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BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE FOR RECRUITMENT AND RESOURCING PROFESSIONALS

January 2013

INDUSTRY INSIGHTSResourcing lessons of London 2012 from Paul Modley, the former head of recruitment at LOCOG

THE CHALLENGEVertex Solutions set up an assessment day to find test development engineers for Imagination Technologies

MATTHEW JEFFERYWill 2013 turn out to be the Year of the Executioner? See what our Blogger with Bite has to say

Oliver James AssociatesThe financial services recruiter is top of our FAST 50 chart, which lists the fastest-growing privately owned staffing companies in the UK

SEE THE 2013 RANKINGS INSIDE!

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FAST 50 FIRMS BUFFER THE STORMS AND EMERGE STRONGER

Given the economic backdrop, Tim Evans, managing director of Boxington, described the performance of those ranked in achieving an average growth rate of 39% as “exceptional”.

Andrew Speers, managing director of oil & gas recruiter Petroplan and FAST 50 new entrant, told Recruiter that one of the keys to the company’s success was its focus on providing a personal service to candidates. “It is a candidate-led industry, and we are putting people into some pretty hostile environments,” he explained. Among the locations Petroplan places candidates are Iraq, Algeria, Angola and Azerbaijan.

Clients also expect contractors to arrive in the country and on site “well prepared and unencumbered” by problems such as visas or accommodation. He added that the level of service had been boosted by a decision made more than two years ago to open offices around the world.

Jonathan Nicholson, managing director of banking & finance recruiter Astbury Marsden, another new entrant in 2013 though it appeared as far back as the 2009 FAST 50 before dropping out of the rankings for three years, attributes the company’s growth to diversifying into international markets in their case by opening offices in Asia. In addition, efforts to upskill consultants so they can better develop

new business opportunities, an example being change management, are beginning to pay off, he told Recruiter.

Chief operating officer of multi-sector recruiter Brightwork, Charles Turner, told Recruiter that the company’s growth can in large part be put down to its focus on its core market, the Scotch whisky industry, which

has continued to expand. From supplying predominantly blue-collar temps, Turner said the company had introduced complementary strands, including technical, professional and engineering, a lot of which has been permanent. “That has been a big driver for us,” said Turner. The company also moved into other high growth areas, such as social care and pre-school education, he added.

For Gordon Adam, chief executive and co-founder of IT and change management recruiter Head Resourcing, the top performing FAST 50 recruiter in 2012, which this year placed second, said it was a case of more of the same. “I think we had the formula pretty right,” he told Recruiter. Adam continued: “The main thing is working together, and making sure everything is focused first on the customer and then on the staff by listening to them and supporting them. If you do that and continue to do that you won’t go far wrong,” said Adam.

With the UK economy in the doldrums as austerity Britain began to bite in 2010 and 2011, this year’s Recruiter FAST 50 reveals that recruiters bravely faced down the economic headwinds buffeting the economy by deploying a variety of business strategies. The FAST 50, which presents the 50 fastest-growing private recruitment companies in the UK, is produced in association with mergers & acquisitions advisers Boxington Corporate Finance. Leading law firm Charles Russell is supporting the 2013 FAST 50.

COLIN COTTELL

CHART TOPPERS…The directors of the top-ranked staffing company in Recruiter’s 2013 FAST 50 — Oliver James Associates — told Recruiter the achievement is recognition for the efforts of staff in overcoming the challenges of operating in the UK’s hard hit-financial services sector.

“We feel quite humbled by this achievement. It is a big deal for us, but it is more important for the consultants in our business because it is a tough market, this gives everyone a real buzz,” Oliver Castle, one of financial services recruiter Oliver James Associates’ three founding directors, told Recruiter.

“They can go to their peer group, their competitors, their family and friends and say ‘you know what, we have been successful’’,” added Castle.

As a completely new entrant to the Recruiter FAST 50, the 50 fastest-growing private recruitment businesses in the UK, compiled by Boxington Corporate Finance, Oliver

James Associates more than doubled its revenue in 2011 to £36.4m, propelling it to the top of this year’s ranking.

Fellow director, James Rogers, who along with Castle and Nick Godson founded Oliver James Associates in 2002, added: “The growth has been driven by the quality of the consultants we have. Three people [the three directors] can do very little; 90 people can achieve a great deal.”

