Vivup is the market leading employee benefits provider to the public sector, with its platform offering employee benefits, such as Home and Electronics, Cycle to Work and Car Scheme, plus its own Recognition and Reward app, as well as mental health support, through its outstanding Employee Assistance Programme. We got in touch with CEO, Simon Moyle in light of him being recognised as CEO of the Year, 2021 – County Durham to learn more about his career and the company.
Vivup was established in 2005 with a strong history of working with the NHS. Current CEO, Simon Moyle previously worked with Vivup on the supplier side during his 20 years at Currys – and he was always impressed with Vivup’s approach and ambition. During his time working in retail, he enjoyed talking to consumers, finding solutions to their problems, and ensuring they loved him and the business so they would return.
He progressed into management across various PC World stores and then into business, with his methods not changing; helping people and businesses to find solutions while going above and beyond for the relationship has always been at the core of what Simon does.
In 2018, Simon joined Vivup with a brief to grow the business ten-fold within three years. He introduced a disruptive B2B2C business model which allowed the company to capture 70% of the NHS market. More recently, Vivup has seen rapid growth within local authorities, universities and emergency services, and it is making significant headway into the private sector market.
Simon’s philosophy has always been to grow a business from the bottom up. He said, “We have attracted the very best talent and invested heavily in their development to ensure the team have the right skills to drive the business forwards. To me, nothing matters more than a happy workplace. I believe that’s what makes us experts in creating them.”
Over the past three years, Simon has taken Vivup on a journey of relentless desire to change the employee benefits market for the good of employees and employers. The company has made it its mission to improve the lives of low paid workers across the UK by improving their financial, physical, and mental wellbeing. Simon said, “Our methods have been brave; we have not looked to replicate anyone, instead we have been proudly different. We have innovated and driven our business forward at an incredible pace, something which will not slow down for many years to come as there are a lot of employees who deserve better. Our aim is to ensure they get better.”
Vivup’s staff are core to its success. Simon encourages a culture of collaboration and honesty where hard work and success are rewarded. The company has an incredibly stable base of employees who are regularly surveyed to understand their honest views, and it has consistently seen results where 99% of staff would recommend Vivup to family and friends as a place to work… and that is saying something!
Speaking about his leadership style, Simon said, “I lead my team in a collaborative way. I set the pace and overall direction for the company and then guide, coach and support the wider team to find the best route to meet our objectives.
“I get hands-on when I need to – and often when I want to, as I love nothing more than meeting clients and partners to see how much difference we are making together. This style has evolved over the years as I used to struggle to let go of the detail and wanted to be part of everything that happened across my teams. As I have grown as a leader and the businesses I have led have grown, I had to let go and accept that while I am willing and like to get my hands dirty from time to time, the team doesn’t need me to, and it is not where I add most value.”
Ultimately, 2021 has been Vivup’s biggest year to date, having grown its relationships with existing clients while winning 200 new clients across all sectors. The business has seen a restructure to allow for further growth over 2022 and beyond, adding three C-Level Directors, acquiring its external software developers, bringing inhouse the amazing team it has worked with since 2011, as well as internally promoting three operating board directors and appointing a fourth.
So, what are Simon’s plans for the future? He said, “I love Vivup, the team we’ve built, the proposition we have brought to market and the mission we are on, so my plans for the foreseeable future are to continue growing the business and improving the lives of low paid workers. There is no limit to how Vivup can grow in this space and I’m having too much fun!”
