01
Early years
A Wiltshire childhood shaped by family, sport, friendship and a growing confidence with numbers.
Built from the 28-page biography, supplied photographs and verified achievements
TWH Holdings Limited · Executive profile
Terence Wesley Hillier
Entrepreneur, founder and management consultant. A life spent building businesses from the ground up, leading through regulatory change, COVID-19 and furlough, and helping organisations emerge stronger, more resilient and ready for what comes next.
Business builderTurnaround & recoveryPayroll & workforceFounder mentoring
The individual today
A founder who still works close to the problem.
The book records a career built on mathematics, sales, financial services, recruitment, payroll, technology and relentless execution. The present-day profile adds management consultancy, investment, mentoring and business transformation.
Born in Wiltshire in 1971, educated at Kingdown School and Cardiff University, Hillier moved from quality assurance and financial advice into recruitment and payroll. He founded Education Payroll Services in 2005 and the business that became RACS Group in 2007. The book describes the scale that followed: more than 100 staff, turnover above £150 million and national recognition for growth, entrepreneurship and community contribution. S1
People Group Services now identifies him publicly as Founder and CEO. Through TWH Holdings Limited, the current proposition extends into management consultancy: helping owners and leadership teams stabilise, redesign and grow businesses through difficult turns. S2 S13
This updated illustration is derived from the current 2026 photograph and replaces the earlier cartoon likeness.
“I always look for three qualities in leaders — Energy, Edge, be Exceptional. Terry Hillier has these in abundance.”
Life chronology
From childhood curiosity to founder-led experience.
The photographs supplied for this edition create a visual journey through the principal stages described in the award biography.
02
School years
Kingdown School, strong results in mathematics and science, and early ambition.
03
Graduation
Mathematics and Computing at Cardiff University created the analytical foundation.
04
Starting out
Education Payroll Services and the early company years: selling, learning and building from the ground up.
05
Growth & recognition
RACS Group House was officially opened by Dr Andrew Murrison MP in March 2013.
06
Giving back
Support for children, sport, schools, health, hospice and community causes.
07
Today
Founder, CEO, investor and management consultant focused on helping people and businesses succeed.
The entrepreneur
Four characteristics run through the record.
The language and context have changed over three decades. The operating principles have remained notably consistent.
Commercial instinct
He spots openings created by legislative, technological or behavioural change, then moves quickly enough to turn insight into a viable proposition.
Compliance as strategy
“Compliance Without Compromise” was not positioned as a back-office function. It became a market differentiator, a source of trust and a framework for sustainable growth. S1
Technology as leverage
Repeated investment in bespoke systems, workflow and automation allowed the businesses to scale service, improve visibility and respond to new rules. S4
People-led execution
His model is hands-on: set a clear destination, assemble capable people, give them responsibility and stay close enough to the detail to remove obstacles.
Resilience under pressure
Court action, regulatory shocks, recessionary conditions and a global pandemic are treated as problems to be understood and acted upon, not reasons to stand still.
Reinvention without amnesia
Brands and products have evolved, but the strongest original principles — transparency, service, speed and accountability — have been retained.
Tested in the difficult moments
Leadership is most visible when the old plan stops working.
Two moments illustrate Hillier’s preference for decisive reinvention over defensive retreat.
2016 · Legislative reset
A threatened core product became a new operating model.
Changes to travel and subsistence tax relief threatened a central part of the payroll market. The 2016 biography records a response built around legal analysis, technology, staff and client communication, and approximately £1 million of investment. The resulting model was adopted at scale and licensed by other providers. S1
Leadership lesson: define what the legislation actually changes, protect the underlying customer need, then redesign the product rather than defend an obsolete version of it.
2020 · COVID-19 and furlough
Liquidity, payroll and trust had to move together.
People Group’s published account states that it began supporting contractors and agencies through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme one week after announcement, processed more than £12 million in furlough payments, passed the furlough audit and self-funded weekly payments ahead of reimbursement. S4
Leadership lesson: in a crisis, technical interpretation is only half the job. The other half is converting guidance into cashflow, operations, communication and confidence at speed.
The management consultant
Practical advice for businesses at an inflection point.
Through TWH Holdings, Hillier’s current positioning extends from operating businesses into founder support, board challenge, turnaround thinking and commercial transformation.
Turnaround & stabilisation
Rapid diagnosis of cash, margin, delivery, management information and leadership capacity, followed by a practical recovery plan with named owners and measurable milestones.
Crisis leadership & continuity
Support when guidance is changing, liquidity is tight, customers are anxious and the management team needs a clear decision rhythm.
Growth architecture
Turning founder energy into a business that can scale through clearer propositions, better systems, stronger management and disciplined performance data.
Exit & succession readiness
Preparing the company to prosper beyond a transaction or founder handover: clean governance, reliable numbers, transferable relationships, documented processes and an empowered team.
Selected recognition
From regional growth to national industry awards.
The record runs from South West growth rankings, Wiltshire Business Person of the Year and the Sunday Times Fast Track 100 to later payroll, compliance and innovation recognition — including a Global 100 award and a Global Recruiter Best Innovation finalist position in 2026.
Connected work
A portfolio spanning people, technology and lived experience.
Current public projects illustrate a continuing preference for practical products that simplify a complicated journey.
Payroll · compliance · workforce↗
Health technology · TWH Holdings↗
Hospitality · digital guest experience↗
People Group Services
The business that grew from RACS Group, with Hillier identified by the company as Founder and CEO, serving recruitment agencies and contingent workers through payroll and compliance solutions.
Healing Process
A visual wound-recording and communication platform designed to support clearer information between patients, carers and authorised clinical teams.
People Villa
A TWH Holdings project combining a private Costa Blanca property with a dedicated digital booking and stay-management experience.
A concise proposition
See the problem clearly. Decide quickly. Build the system that makes the improvement last.
That is the thread connecting the founder, the operator and the adviser.