our team, led the technology selection process, and managed our IT suppliers.”

Emma Maile, Director

Nottingham Trams

“Martin is a pleasure to work with, and I would have no hesitation in recommending him. He is very hardworking, organized, and always meets targets. He is very good at working on his own initiative, which is great for me as my time is limited, and I know that he will make contacts and get things done without me necessarily having to be involved. I am not very IT literate, and he always explains things in a way which I can understand which is great.”

Johanna Williamson, Finance Manager

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on3

On3

“On3 is a successful professional services business, but we wanted to differentiate ourselves and increase our value by creating a new technology product for our customers. I needed someone to help me develop this vision, the commercial model, and then to turn this into reality. Freeman Clarke provided detailed technical knowledge and the business focus to make all this possible. From the outset, they felt like part of the team and have helped drive and contribute to all aspects of our success. We now have a thriving new business which would simply not otherwise have been possible.”

Jill Foley, Managing Partner

The Spring Partnership Trust

“Getting the best IT in place to support the organization is a vital part of our strategy to deliver better pupil outcomes. We needed expert IT leadership, and Freeman Clarke was able to provide that. David worked with our leadership team and has quickly understood our organization, developing a specification for our IT needs. He ran a process to consolidate our multiple IT suppliers, which gives us the IT support we need, with vastly improved service levels and better value for money. David has also developed an IT supplier partnership to help deliver ICT strategy consistently across all the schools in the Trust.”

Jo Brinkley, CEO

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Graeme Freeman
Co-Founder and Director

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You’ll now receive regular expert business insights.

Call us on 0203 020 1864 with any questions.

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