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Behind the scenes, Hythe Group has been going through business restructuring and transformation, setting the foundations for its business growth goals. A big part of this has been bringing on Chris Dionne of Consult Stellar; a highly experienced business consultant with 25 years of expertise in training, educating, and coaching business owners and executives.

In this article, we get to know more about Chris and his company and delve into some of Chris’s key suggestions for business growth. 

Realising Untapped Potential with Chris Dionne from Consult Stellar

Chris Dionne has a background in building companies and sustainability, applying his knowledge to his own businesses and numerous small-to-medium enterprises worldwide. 

He has worked with divisions of large corporations, CEOs, and business owners, and holds several advisory board positions.

In 1999, he co-founded Shirlaws Group, a successful business coaching and consulting firm. In 2017, Chris founded Stellar Business Consulting, a boutique firm with a collaborative team of business leaders. 

Chris brings a unique level of expertise in understanding economic cycles and leveraging market opportunities. Clients of Chris increase their performance and achieve their goals due to his undeniable ability to realise their untapped potential.

About Stellar Consulting

Stellar Consulting help business owners and leaders, realise their personal and professional potential, and ultimately improve their business asset. Each team member is or has been a business owner and therefore understands to varying degrees the challenges a business faces. One prime example of Stellar’s work is Cohort, a company that grew from $5M in revenue to $28M in 6 years.

Cohort – Start-Up to International Player

Cohort’s specific goal was to become a mature, high-performing and formidable business within their industry sector, so an intense project over 100 days was launched. Working with Cohort’s leadership team, Stellar focused on developing high-performing functional structures, clarifying the business’ products and positioning, and building a collaborative, growth-focused culture.

The result of this intensive scale-up was Cohort Global transforming dramatically over a six-year period. Throughout the journey, Stellar set up board structures and assisted with a partial exit in 2014 and a full exit in 2016. 

The headlines: 

• Revenue growth of $23M ($5M – $28M over 6 yrs)
• Scaling to international size and reputation
• Strong culture and team that attracts top talent
• Successful succession strategy allowing the owners to focus on their next areas of interest and activate their renewed vision as business entrepreneurs

View more: Case Studies | Consult Stellar

 

Interview with Chris Dionne: Growing Businesses Successfully

How do you adapt your approach when working with different types of companies and industries?

Each business is as diverse as the people who work in it, so mostly our approach is based on the client. But we have identified 20 key business requirements that transcend industry and size: all businesses have basic fundamental needs that are consistent globally. 

When looking at different industries, each will have its own cycle where approaches and needs vary. We generally operate across market conditions and know what’s happening, and then we talk with the team to understand what specific issues they might be facing and focus on an “education process” to undertake change management.

For Hythe Group, I will support the business in becoming a more mature, robust, and therefore leading, operative in its sectors as well as Mentoring Josh as CEO. This is achieved by tapping into my experience and background to move through the required change using our unique business tool kit that will be transferred to the business.

Getting our foundation right from the outset will create new job opportunities and career growth for people that come on the journey, we will all need to learn new things and adopt new ways to take on competitors. If we have that mindset, we can leverage numerous aspects of the business and our team can grow, learn more skills and share the exciting journey as a community.

 

How do you approach identifying areas for improvement in business processes?

We always ask the business. Due to our experience, we can usually spot things that we know will be prime opportunities. But it’s still fundamental that we ask the team what’s happening on the ground for them. We do this by having a “fact find” at the beginning of every assignment, where we want to interview a cross-section of the team from all divisions and layers in the organisation. We ask basic things like what’s working well and what isn’t, and more creative questions like ‘If you had a magic wand what would you change?’ This helps people to think outside the box of what they know, perhaps identifying some hidden blockages in the business that we can address.

 

How do you measure the success of a consulting project?

Success differs depending on the client and what their vision for their future is, both professionally for the business but also for themselves and their family. When I see a client start to shift their energy, which might be a renewed vigour for their business and their team as well as commercial improvement, then I know I’m on the right track working with them. 

 

What advice would you give to companies looking to improve their business processes?

Whatever you do, don’t do nothing. Especially in turbulent economic times when it can be a bit uncertain what action to take, sometimes taking no action can be the worst thing. Consider what you might need to do to create a mindset shift. You may need to take some counterintuitive action – zig when everyone else is zagging. This type of thinking is well worth bringing in outside help to assist you in reframing the context. 

