buy:time Lifestyle Management & Concierge Services

Our people

Management		Claire Brynteson; Jane Rampin; Nicole Becker;
Finance		Julie Smith
Company Administrator		Helena Jackson
Supplier Manager		Liz Silcock
Lifestyle Managers & Executive Assistants		Clare Schruers; Trista Connor; Tori Hamilton; Liz Silcock; Sarah-Jane Adler; Deirdre Gollogly; Charlotte Rolls; Camilla Howarth; Phillipa Whitehouse

Within the buy:time team we have French, Spanish, German and Italian speakers, so please come to us with your language and translation requirements.

Claire Brynteson, Founder

My name is Claire Brynteson and I set up buy:time in 2002 to meet the everyday needs of all of us time-starved people. So many of us are trying to do too much by wanting to pursue a career with long working hours and run a home and a family all in 24 hours a day. The one thing in life that money simply couldn’t buy was time and so I put it on the market and it has proved a welcomed relief to many. I am 38 years of age and I have a working background in investment banking, which did not allow much scope for taking care of anything else in life, so who was going to do it? I needed a helping hand in life, my own personal assistant for sometimes 1 hour a week and at other times 20 hours in a week. This service has evolved through the demands of our customers, whose time is precious and worth more than anything else. The concept works and the team of people here at buy:time are exceptionally good at what they do. Try them; they make the difference.

Jane Rampin, General Manager

Having run my own busy consultancy for seven years I was immediately captivated by buy:time’s service, offering Virtual PA’s, business support services and Lifestyle Management. Having had the benefit of a Personal Assistant in my professional career, I know exactly what makes a difference in creating a manageable life. A dedicated, intelligent and motivated person who knows me. Someone that I can trust absolutely and who takes the initiative to get things done, making judgement calls on the basis of working with me for a while. I will be involved in all areas of the buy:time business and will be concentrating on developing strategic partnerships for buy:time with organisations and employers dedicated to helping busy individuals perform more effectively.

Nicole Becker, Commercial Director

I had known of buy:time for many years before I joined the team here. I have always admired the company's professionalism, attention to detail and its commitment to getting things done. No job is too small or too large for the experienced lifestyle managers, personal business assistants and in more recent times the team of corporate errand runners. I joined the company with a core focus on 'spreading the word'; enabling people and businesses to benefit from all the advantages buy:time brings. I have working experience of the concierge industry and I used to own a healthy fast food business and hence am fully aware of how precious both time and quality can be. I am therefore delighted to have been given the opportunity to continue my professional career within an environment that shares the same ethos.

Julie Smith, Financial Controller

I have 18 years accounting experience and have worked in practice, service, manufacturing and the public sector. Here at buy:time, I run the whole finance function; from day to day bookkeeping to producing final accounts and business projections, helping the business move from strength to strength. I also enjoy assisting our clients with book keeping and accounting requirements. I am developing this service for our customers under the banner of 'buy:time books'.

Helena Jackson, Company Administrator

I joined the buy:time group in September 2007, to help meet the growing demand for personal assistance. Previously, I was a senior PA to a successful company owner, organising all aspects of his business and personal affairs – this could involve anything and everyday was different! I enjoy the unpredictability of not knowing what is coming next, being adaptable and flexible to meet any challenge. I also assist with buy:time administration, helping to ensure records are up to date and filing and internal systems are in place.

Clare Schruers (formerly Malins)

I have been managing the lives of my various clients since 2004 here at buy:time. My portfolio of clients is predominantly based in SW and central London and some of them use my help for 2 hours a month, whilst others need me on a regular basis for 20 hours or more each month. Prior to buy:time, I worked in Geneva as a PA before moving back to London to work in the relocation industry, followed by work as an international conference organiser.

Trista Connor

I have been organising the lives of those around me for as long as I can remember! I joined buy:time at the beginning of 2006 and have enjoyed building up a portfolio of customers based mainly in the north and east of London. Like the rest of the team, my background lies in corporate, Director-level personal assistant roles. I also have experience in the travel industry, child care and specialist interior decoration.

