Who we are

Background Information

We are a market-leading professional services provider to contractors and small businesses, specialising in contractor accountancy, tax, and umbrella payroll solutions. We also have over 350 employees working for us, with offices in both Warrington and Blackpool.

Caroola started off as a series of contractor accounting and umbrella payroll companies, who joined together to form the Optionis Group in 2012. After a further eleven years and several more business acquisitions, our family of businesses merged together to become Caroola (our contractor accounting company), Parasol (our Umbrella employment company), and Brian Alfred (our tax rebate specialists), who all sit under Caroola Group.

Our mission

To be the market leader by providing secure, compliant and trusted Umbrella Payroll solutions, Accountancy and Tax Services that fully support the needs of the agile workforce, allowing contractors, freelancers, sole traders and small businesses to thrive.

Our values

“Our values are not just a poster on the wall. They are something that we embed in the business.

I really believe that having values that reflect who we are and what we want to be as a company are a key part of building the foundations to help the business going forwards.”

Andy Ross, CEO

“[Our values are] not just a poster on the wall, they are something that we embed in the business.

I really believe that having values that reflect who we are and what we want to be as a company are a key part of building the foundations to help the business going forwards.”

Andy Ross, CEO

Celebrate and encourage diversity

Respect individuality and be inclusive

Feel safe and supported at work

Make sure your voice can be heard

Celebrate and encourage diversity

Respect individuality and be inclusive

Feel safe and supported at work

Make sure your voice can be heard

Achieve more through teamwork than on your own

Be open and honest

Act with integrity

Be a role model

Achieve more through teamwork than on your own

Be open and honest

Act with integrity

Be a role model

Celebrate and encourage diversity

Respect individuality and be inclusive

Feel safe and supported at work

Make sure your voice can be heard

Have a can-do will-do mindset

Maintain an aptitude for learning

Deliver on your commitments

Help create a sense of speed

Our team

We know that the only way to be a market-leading business is to have market-leading people involved in everything we do. As such, when we are looking to hire new team members, we search for individuals who believe in our company mission and embody our company values.

In return, we do what we can to make Caroola Group a place where people want to work. Andy Ross, our CEO, says:

“I’m committed to making sure that Caroola is a business that people are proud to work for and want to work for, and that is very much more about culture and values than just what we do.”

To meet valued members of our team, head over to our Meet the team page. To learn more about our efforts to establish a company culture that embodies our values, check out our Caroola Cares page.

Staff testimonials

  • "I've learned so much in my time at Caroola. It's amazing being somewhere that really cares about me and my development."
    Elliot Dugdale
    Creative Lead
  • “Having worked here for 12 years, it’s the people, the core values we live by and development opportunities that make me want to work here every day.”
    Lisa Scott
    Commercial Operations Manager