 

Stellar Consulting and Hythe Group

Chris will be assisting the Hythe  Group to build the relevant systems, processes, disciplines, and foundations required to underpin and realise future growth aspirations in a controllable manner. This business decision has highlighted for our community the company’s commitment to growth, employee development and well-being, and building fruitful career opportunities within Hythe Group. 

Click here to learn more about Hythe Group and Stellar.

 

For more information on our services please get in touch with our team via the button below.

Hythe Marine Services is a marine industry specialist, focused on engineering for the defence and, more recently, commercial sectors. To support the growth and diversification of HMS, Paul Grier has joined the team as Sales Executive. Working closely with HMS’ Head of Sales Sarah Powell, Paul will be managing new and existing customers and building the brand’s reputation. 

We spoke to Paul to find out more about his career, new role, and goals for HMS. 

Introducing Paul Grier 

When Paul is off the clock, he enjoys spending his spare time keeping fit and being outdoors. Whether it’s running, coaching cricket or football, Paul is happiest when being active. He’s even starting his football coaching awards! 

Paul also enjoys spending time with his family and on the weekends, Paul enjoys nothing more than sitting in a field camping, drinking wine next to a campfire. 

During lockdown, Paul built his own cabin in the garden – something to be proud of for sure!

Paul’s Career and Ambition

At the start of his career, Paul was in the hospitality industry running bars and restaurants. When it was time to start a family, Paul left the business of hospitality and moved into sales. This career path has taken him through numerous different industries, including bread and confectionery, tools, tool hire, and finally his penultimate role for a chemical company as a Marine Specialist for the cruise line and ferry industries. 

The highlight of Paul’s career so far was working abroad on new cruise ships in Italy and Germany. Speaking on his move to Hythe Marine Services, Paul said, “After 6 years, I‘ve serviced my last cruise ship and will be leaving Ecolab. I have had a good few years and had the opportunity to install new cruise ships, visit European countries and meet many good people. I’m now starting a new chapter of my career at Hythe Marine Services. I’m looking forward to the challenge.”

 

What Will Paul’s Role as Sales Executive Involve?

As Sales Executive at HMS, Paul will be responsible for the commercial side of the business, increasing sales and bringing in new customers. On a  day to day basis, he will be managing the commercial accounts, following up with quotes and customers, and speaking to contacts to see what work and projects they have coming up and how Hythe Marine Services can help each customer. 

Although his role is mainly focused on the marine division of the Hythe Group of companies, Paul will be connecting customers with the relevant areas of the business such as Building, Fabrication, and HOSMU. 

Paul was originally interested in the role as he was keen for the challenge of a fresh slate, whereby the role was created for him and not being handed over. This really gives him the freedom to go after his vision for the company. He also has a strong background with the naval base, so felt he would fit in straight away – and he assures us this was the case!

 

Paul’s Vision for Hythe Marine Services

In the interim, Paul is looking forward to getting new systems in place and hitting the ground running with reaching out to customers of HMS. The overarching goal is to build on the Hythe brand in the commercial world and maximise our customer support and service across a range of industries. 

Get in touch with the team through our contact form, or connect with Paul on LinkedIn directly to discuss your upcoming projects.

Josh Mathias appoints Scott Fitzgerald to head up his new company Hythe Fabrication Services

The Hythe Group of Companies is on a journey of continuous innovation. Listening to the needs of customers, the industry, and the insight of employees that are leaders in their respective fields is bringing forward new avenues for the business.

In their most recent move, Hythe Group’s Managing Director Josh Mathias has established a new company: Hythe Fabrication Services (HFS). Utilising decades of industry experience and the multifaceted skill of the workforce within Hythe Group Companies, HFS will expand the Group’s clientele and capabilities.

Josh has appointed Scott Fitzgerald to lead this new venture. We spoke with Scott to find out more about his career, expertise and motivations behind the new fabrication services company.

 

Introducing Scott Fitzgerald – Head of Operations at Hythe Fabrication Services

With over twenty years of roofing and cladding experience behind him, Scott’s existing industry reputation and knowledge gives HFS a solid foundation on which to grow the business. His career took him on projects all over the world, including leading a twelve-person-strong workforce for twelve years.

