The shared services arm of transport giant Abellio has said it is to create new jobs at its relaunched SOLVD business in Scotland.

SOLVD is based at a shared service centre in Glasgow where it currently employs 150, providing facilities for customer experience, payroll, finance, HR, and management information reporting for rail and bus operators across the UK.

It said it plans to grow its workforce “considerably” with the aim of becoming “the biggest single provider of joined-up business support services in Scotland”.

The business has now also revealed plans to expand beyond transport, targeting new industries in the public and private sectors ranging from rapidly growing companies to established businesses in any sector.

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SOLVD reported a £7 million turnover last year, and said it is in position to onboard four large-scale contracts worth in excess of £400,000 each over the next two years.

It also said the growth will create new jobs paid well in excess of the living wage, and while the firm will work with businesses in all sectors across the UK, it has committed to creating all new positions in Scotland.

SOLVD runs business support services for Abellio divisions including Greater Anglia, East Midlands, West Midlands, and Abellio Bus, as well as a contract for Scotrail, which was renationalised in early 2022.

Abellio is currently undergoing a management buyout.

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Valerie Mitchell, who is UK managing director at SOLVD, has held senior operations roles including at sportscotland, Livingston James Group and North Lanarkshire Leisure, as well as leading the workforce for the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. 

“The recession means challenges for businesses and organisations of all sizes, and the services SOLVD offers will help keep some businesses alive, while ensuring others continue to thrive," she said.

"Our experience managing back-office services including finance, customer experience, and payroll for a combined 20,000-strong workforce completely sets us apart.

"We have operated the most complex set of systems that a business could possibly run."

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She also said: "Whether it’s payroll, finance or dealing with customers, we are used to that scalability of dealing with a huge service.

“There isn’t a comparable organisation offering these services in Scotland.

"There are competitors who offer finance, payroll, and contact centre services individually, but no one else is offering back-office services as a full package to businesses in multiple different sectors.

"We can support in any sector.”

Key appointments include former KPMG audit manager Mark Smith as head of finance, former SSE operations manager David Lumsden as head of customer experience, and head of payroll Joanne Hosie, who previously managed the payroll for AGS Airports Ltd and the Co-op.