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Selima Group and PremierEnvoy join forces

Manchester-based PremierEnvoy, which provides expenses management software, has merged with payroll and HR solutions businesses, Selima Software and Selima Bureau Services.

The combined business will employ more than 50 people at offices in Manchester, Sheffield and London and will operate as the Selima Group, which is based at One Central Park in Newton Heath, East Manchester.

Its public sector customer base will include Bristol City Council, Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council and Northumbria Probation Service.

In a news release, the Selima Group said the merger would “combine the strengths of each business and offer customers an integrated package of benefits”. No financial details of the deal were released.

Selima Group chief executive, Mark Kinnell, who founded PremierEnvoy in 1991, joined Selima Software as managing director in 2006 with an option to acquire the company.

Kinnell said PremierEnvoy’s model would be replicated throughout the Selima Group. He added: “Selima’s unparalleled access to and reputation in the payroll market is of clear benefit to us in expanding the expenses arm of the business.”

“Each part of the organisation has areas of proven best practice that the others can learn and grow from and we’re tremendously excited by the opportunities this gives us.

“More often than not, organisations tender for payroll or HR systems and expenses can be overlooked, but by being able to offer all of these processes as part of an integrated package, we can open customers up to potentially massive operational cost and process efficiencies.”

Selima’s private sector customers include Bakkavör Group and Symphony Group and it also plans to expand its consultancy arm.

Graham Whitehouse, former general manager of PremierEnvoy, will be group managing director for the software division, Chris Bell, former general manager of Selima Bureau, will become group managing director of managed services, and Andrew Jones, former customer relations manager at PremierEnvoy becomes group sales and marketing manager.

The Selima Group will be split into two business divisions responsible for software and service-based activities. The new organisation will retain the Envoy brand, with products including EnvoyHR, EnvoyPayroll and EnvoyExpenses.