 

 

Scott is highly skilled in all aspects of cladding. From rain screen facades, to twin skin, composite, and trochal membrane roofing, he has the experience and knowledge to lead the new company on all manner of projects. Scott commented, “Every job is different, which pushes you to develop and learn with every project you do.” There’s no challenge that Scott won’t take on, and it’s this attitude that’s led to his success and reputation within the industry.

Speaking on what Scott will bring to this venture, Josh said, “Scott brings knowledge and experience within the roofing industry. He has run large teams and large projects within this sector and has the drive, reputation and capabilities to give a start-up the push it needs to get it off the floor.”

 

Vision and Goals for the New Company

The idea for HFS started with Scott, which he then took to Hythe Marine Services’ (HMS) Director Of Value Engineering Luke Fitzgerald. After discussing with Luke, they sat down with Josh to look into the feasibility and numbers. They came to the conclusion that it was a worthwhile venture for the Hythe Group of Companies.

Scott explained, “Having the Group in the background of HFS was a no-brainer. What they can offer ticked all of the boxes, and the company’s reputations are an added reassurance for our future customers. HMS’ services and the team’s experience behind us puts HFS a league above the rest.”

Josh recalled, “When Scott and Luke approached me I was intrigued. Scott has worked within Hythe Marines organisation before, and his work ethic and enthusiasm, as per his brother Luke, fits perfectly within the culture driven by the Group. The Group’s purpose is to develop environments or businesses for people to grow with and this approach has worked with Hythe Building Services and I have no doubt it will work with Hythe Fabrication Services. I look forward to building a business around Scott’s capabilities and using the Group structure to develop him, and the team that we’ll build as the company grows.“

But it’s not a one-sided deal. HFS will open the doors for more projects for HMS and the other companies, particularly on the commercial side. First and foremost, Scott is prioritising quality. He wants to establish a class one reputation by hunting for the best of the best when it comes to materials, and ensuring everything used has long guarantees. This quality-led mindset, alongside utilising his existing client base and industry reputation puts HFS in a very strong starting position.

In terms of projects, the new company’s workload will largely consist of industrial buildings and domestic flats. However, the team are looking forward to the challenge of taking on whatever comes through the door.

 

What is Josh Mathias’ vision for Hythe Fabrication Services?

“We see many issues on-site, with late or incorrect deliveries, empty promises, repeated errors and poor quality finishes. The end clients or users need the reliability and quality and the ability to absorb reactive work at the same standards. This is the direction HFS will focus on in its infant years, building upon this reputation. During this time, the Hythe Group managing company will help develop the processes, education and teams to a level where the HFS management team are planning and building the company’s future.”

– Josh Mathias, Managing Director, Hythe Group

 

The Advantages for Employees and Customers

For existing employees of HMS and other companies of the Hythe Group, this new business brings exciting opportunities for the future. Most notably, an increased workload and ability to learn or develop skills in different applications. The skills within HMS will be essential to the success of HFS. Particularly the welders as they’ll be regularly helping out when the fabrication team are creating bespoke corners.

As a company that recognises the importance of apprentices in retaining skill, this new business has the potential to increase the number of apprenticeships being offered. Existing apprentices may also see themselves learning new skills, gaining new qualifications or working on projects they otherwise might not have been able to.

When asked whether the new company will bring new opportunities for staff, Josh told us, “Of course! Hythe Group offers efficiencies around time, cost and experience, to support and develop existing and new operating businesses. The group will provide guidance and focus on aligning the operating companies; we want the people within each business to grow and develop the companies. Naturally, businesses will cross over in specific capabilities, but it’s about working together to offer the client the best experience. Marine and Building services are already highlighting this capability. I am confident Hythe Fabrication Services will be bringing work to both their doors and the other way around.”

For future and existing clients of the Group, there are endless benefits. HFS will increase the services the companies can provide. Where a customer may have had to go elsewhere for metal fabrication as part of a project, it will now be available in one place.

Contact us to find out more about our fabrication services.

A Conversation With Adventure-Seeker and Family Man Neil Mellor

Hythe Building Services (HBS) recently established an in-house electrical services division. Heading up this process and department as Electrical Operations Manager is Neil Mellor.  Neil will utilise over twenty years of industry experience and his well-respected reputation to grow the division. 

