Creating the Infrastructure for Growth Through Joined-Up People Support

Background

• Location: Leeds, UK
• Sector: Biotechnology
• Omny engagement date: September 2025

The client is an innovative biotech startup revolutionising specialist treatment to make it more accessible and improve patient outcomes. Combining technical expertise with scientific and clinical knowledge, the team is developing new solutions designed to improve the consistency and effectiveness of care.

Challenge

As a small startup (a spin-out of a northern university), the business began with just two employees: its co-founders. They had no employment basics in place, meaning no policies, templates, documents, systems, or ways of working. To kick-off their growth journey, they needed to start building the basics from scratch. The problem was that they weren’t sure where to start.

They knew they needed to hire their first employees, but didn’t know how or have the resources or processes in place to do so. What’s more, they had interest from two overseas candidates, but this meant getting into the world of sponsorship – adding yet another level of complexity.

They required immediate professional support across a few disciplines: HR advice, HR administration, and employment law.

Solution

The client approached Omny Group for joined-up people support, having been recommended by its investors following similar support provided to a number of their other portfolio businesses.

1. A robust compliance foundation

The immediate priority was to build a strong compliance foundation. Once their dedicated HR professional resource was allocated and introduced, a fact-finding session began in order to understand their specific employment needs.

All HR documentation was created from scratch, including contracts, handbooks, policies and other procedural documentation, all tailored to their business and requirements.

In addition, their Omny HR professional set up template documentation and streamlined admin processes to support smooth hiring and onboarding, along with the legal compliance that goes alongside. They were also on hand to answer any policy or procedure queries throughout.

2. Integrated technology for streamlined people data

At the same time, the Technology team at Omny Group set the founders up with an intuitive HR technology platform, Cezanne, which included the People and Absence modules. This enabled all employee data to be stored, updated and accessed in one central place.

The roll-out of Cezanne’s self-service app also empowered any newly onboarded employees to manage their own data and absence requests wherever, whenever.

3. Legal support for overseas sponsorship

Omny Law (Omny Group’s legal division) was brought in to undertake an application to secure a UK Skilled Worker sponsor licence by providing strategic, end-to-end legal support to the client throughout the application process. This included assessing the business’s eligibility, a review of its HR and recruitment practices, identifying and addressing potential risks before submission, and preparing a comprehensive application supported by the appropriate evidence.

By ensuring the application met the requirements of the UK Home Office, the firm helped minimise delays and reduce the risk of refusal. The Omny Law team also advised on the client’s ongoing sponsor duties, including reporting and record-keeping obligations, enabling the business to recruit overseas talent with confidence and establish robust compliance systems for future growth.

Since successfully obtaining the sponsor licence, Omny Law also assisted the client with the associated steps to sponsoring an individual (application and assignment of a Certificate of Sponsorship) and provided guidance on the associated Skilled Work Visa application.

4. Prioritising benefits for embedded employee satisfaction and wellbeing

Following a consultation with Omny Benefits (Omny Group’s dedicated employee benefits division), the client went ahead with a highly recognised workplace pension provider and implemented salary exchange.

They also kicked off an employee communication programme to help employees with their understanding and appreciation of the pension, along with guidance and advice where required. This enabled both the client and its employees to get the most from the salary sacrifice offered and to help improve employee financial understanding and, in turn, wellbeing.

Results

With the right foundations in place, the business was able to move forward with confidence. From having no HR infrastructure, they quickly built a compliant and scalable framework to support their growth.

They successfully hired their first employees using clear processes and documentation, with additional legal support when needed to remain on the right side of the law.

With streamlined admin processes and expert HR advice on hand, day-to-day people management has become simpler and less time-consuming, allowing the founders to focus on growing the business.

What’s more, the introduction of the Cezanne platform improved visibility and security of key people data, along with reducing manual tasks as the team grows.

Overall, the flexible multi-service offering provided by Omny Group enabled the start-up to move from a standing start to having the essential people processes, systems, and support in place to grow with confidence.