St Mirren strikes payroll deal with business support specialist SOLVD.

The Herald Scotland

20-05-2025

For St Mirren, which operates under a community-ownership model, the decision reflects a wider shift in mindset: treating back-office functions with the same strategic importance as on-field performance.
Keith Lasley, the club's Chief Operating Officer, said: 'In today's football economy, every part of the club has to deliver. We've got no luxury of inefficiency – not with the cost base clubs are facing today.
St Mirren's Chief Operating Officer, Keith Lasley, Valerie Mitchell, Managing Director at SOLVD. and club captain, Mark O'Hara (Image: The Picture Agency) 'This allows us to focus our internal energy where it matters most. SOLVD. gives us confidence that payroll – a function that affects every player and staff member – is robust, compliant and secure.
'It's a major step forward for our team, ensuring there's no longer a single point of failure and giving us real confidence that things are being taken care of in the payroll front. It's a major step forward.'
SOLVD. provides end-to-end business support services — including payroll, finance, HR, customer experience and reporting — to major employers across the UK. It was originally created as the in-house shared services team for transport giant Abellio, and has since evolved into a stand-alone company headquartered in Glasgow with a 150-strong workforce.
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The firm has processed over 300,000 payroll transactions annually with over 99% accuracy, and is a recipient of the Investors in People Platinum award. Its expansion into sport and education reflects growing demand from high-trust, high-pressure sectors seeking reliable back-office solutions.
Valerie Mitchell, Managing Director at SOLVD., said: 'Clubs like St Mirren are taking bold, smart steps to modernise. They're recognising that operational systems – from payroll to reporting – are critical to how a club runs, how it protects its people, and how it stays resilient.
Valerie Mitchell, Managing Director at SOLVD. and St Mirren's Chief Operating Officer, Keith Lasley (Image: The Picture Agency)'We're proud to support a club that shares our values and ambition. This partnership shows what's possible when operational rigour meets strategic leadership.
'And for us, it's another example of the role Scottish expertise can play in supporting complex, national-scale systems — whether that's in sport, transport, or beyond.'
The club confirmed that no job losses are involved in the move. Instead, the goal is to eliminate 'single points of failure,' reduce internal pressure on lean teams, and futureproof a core function.