Speaking on the reasons behind the introduction of electrical services for HBS, Neil explained, “We are bringing in-house the ability to deliver the entire Mechanical and Electrical (M&E) package, as a collaborative team effort, all from a single source. This allows us to streamline the design and coordination of both disciplines, leading to greater efficiency and allowing us to build stronger relationships with our customers.”

Neil will oversee the whole process of the electrical division. From finding new clients, getting enquiries, pricing enquiries, managing the bid process, right through to managing the team that will deliver those projects to clients. 

To celebrate the new collaboration, we chatted to Neil to find out more about him, his career, and his goals for HBS Electrical. 

 

Introducing Neil Mellor

Outside of work, Neil is kept very busy by his two daughters, aged four and eighteen months. As his girls take up the majority of his time, Neil and his partner’s hobbies and pursuits tend to revolve around getting the family outdoors as much as he can. However, he still makes sure to find the time to play 5-a-side football with his friends. 

Neil’s long list of passions all centre around spending time outside. Whether it’s time in the mountains in Wales or the Lake District, rock climbing, motocross racing or kayaking, he’s always up for the next adventure. 

In fact, Neil has climbed Mount Kilimanjaro! Between a team of forty people, they raised a quarter of a million pounds for the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance. Leading up to the event, Neil spent a year volunteering for the Air Ambulance service, supporting events and holding collection buckets to raise money. 

Neil’s Electrical Services Career and Projects 

In 2000, Neil took his first steps in the electrical industry as a trainee project manager and electrical apprentice. After completing chose to stay with the business and work his way up through the ranks, eventually becoming Supervisor. 

Under his role as Supervisor, he ran one of the company’s largest projects – a large Transit Mess at the Duke of Gloucester Barracks in Cirencester. The successful completion of the project kicked off his journey into management. Neil was offered a role as a Contract Manager in 2008, managing teams of anywhere from fourteen to twenty-four people every week. But he didn’t stop there – Neil also became the qualifying supervisor for NICEIC compliance. 

In 2015, Neil joined a large M&E company – J&B Hopkins. The move meant he could get involved in large-scale projects over the one-million-pound bracket, further developing his commercial and financial awareness of project management. 

When working for J&B Hopkins, Neil worked on a variety of projects ranging from one and a half to five-million pound combined M&E value projects. These were mainly in commercial and residential projects, such as retirement villages, secondary schools, primary schools, and hospices. Here are some key examples from throughout his career: 

Testing Labs for Panasonic Avionics
Building testing labs for Panasonic Avionics, where they test the electrical equipment that goes on planes. Like the marine industry, electricals in avionics work at vastly different voltages and frequencies used in standard installations on land. So, the TV’s, audio systems, and other electronics are required to be tested in a lab.

CHP Roll-Out for Tescos Stores
Being involved in the rollout of energy-saving CHP (combined heating and power) units at Tescos stores across the south of England. These were basically large turbocharged V8 car engines running on natural gas to produce the heating for the store while generating electricity as a by-product and also feeding back into the National Grid.

Seventy-Three Property Private Retirement Village
Project managed the delivery of Luxury retirement village, Bishop Stoke in Eastleigh, from a mechanical and electrical perspective over two and a half years – including the expansion of the current energy centre to include additional plant and distribution and CHP to feed a district heating system serving blocks and individual residences

New Hospice Facility for St Wilfred’s Hospice in Bosham
This project involved the building of a bespoke new building for the charity that provide essential end of life care for patients who were currently working out of a dated facility that couldn’t cope with the high demand for beds. The project included full building-wide DALI lighting controls, centralised emergency lighting systems, state of the art nurse call systems and bespoke medical bedhead trunking designed in conjunction with the client and Cableflow

Town Centre Redevelopment in Addlestone, Surrey
A complete redevelopment of Addlestone town centre in Surrey. They demolished all the buildings around the council offices and built a new shopping centre and a huge residential development. It was a three-year project building the backbone infrastructure and a new energy centre, as the development was heated by district heating systems.

