Rapidly growing Athena Credit Management & Risk Solutions is relocating from Regus at Kings Hill into larger premises on the business park to enable it to expand further and recruit more staff.
Athena CMRS, which helps companies reduce their lending risk and increase their chance of recovering non-performing loans, was set up last year by Tony Lazell – a former director of Cabot, also based at Kings Hill – and his wife Helen.
They have recently launched Athena Recruitment Ltd as well and now employ 65 staff across the UK and Ireland, 17 of whom will be moving into the new headquarters in 39 Kings Hill Avenue, where the company has taken 2,066 sq ft.
“We have enjoyed a very successful first 18 months of trading which has allowed us to invest money into our expansion,” said Tony Lazell. “Our rapid growth has meant that we require much larger premises and, as we diversify our service offering, we will need to increase our staffing requirements.
“In the short term we plan to employ another 15 staff before February 2014 and our long terms plans will hopefully mean that we will become a major recruiter at Kings Hill and surrounding areas.
“We live, work and socialise on Kings Hill and believe that it is a great environment for our employees and consultants, with easy accessibility to major towns and good transport links to Europe via Gatwick and the Channel Tunnel, which is essential for our European expansion. There are also local shops, doctors, restaurants and other convenient facilities close at hand.
“We will hopefully continue to thrive and develop at Kings Hill for a very long time to come.”
Altus Edwin Hill, Knight Frank and Hanover Green acted for the landlord.
The Lazells have lived in Kings Hill for six years and are further testament to the Live-Work-Play culture of the Kings Hill Community.
There are a range of office options at Kings Hill to suit all business needs – from large corporate headquarters buildings to small start-up premises, all of which benefit from the high-quality environment, on-site amenities, good transport links and free parking.
“Unlike most business parks, at Kings Hill we offer a range of sizes and specifications of office space to suit companies through all stages of their development, allowing them to grow from relatively small suites to whole buildings,” said Andrew Blevins, managing director of Kings Hill developer Liberty Property Trust UK Ltd.
“Remaining in the same location helps with staff retention and having plenty of parking makes it accessible to clients too.
“Athena CMRS is a perfect example of a company having started at Kings Hill and now expanding successfully and I am delighted it is thriving here.”
Kings Hill is set in 800 acres near the county town of Maidstone and is just two miles from junction 4 of the M20. It was a former airfield and is now home to around 7,700 residents and more than 200 businesses employing some 5,000 people.
There are also schools and a village centre with shops including Waitrose; Costa Coffee; Domino’s and restaurants, as well as a surgery, dry cleaners, shoe repairers, pharmacy and opticians.
