A specialist HR consultancy supporting companies across the South Coast is marking ten years in business, with turnover forecast to grow by approximately 53 per cent in just two years.
Led by managing director Deborah Weatherell, The HR Dept Solent was founded in early 2017 to serve businesses in Portsmouth, Southampton, Fareham, and the wider region.
Today it employs a team of five, having seen turnover rise by 16 per cent in 2025/26 with a further 32.3 per cent forecast by the turn of its current financial year in February.
Its success has been based on a reputation for providing commercially focused HR advice and support with established organisations facing complex people-management challenges.
Specialist experience spans shipping, merchant seafarer businesses, care and construction, alongside larger organisations requiring specialist support. The company has a client portfolio of some 35 retained businesses.
Mrs Weatherell (Debs) is now planning a 10th anniversary breakfast to mark the occasion, bringing together clients and trusted professional contacts from the South Coast business community.
The event will take place on February 3rd next year at the Solent Hotel in Whiteley, bringing together clients, prospective clients and trusted professional contacts from across the South Coast business community.
The aim is to celebrate relationships that have helped the consultancy grow over the past decade, while creating opportunities for businesspeople to share expertise, exchange ideas and develop new connections.
Mrs Weatherell said: “Reaching ten years in business is something I’m really proud of. The environment has changed enormously since I started, and we’ve had to navigate Brexit, COVID and all the challenges that have come with them.
“We’ve built a business around experience, trust and finding practical solutions. That’s particularly important when you’re working with organisations facing complex HR challenges, where the answer isn’t always straightforward and where understanding the business and its people really matters.
“So I want the anniversary to be about more than looking back. It’s an opportunity to thank the people who have supported us, bring together some great people from the local community and look ahead to the next stage of the business.”
The HR Dept Solent was itself established by Mrs Weatherell after many years of HR experience in large corporate environments, including senior leadership roles at Babcock supporting the armed forces and Balfour Beatty Major Civil Engineering
A Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), she has developed the company around businesses requiring more than standardised advice.
Rather than relying solely on standardised policies or off-the-shelf guidance, The HR Dept Solent aims to develop solutions that reflect each organisation’s circumstances.
Mrs Weatherell also has particular expertise in mergers and acquisitions, employee transfers and organisational restructuring. These projects can require HR advice that balances legal compliance with the operational realities of a business and the needs of its employees.
The company’s anniversary comes as employers prepare for further changes to employment law and increasing scrutiny of workplace practices. Mrs Weatherell believes businesses should take a proactive approach to people management, ensuring they understand their responsibilities and seek appropriate advice before problems escalate.
“HR issues can cause business owners and managers a huge amount of stress,” Weatherell added. “Our job is to understand what they need to achieve and help them find a safe, legally compliant way forward. That might mean supporting a business through an acquisition, helping it restructure or providing specialist expertise when its own HR team needs additional support.
“We want to be a trusted business partner, not simply someone people call when something has gone wrong.”
