Latest news with #PaulHamilton
BBC News
01-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Halo: The Stowmarket software company sponsoring Ipswich Town
Nestled in the heart of Suffolk away from the hustle and bustle of city life lies one of the UK's biggest tech firms which says it has no management layers, no targets and where the average age of the workforce is Service Solutions, based in Gipping Way in Stowmarket, started life over 20 years ago and has gradually grown in size to become a company worth £ recent years the company was announced as McLaren Formula 1 team's official technology partner and delights in being known for having a playground slide in its Monday, it was revealed the company is Ipswich Town Football Club's next main shirt sponsor, a relationship developed over a number of how did this huge company start life in Suffolk, who is behind it and how could its success benefit the wider Suffolk community? Paul Hamilton, 44, is Halo's co-founder and chief executive life started in the north-east of Scotland where his mum was a nurse and his dad a bus driver as well as a driving instructor."It was very much a working class upbringing," he says."I just thought running businesses was something other people did."I didn't go to fancy schools. I did go to university, but not because I loved learning, just because I felt like I wanted to earn money so I could make some choices in my life like even where to go to holiday."I certainly didn't think I'd ever be running a business." From 2004 to 2008, Mr Hamilton worked with his co-founder Alan Rogerson to offer bespoke software packages to says there was a "turning point" when he realised they could create their own sellable product and so he set up Net Help be closer to his wife's family, he moved to Suffolk where the company soon began to take shape. "My mother-in-law had a two bedroom flat and I paid her £50 a month to rent her spare bedroom and that was my office from 2009 to 2011," he says. Soon afterwards, the firm moved into a 200-sq-ft space in Stowmarket. In 2011, he took on his first employee, but conscious of wanting to grow his business in a sustainable way, he only hired a couple more people over the next four company then moved into a larger office in the town in 2017 and then three years later Covid-19 a young workforce - mostly university graduates - the staff collectively felt they were unable to work effectively from home and a few months later they went back into the office as lockdown restrictions eased that 2020, the company also rebranded as Halo and in 2021 moved into their current office - a modern-looking space with its own bar, bean bags, and pool and ping pong tables. The slide found in the entrance is something Mr Hamilton admits he had used "loads of times" himself. Halo's culture is massive for it success, according to Mr current team of 150 are entrusted to get on with their work and manage their own time. Budgeting and cash flow forecasting is something he says the company also does not do - instead it runs day-to-day on "instinct", something Mr Hamilton admits could sound "crazy"."We've now doubled revenue every year for eight years in a row, and if you look at any metric we're smashing it in every regard, but we don't care what happens from quarter to quarter," he explains."Our enterprise team aren't on commission; there is a team commission, but there's no individual commission."And you can tell, as a customer engaging with us they're almost like, 'Woah, where's the aggression? This is so different to what we're used to'."It's because we don't have quarterly targets, we don't have annual targets, we just have almost like an ideology of where we want the business to be." Halo is not in a hurry to rush things and Mr Hamilton says it is doing things "very differently" to its competitors, many of which can be found in Silicon Valley in California, United States. But Suffolk is key for Halo and while it was "purely by chance" Mr Hamilton decided to set up the headquarters here, he says the county has been "brilliant" and offers good transport links as well as a "good quality of life" with low also offers his young workforce a place to live where the cost of living is considerably lower than the likes of London or Silicon Valley. Halo has been getting itself familiar with the sporting world, with partnerships with McLaren's F1 team and snooker's World to home, in 2023 Halo became Ipswich Town's new sleeve sponsor, a relationship which has Hamilton says his passion for the club grew the more he attended games and now it was rare if he missed one."I literally plan my calendar, which might be quite bad for a leader of a business, but I do plan it around fixtures," he reveals."There is something very tribal about football... it's the feeling of belonging, it's the passion, it's the noise."There's so much alignment of what's going on at that football club and what's going on at Halo."We feel like we're in a tournament, we're in the Champions League now... competing with the big boys and we're winning." Mr Hamilton has big ambitions for the future - Halo will never be sold or merged and he is keen to continue with its successful graduate programme while embedding itself further within wants to launch a Halo business school in partnership with the University of Suffolk and he reveals the company is looking to grow to 1,000 people within the next five years, which will probably require an office move to Hamilton hopes to be able to set up a foundation that will allow customers to decide which charitable causes it puts a share of its revenue into. "I'm almost, from my point of view, a temporary custodian of the business and in 40 years' time I'll pass on," he said."But it will just go down through generations and it's important we have people in the same mindset - Halo in terms of philosophy, a business idea and a brand."It's going to transcend far beyond software." 'Civic business' John Dugmore, chief executive, Suffolk Chamber of Commerce said: "Halo is a particularly high-profiled and inspiring example of a business type that is increasingly a core feature of the Suffolk commercial landscape: the principled, fast-growing and innovative scale-up with national and international reach."It is especially encouraging that even as the firm accelerates its ambitions, Halo will remain headquartered in Suffolk reinforcing our county's reputation as a tech hot spot. "Furthermore, the company's commitment to Suffolk not least through its sponsorship arrangements and its active membership of Suffolk Chamber, draws on an older local business tradition: that of the civic business." Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
