I’m super excited to announce the appointment of our new chair, Jim Darragh. Jim’s been working with CharlieHR since the beginning of the year. Today, we’re making it official.

Jim brings a huge amount of experience to the table. He’s one of Europe’s most accomplished PE-backed software leaders. He’s been CEO five times and led five successful exits, creating around £1.3 billion of enterprise value. At Totalmobile, Jim grew revenue from £12M to £55M, completed seven acquisitions and returned 5× to Horizon Capital, the highest return in that fund’s history. Before his CEO roles, he held senior commercial positions at SAP, BMC and Computer Associates. He’s currently chair and NED at Enate, Literal Labs and Groupe Senef, and now CharlieHR.

“Great businesses are built by great leaders solving real problems. CharlieHR solves a real one: it gives small businesses the tools that big companies take for granted. Ben is a founder-CEO with clarity, humility and serious ambition. I’m delighted to join him and the team as Chairman as CharlieHR enters its next phase of growth.”
— Jim Darragh, Chairman, CharlieHR

As Charlie’s CEO, I’ve been surrounded by great people and big ideas for the past ten years. I’m grateful for all the support I’ve had, but I also knew something was missing as Charlie grew. I didn’t want just anyone to join us on that journey. I needed someone who’d make me a better CEO, so I could make Charlie a better business.

To do that, I knew a traditional chair wouldn’t cut it. I was looking for someone who’d bring tons of energy. Someone who’d encourage me and the team to do better and push us to our limits, but who’d also be able to say “good job” when needed. That’s the balance Jim naturally brings.

That balance comes at a time when it’s most needed for Charlie and the small businesses we support. We’ve entered a new era where AI can make anyone a founder, but starting a business and running one are very different things. Small businesses need support more than ever to navigate ever-changing employment law and HR processes. Charlie aims to be the bedrock for them, as we’ve been for the last ten years. 

That’s why we’re broadening what Charlie already does, using AI and new tech not as an afterthought, but as a commitment to solving our customer’s most-pressing problems. We want to be key to the way leaders run their businesses. We’ll get there by strengthening existing relationships and building durable new ones. We’re doing this in a competitive and relentless market, but with an advantage: big names often overlook the needs of small businesses. We know we can make a difference and carve out a space for ourselves.

With Jim by our side, we’re in a strong position to fulfil our mission and become the first HR hire for small businesses, now and in the future.