Acumen Group, the professional-services company, has announced the appointment of Sophie Pearson as regional business development manager.

Ms Pearson will lead efforts to accelerate the growth of Acumen’s payroll outsourcing business and will divide her time between Acumen’s offices in Bermuda and the Cayman Islands.

The software company Blue Bison, an Acumen partner, has built the payroll platform that Acumen offers to its clients.

Ms Pearson will focus on supporting existing Acumen and Blue Bison payroll and HR clients in addition to expanding the customer base across Bermuda, Cayman and the Caribbean with Blue Bison to help to develop its software business.

Acumen, which specialises in human resource and payroll services, is a Bermuda-based company that has a presence in Singapore, Mauritius, the United Kingdom and South Africa, besides the Cayman Islands.

Born and raised in Bermuda, Ms Pearson spent more than a decade building her career in the United Kingdom.

She was a founding member of the UK-based SaaS (software as a service) company, OnlineFuels Ltd. As itscommercial manager, Ms Pearson helped to grow the business from pre-seed to a thriving, award-winning organisation, until its sale in April.

Ms Pearson said: “I have always had a keen interest in start-ups and helping to accelerate the growth of businesses. This is an exciting time to join Acumen and I feel that it’s a fantastic opportunity to take my experience and apply it to a locally developed product.

“The demand for outsourced payroll is growing. Companies recognise that processing payroll is time consuming and complex, and outsourcing to experts allows them to get on with tasks that drive their business forward.

“Another reason why it works so well for our clients — particularly in recent months — is that it removes the dependency on internal staff. So, if one or more key staff are on leave, due to Covid or any other reason, the company will always have the external resource to pay their staff on time.”

The increase in payroll outsourcing is a global trend. The Deloitte Payroll Benchmarking Survey 2020 found that 73 per cent of organisations outsource at least some aspect of payroll.

Blue Bison’s software is designed to create bespoke solutions for clients, with the flexibility to meet the specific requirements of the jurisdiction and the employer, which is said to give Acumen an edge over competitors using “off-the-shelf” products.

Also, Blue Bison’s HR software integrates with its payroll platform, automating the tasks for tracking time and attendance, work permit administration, tax calculation and reporting, and the automation of distribution of funds between local banks.

Ms Pearson said: “Acumen sets itself apart from other providers as it offers tailored solutions rather than a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach.

“The industry knowledge and experience within Acumen allows us to understand client businesses and to effectively meet their needs.

“As a premier partner of Blue Bison Software, we offer a seamless payroll service using the advanced and highly reliable cloud payroll software that offers security and flexibility.”

Acumen administers payroll for a range of local and international clients with head counts ranging from one to several hundred and processes approximately 35,000 payslips annually.

Blue Bison’s payroll software administers approximately 8,000 employees in Cayman, Bahamas and the British Virgin Islands, and a further 1,800 in Bermuda across a wide range of industries.