The Old Rectory – A Twenty-Six Million Pound House in Wimbledon
Working on the complete refurbishment and extension of a twenty-six million pound house in Wimbledon called the Old Rectory (previously owned by Henry VIII!).

Neil said, “This was a really good project to work on for two years. The walls were covered in tapestries and artwork, the ceilings were intricately corniced and the wood in the house was wonky and curved as it was built out of timber from old ships.”

 

 

The Significance of Reputation in The Building and Electrical Services Industry

It’s evident that reputation is incredibly important in any industry. Building on this, Neil explained, “Reputation is one of the hardest things to earn and harder still to regain if lost. But just as important, and what goes hand in hand with it, is honesty. If you’re not honest, you’ll never gain a good reputation. We’re looking to be the company, client’s trust, and we want to secure repeat work as people want to work with us, not just because it’s the best price on a sheet of four quotes.”

We also discussed what Neil sees as the characteristics of a strong electrical services team. He explained that having engineering at the heart of our drive to do the best job we can do makes us strong. Alongside this, it’s crucial to rely on and pass on our wealth of industry experience to the team – existing and new. 

Neil is hoping to use his existing reputation to be the company people want to come to because of the open communication and the collaborative nature, working toward the shared goal of getting the job done. 

 

What Makes HBS Electrical Stand Out?

As part of the Hythe Group of Companies, the marine industry background runs strong through the heart of the company. The backing of the Group and Hythe Marine Services is at the core of HBS’ quality. Neil explained, “The first thing I tell anyone when they ask about the company is that the pedigree of this service is born out of the marine services, the dockyard, and the Navy. It’s those sorts of values that mean we can really push the quality for our electrical services customers.”

Speaking on company growth, Neil said, “I want to try and grow the division organically. This means bringing people through and developing their skills, so you’ve got that complete buy-in of people who are passionate about the businesses success. I also want it to be collaborative, by creating an environment where everyone feels they can speak up. I’d be a fool if I sat here and said I couldn’t learn something new from someone who’d just joined the industry.”

Having in-house electrical services allows HBS to make sure a turn-key solution for M&E is provided to customers. The client receives a fully coordinated product, with a guarantee of quality as nothing can fall between the cracks of the services.

 

Contact us to find out more, or click here to connect with Neil on LinkedIn.

 

SulNOx Group Plc., a leading provider of products for fuel conditioning, emulsification, stabilisation and processing, and a Hythe Group company Hythe Marine Services have announced their recent partnership. 

 

The two Groups will collaborate to streamline the shipping industry’s adoption of SulNOx’s green technologies through Hythe Marine Services (HMS) expertise in the marine industry. 

 

Hythe Marine Services and SulNOx Group Plc.

 

Hythe Marine Services

HMS provides bespoke, turnkey design, engineering, fabrication and repair services to the marine industry. The team has a well-established background in both Commercial and Ministry of Defence projects, from small vessels to aircraft carriers and superyachts. 

“To be credible in front of the world’s most prestigious shipping companies, we must add engineering skills of the highest order to our scientific offering. Hythe Marine Services have all the necessary regulatory approvals to go aboard Naval and Merchant ships alike and have all the top-quality engineering capabilities that we need for an industry that moves over 90% of world trade. We are genuinely excited by this collaboration agreement.”

Ben Richardson, CEO of the SulNOx Group

 

SulNOx

SulNOx developed a hydrocarbon fuels conditioning and emulsifying process which enables more efficient fuel combustion, potentially leading to reduced fuel consumption and significantly lowered emissions for the shipping industry.

“As a British engineering company that has a strong connection to the Maritime Industry, we welcome the chance to work with SulNOx in the quest to help the shipping industry adopt this exciting and unique cost-saving green technology.”

Josh Mathias, Managing Director of the Hythe Group of Companies

What are the reasons behind the partnership?

Under the new partnership, SulNOx and HMS are bringing together the environmental science of SulNOx and the maritime engineering skills of HMS. 

By utilising Hythe Marine Services’s existing regulatory approvals for boarding Naval ships, customers can guarantee compliance with MoD protocol. 

 

What are the benefits of the partnership for customers? 

Joining forces will allow the two companies to effectively educate and deliver SulNOx’s proprietary technologies to the world’s largest shipping companies. The result is reduced fuel consumption for customers such as ship operators, which in turn reduces their costs. 