Tori Hamilton

I joined the buy:time team in August 2007 to provide assistance to West & Central London private clients. I also support businesses in the West End. I have always helped people organize their lives on a personal and professional capacity and have eight years of experience in PA roles within a leading auction house and the mining sector. With well established project management, organisational and communications skills, I aim to understand and meet each task however large or small with a positive ‘can-do’ approach.

Liz Silcock

I joined the buy:time team in February 2008 to provide assistance with North and Central London based clients. Prior to buy:time I worked in the banking and consultancy sector both here in London and in Australia holding account management, research and project management roles with every week presenting new and exciting challenges. I am looking forward to the unpredictability of not knowing what lies around the next corner and aim to tackle each new task with a positive and professional approach, whilst not forgetting that all important personal touch.

I also hold the title of Supplier Manager here at buy:time, whereby I am responsible for the valuable database of preferred suppliers that we lifestyle managers use within our roles. I handle the supplier applications, alongside the initial vetting process and the database management, equipping the lifestyle managers with the right contacts to work with, when skilled or regulated trades are required by our customers.

Sarah-Jane Adler

I was pleased to join this exciting venture and provide such a wide scope of assistance to those people fortunate enough to have discovered buy:time so far. I feel well equipped for this continually challenging position, having worked in many different roles over my 26 year career - in particular; having run a small business of my own, with all the administration that goes with that, together with supporting a client base that relied on me to deliver and a team of people to lead. I have always organized peoples' lives, on both a private and a professional basis and thoroughly enjoy the diversity in not knowing what lies ahead with each new role taken on. I am an excellent communicator and good at multi-tasking. I am organized, practical and love a challenge. No task is too big or too small and I hope to make a difference to the people I work with.

Deirdre Gollogly

I have been managing people, organising and problem solving throughout my former career in the NHS. Since I left the NHS, I have coordinated substantial projects of my own and have gained invaluable experience in: managing property portfolios; organising personal and corporate entertainment; making travel arrangements; sorting out household finances; managing budgets and tax returns; setting up home and business filing systems; together with general home management. In my previous role as a Senior Sister, peoples’ lives depended on my organisational skills and attention to detail. I was interfacing with the public in a customer service capacity and working with my team to solve complex clinical, financial and operational challenges every day. I was constantly juggling to keep the service running. This all led me to buy:time where I support clients in South London, West London and Surrey.

Charlotte Rolls

I joined the buy:time team at the end of 2009 and am based in South London. Since graduating with a 2:1 BA Hons in Business Management in 2001 I have worked in a variety of industries in the Private and Public sectors. I have experience in event management and marketing and have utilised my skills whilst working as a top level Executive Assistant. I enjoy meeting new people, working with a varied portfolio and being able to use my experience to provide an exceptional service for our clients.

Camilla Howarth

I moved back to London from Los Angeles in 2009 and I have been working as a virtual assistant ever since. My back ground is in the music industry, where I worked as a Manager for 11 years, organising, managing and dealing swiftly and effectively with any task thrown my way. I went on to work in Real Estate as an assistant, and then agent. I like to have variety in my roles, and working for buy:time certainly offers me that. I have travelled extensively both for business and pleasure and speak fluent French.

Phillipa Whitehouse

Since moving to London in 2003, I have held some demanding roles as PA/EA to several Chairmen of global, financial companies. Working as a PA in a fast paced environment, you learn how to ‘think on your feet’, it also helps having an extremely calm and positive attitude. When working closely with somebody as their assistant, you learn how to anticipate and pre-empt situations so that you can provide the most efficient support to cater for their personal and professional needs.

Complex diary management, organising schedules and meetings, speaking to clients and ensuring full in-depth knowledge of potential deals are some of the many skills that I have successfully developed. When dealing with high level Executives, a large amount of drive, initiative and good communication is required - which I believe are some of my strongest characteristics. I thrive in a working environment where each day is different and I look forward to a good challenge.