30-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Halo is new main shirt sponsor for Ipswich Town Football Club
A Suffolk software company has been announced as Ipswich Town's new shirt sponsor, in what the club says is the biggest sponsorship deal in its Halo will be replacing the previous sponsor - Suffolk musician Ed Sheeran. Sheeran's logo for a recent tour had been on the shirts for the last four seasons and the singer is a minority shareholder in the chairman Mark Ashton called the new contract a "record shirt sponsorship deal for the club". He added that, unlike many other top clubs, Ipswich had "no intention of moving towards a gambling sponsor"."We're proud to be working so closely with another Suffolk business which shares many of our values," he said.A £2m deal in 2018, under Town's previous owner, with an online gambling site angered some for the new deal have not been made public. The sponsorship covers both the men's and women's first-team kits and will run for three years. On the new sponsorship, Sheeran said: "We wanted to keep it Suffolk; we wanted to keep in local." Halo's chief executive Paul Hamilton said: "It's an honour to follow Ed Sheeran as front-of-shirt sponsor, having been sleeve sponsor during the last two seasons."The business provides workflow management software and calls itself a "privately owned, founder-led team". Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Gulf Insider
01-05-2025
- Gulf Insider
Abu Dhabi announces opening of first immersive Butterfly Sanctuary
The Butterfly Gardens Abu Dhabi has announced plans to open the capital's first immersive butterfly sanctuary. The announcement came during the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2025, a premier global event for the travel and tourism industry. The new attraction, which is scheduled to open in September 2025, will be situated next to The National Aquarium at Al Qana and promises to deliver a nature-driven experience to visitors, adding to Abu Dhabi's tourism offerings. The facility will house over 10,000 butterflies within climate-controlled bio-domes that recreate natural ecosystems from different parts of the world. Visitors will explore two distinct zones—Asia and the Americas—each featuring species native to these regions. The Americas dome will host two-toed sloths, caiman crocodiles, and American insects, while the Asian dome will feature bearcats, koi carp, and various Asian insects. Throughout the gardens, visitors will be surrounded by butterflies in flight. 'With the Butterfly Gardens Abu Dhabi, our primary objective is to create an environment that authentically mirrors their natural habitats, ensuring they thrive in a secure and controlled setting. It is more than an attraction; it's a nature reserve designed to promote a deeper understanding of the interconnectedness of our ecosystems. We aim to inspire visitors to engage with nature on a meaningful level,' Paul Hamilton, General Manager of The Butterfly Gardens Abu Dhabi said. The Butterfly Gardens Abu Dhabi aims to combine education with entertainment while promoting conservation values. As the first such facility in the capital, it targets families, students, and nature enthusiasts who wish to experience these ecosystems firsthand.
Filipino Times
01-05-2025
- Filipino Times
New butterfly garden opening soon in Abu Dhabi
Ka-TFT, have you been to a butterfly garden before? If not, this could be your chance! Abu Dhabi is set to open its first immersive butterfly sanctuary in September 2025! The Butterfly Gardens Abu Dhabi will open next to The National Aquarium at Al Qana and was officially announced during the Arabian Travel Market 2025. The facility will house over 10,000 butterflies in climate-controlled bio-domes, each designed to reflect different ecosystems from Asia and the Americas. Visitors can also expect to see animals like sloths, koi fish, bearcats, and various insects. The announcement was made at the Arabian Travel Market, a major travel and tourism event in the region. The Butterfly Gardens is expected to be a key attraction for both residents and tourists. 'With the Butterfly Gardens Abu Dhabi, our primary objective is to create an environment that authentically mirrors their natural habitats, ensuring they thrive in a secure and controlled setting,' said General Manager Paul Hamilton. 'It is more than an attraction; it's a nature reserve designed to promote a deeper understanding of the interconnectedness of our ecosystems. We aim to inspire visitors to engage with nature on a meaningful level.' This upcoming destination brings together nature, learning, and fun all in one place—ideal for families, nature fans, or anyone craving a chill but exciting break from the usual mall or beach trip in Abu Dhabi.
Arabian Business
30-04-2025
- Arabian Business
Abu Dhabi announces opening of first immersive Butterfly Sanctuary
The Butterfly Gardens Abu Dhabi has announced plans to open the capital's first immersive butterfly sanctuary. The announcement came during the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2025, a premier global event for the travel and tourism industry. The new attraction, which is scheduled to open in September 2025, will be situated next to The National Aquarium at Al Qana and promises to deliver a nature-driven experience to visitors, adding to Abu Dhabi's tourism offerings. New Butterfly Gardens in Abu Dhabi to house 10,000 butterflies The facility will house over 10,000 butterflies within climate-controlled bio-domes that recreate natural ecosystems from different parts of the world. Visitors will explore two distinct zones—Asia and the Americas—each featuring species native to these regions. The Americas dome will host two-toed sloths, caiman crocodiles, and American insects, while the Asian dome will feature bearcats, koi carp, and various Asian insects. Throughout the gardens, visitors will be surrounded by butterflies in flight. 'With the Butterfly Gardens Abu Dhabi, our primary objective is to create an environment that authentically mirrors their natural habitats, ensuring they thrive in a secure and controlled setting. It is more than an attraction; it's a nature reserve designed to promote a deeper understanding of the interconnectedness of our ecosystems. We aim to inspire visitors to engage with nature on a meaningful level,' Paul Hamilton, General Manager of The Butterfly Gardens Abu Dhabi said. The Butterfly Gardens Abu Dhabi aims to combine education with entertainment while promoting conservation values.
