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The Herald Scotland
20-05-2025
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
St Mirren strikes payroll deal with business support specialist SOLVD.
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. Read more: 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.
The Herald Scotland
16-05-2025
- Science
- The Herald Scotland
POTR: World's first plant pot made from marine plastic waste launches
This initiative comes amid growing concerns over marine pollution in Scotland. A study by the UK's Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) found that Scotland generates significantly more plastic waste from the fishing and aquaculture industry than England – an estimated 4,897 tonnes annually compared to 1,108 tonnes. The Ocean Pot, made from recycled marine plastic, is manufactured through a UK-wide supply chain. Fishing nets are recovered,sorted and shredded by Cornwall-based marine waste specialists Waterhaul – with POTR being the first adopters of Waterhaul's recently launched Traceable Marine Plastic material. It is then pelletised in Dumfries, transformed into recycled sheets in Middlesbrough, and finally die-cut and assembled in Edinburgh. Andrew Flynn and Eilidh Cunningham of POTR (Image: The Picture Agency) Andrew Flynn, POTR's founder and a lecturer at Glasgow School of Art, was inspired to create the Ocean Pot after witnessing the extent of marine waste on Scotland's west coast. He said: 'I was in Skye recently, and while it's one of the most beautiful places in the world, the amount of marine waste on the west coast is staggering. Waste is choking our shoreline – Surely there is something that can be done to make it useful. 'We're huge admirers of Waterhaul and the work they do, and to partner with them is a major step forward. Traceability makes it real for people. The more transparent the journey, the more it sparks conversations and makes people realise they can be part of the solution.' Read more: Plant pot that can be sent as letter breaks funding target The Ocean Pot's origami-inspired design allows it to be shipped flat-packed, reducing transport emissions by up to 100 times compared to traditional ceramic or plastic pots. Once unfolded, a self-watering system using cotton cord helps plants regulate hydration with minimal waste. POTR's initial Ocean Pot release in 2022 sold out quickly, but scaling production proved challenging due to fragmented supply chains. The new partnership with Waterhaul, specialists in recovering, recycling and manufacturing adventure products from marine plastic in the UK, enables POTR to meet growing demand. Harry Dennis, co-founder of social enterprise Waterhaul, said: 'Ghost gear is the most damaging form of plastic in the sea. Working with POTR means we can take that material and turn it into something useful, something beautiful, something people want in their homes. POTR Pots are flat packed, self-watering plant pots made from recycled materials. (Image: The Picture Agency) 'They care about the process as much as the product. These pots are traceable back to the beach the net came from. That level of transparency matters. It shows what's possible 'This could easily be one of the most efficient recycling-to-product models in UK consumer manufacturing.' Customers can scan their Ocean Pot to view when and where the net was collected, the volume of waste in that batch, and who sorted it. The data is stored on Waterhaul's live tracking platform, and every pot contributes 4% of profits to ongoing clean-up efforts. Each tonne of beach waste now yields approximately 5,500 Ocean Pots. Since its founding in 2019, POTR has shipped to over 50 countries and secured retail partnerships with Uncommon Goods, John Lewis, and Bloom & Wild. The new Ocean Pot, its most advanced product to date, will be showcased at this year's Chelsea Flower Show and at V&A Dundee as part of the new Garden Futures exhibition, which opens to the public from Saturday 17th May. The Ocean Pot will be available for purchase from Friday 16 May priced from £22, exclusively via
