A New Chapter for Clarity and Success Software

A New Chapter for Clarity and Success Software

30 Jun 2026

Clarity & Success Software Ltd today sadly announces that Karen Russell, Managing Director and founder of the business, will be retiring later this summer after more than two decades of extraordinary leadership, and that Mike Oldroyd will be joining as Managing Director to lead the business into its next phase of growth.

A personal message from Karen Russell

When I left my banking career with the Nat West after almost 18 years in 2003, I could not imagine where the next adventure would take me. A giant leap of faith, as being a single mum with two young children, a start-up business with no guarantees was a gamble but one that, in partnership with my Dad and a focus on customer relationships, we grasped with enthusiasm and gradually built a strong business that our customers came to trust and depend on.

From the outset, the Industry fascinated me and I loved - those were the days before remote access tools so everything was on site and face to face - meeting our new and existing customers, learning more and more about the jewellery industry and utilising this information and customer knowledge to advance and improve our solution.
Our core business is, has been and always will be our independent jewellers but we also enjoyed immense success partnering Pandora through their incredible journey on a global basis and this allowed me to travel extensively and enjoy experiences that would never have been possible otherwise.

An immense achievement was of course the acquisition of the leading provider to the Industry when we purchased Bransom Retail Systems in 2019 and I have since been fully immersed in the development of a complete buy in, buy back and pawnbroking solution, again with the support and advice from colleagues and customers alike.

With continued support from my daughter Adele especially and my amazing team over the years, my time at Clarity & Success has been one to treasure. I have made genuine friends from within our own team, our customer base and industry associations and hope to nurture those friendships for many more years to come outside of a working environment.

Recently, the sudden death of my younger brother has prompted me to reflect on priorities, not least of which now must be my elderly mum. My position as Managing Director demands and, indeed, deserves far more attention than I now feel capable or able to offer, so, whilst naturally this has been no easy decision, fate presented me with an opportunity for a more than worthy successor that I simply could not overlook.

Mike Oldroyd joins Clarity & Success with over 35 years of senior experience encompassing jewellery and watch retail, specialist retail software, and technology. His background spans both sides of the counter, understanding the operational realities of independent and multiple retailers, and the software and integration challenges that define modern retail management.

Mike's appointment is a deliberate statement of continuity

The values Dad and I initially built the business on, and the rest of the team continue to uphold, are deep sector knowledge, personal service, and genuine partnership with customers. Mike will assist the team now to grow these values further and ensure they remain the foundation of our business.

I could not be more confident in the capable pair of hands that will take over the Clarity ship.

Mike will officially join us from 3rd August and I will still be here for some weeks afterwards to ensure a smooth handover.
I would like to thank everyone for the most rewarding experiences over the last 23 years and wish everyone continued success but, more importantly, health and happiness.

View Clarity & Success

Source: Clarity and Success