Furthermore, and arguably most importantly, the technology allows shipping companies to significantly reduce their toxic emissions. The two Groups hope the partnership will ultimately lead to a cleaner marine industry.

 

To discuss your next project contact us via the button below.

 

 

Becoming an apprentice is a valuable move in a young persons’ career, allowing you to learn from industry experts alongside formal education. But knowing how to make the most of your apprenticeship, and squeezing everything you can from the opportunity is what makes the real difference.

As most apprentices are new to the working world, they may not know all the tricks for getting ahead in their career. Following these tips will help you make a mark on the company you’re learning with, and succeed in your industry. 

 

How to Make the Most of Your Apprenticeship

 

1. Ask Questions, Listen, and Show Willingness to Learn

Apprenticeships allow you to learn directly from skilled workers with decades of experience and industry expertise. 

Throughout your apprenticeship, actively listen to your colleagues, ask questions every day and learn how they do things. 

The senior team at Hythe Group fully recognises the importance of training the next generation of workers. 

Senior Weld Inspector Paul Stone commented, “The younger generation is the future of Hythe Group. We’ve got to try and push the younger generation. If you didn’t have the youngsters coming through and learning the skills of the trades, the company would crumble.”

 

2. Accept and Go After Every Available Opportunity 

As well as your apprenticeship qualifications, there will most likely be other certifications you can go after. This could be driving lessons, a new skill within your own trade, or a qualification for a separate trade. 

Saying yes to every available opportunity will ensure you complete your apprenticeship with well-rounded knowledge, and the documentation to go with it.  

“We strive to make an apprenticeship unique within the group of companies. We have numerous trades and believe that an apprentice should spend time across all skill sets. By the end of an apprenticeship, each student should have a primary and secondary trade with the ability, if required, to touch on other skill sets to ensure the business can keep the teams dynamic. We believe in keeping the workforce engaged and constantly developing. Carrying out an apprenticeship within Hythe Group turns the students into invaluable members of the business and extremely employable to the industry if they choose to move on.”

– Josh Mathias, Managing Director at Hythe Group.  

Wondering what an apprenticeship at Hythe Group is like? Check out this interview with one of Hythe Group’s very first apprentices: A Careers Starter: Hythe Marine Services Apprenticeship Scheme 

 

3. Positive Attitude and Self-Confidence

Stepping into an unfamiliar environment where you’re starting from scratch is daunting. 

As an apprentice, people aren’t expecting you to go into the job knowing exactly what to do. Many of the workers started as apprentices themselves, so they’re fully aware things can get confusing, and tiring, and apprentices will make mistakes. 

Remember that things can and will go wrong. What shows real determination is maintaining a positive attitude in the face of adversity. 

Being confident, polite and friendly to your colleagues shows that you’re there to learn and you’ll quickly become a crucial part of the team. 

 

4. Be Proactive About Your Mistakes

When something goes wrong, proactively resolve the issue and find out what caused it. 

Failing should be a positive experience, you need to make mistakes, learn rejection, learn from re-work and difficult situations. It’s not just about a skill; it’s about interaction, communication and behaviour. 

On your learning journey, it’s completely expected that you’ll make mistakes. Admitting when you’ve gone wrong and learning how to fix the problem for the next time is one of the best ways to learn. 

And if you’re not sure why the problem occurred, ask a senior employee the following questions:

• What might have caused it
• How to avoid it 
• How to fix it

 

Apprenticeship FAQs

 

How to Find an Apprenticeship?

1. Apply directly with a company – Hythe Group has an internal application process
2. Through your school or college
3. Through UCAS: UCAS Apprenticeship Finder 
4. Search through the government website: Find an apprenticeship with gov.uk 

Can You Get an Apprenticeship With No Experience?

In most cases, no formal experience is required as apprentices will usually be coming straight from education. In England, apprenticeships use a Level system to determine the education requirements for a particular apprenticeship. Almost all apprenticeships will require GCSEs, and you may be required to have A-Levels or a full or partial degree for some higher-level apprenticeships. 

 

That’s a wrap on our tips for How to Make the Most of Your Apprenticeship! 

Interested in becoming a Hythe Group apprentice? Head to our Apprentice page here for more information: Hythe Group Apprenticeships