Oliver James Associates initially focused on supplying accountants to insurance companies. However, since then it has branched out in other areas of financial

services, and opened a number of offices overseas. Castle says he hopes the achievement will have wider spin-off benefits.

“It is something we can talk about and hopefully it will attract people to the Oliver James Associates brand,” he said. Winner of Best Banking/Financial Recruitment Agency at last year’s Recruiter Awards for

Excellence, headline sponsored by Eploy, Oliver James Associates was also ranked fifth in Recruiter’s 2012 HOT 100 list of the UK’s most profitable recruiters, compiled by Agile Intelligence.

“We feel quite humbled

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With financial services enjoying a torrid time in recent years, you might not expect the top-ranked company in this year’s Recruiter FAST 50 — the 50 fastest-growing private staffing companies in the UK, produced in association with mergers & acquisitions advisers Boxington Corporate Finance — to be a specialist in this sector.

Yet remarkably, that is where Oliver James Associates (OJA) finds itself following a stellar performance in 2011, which saw its revenue more then double to £36m.

Meeting OJA’s three founding directors — Oliver Castle, Nick Godson and James Rogers — in a fashionable Manchester restaurant before Christmas, it’s easy to wonder how it is that a company operating in this hard-hit sector, and especially one that didn’t even appear in last year’s FAST 50, is now top of the pile.

Within a few minutes it’s obvious that anyone looking for a magic formula for rapid growth is likely to be disappointed. If anything, the firm’s success is testament to those old-fashioned virtues of patience, long-term thinking and careful planning. Indeed, Castle notes: “It’s an irony that we are in the FAST 50 and that we have grown so rapidly because we are anything but gamblers….”

As with many recruiters, OJA’s origins lie within the founders’ conviction that they could do things better. “I felt that insurance was a marketplace where you had some of the world’s largest firms but they constantly struggled to fill vacancies because no one was able to provide them with quality candidates,” says Castle, who previously worked as a senior consultant at accountancy recruiter FSS. Spotting the opportunity in the market, Castle jumped ship, joining up with Rogers and Godson to establish OJA in 2002.

Originally focusing on supplying insurance firms with “high quality accountancy candidates”, Godson says OJA was able to take advantage of competitors’ “relative neglect” of their insurance clients in putting forward candidates with banking rather than insurance backgrounds. “It is a simple strategy and it worked,” says Castle. So much so indeed, that within two years the firm had begun to move into other areas of insurance, such as actuarial, risk and compliance.

In recent years the firm has expanded into banking, hedge funds and asset management, and expanded internationally, establishing offices in Germany, Switzerland, Hong Kong and Ireland. In 2011 it recorded revenues of £36.4m, more than double the £17.6m in 2010. In the same period average headcount increased from 45 to 74, and it has since risen to 93. This is set to grow further with the company “probably looking to treble it UK headcount”, according to Castle.

OJA’s clients are a veritable Who’s Who of financial services including industry stalwarts, such as Swiss Re, Invesco, Aviva, HSBC and Goldman Sachs.

Despite its expansion into other areas of financial services, insurance remains the bedrock of the business, accounting for 80-85% of revenue, while revenue from overseas operations amounted to just over £1m in 2011.

While growth has gathered pace, the directors are keen to explain that far from being frenetic it has always been controlled, measured and planned. It is very much a step-by-step approach, explains Castle. “We have always concentrated on having super successful teams within a set discipline before trying to take on a new discipline,” he says.

“We like to concentrate on one thing at a time, and not to get too greedy, really,” adds Rogers, explaining that having opened in Hong Kong in late 2011 the firm will only move into a further new geographical area once that office is profitable.

It has also been integral to the firm’s success, notes Godson, that despite the downturn in financial services, it has continued to specialise in areas where skills are in high demand and candidates in short supply. “Everything that we recruit for is very awkward; if it was easy everyone would be able to do it,” he adds with some relish. He says the firm’s consultants have taken advantage of this by focusing on candidate generation, targeting only the top 10-20% of candidates.

As the conversation continues, Castle points to the depth of specialist knowledge in OJA’s core market of insurance with 81 consultants working in this sector alone. By comparison, he says “a search firm might have one or two”.

But perhaps what is most striking about OJA is its focus on the long term. This is apparent, for example, in the firm’s emphasis on building and sustaining long-term relationships with candidates and clients. “It is not like we have reinvented the wheel,” explains Godson.

Be that as it may, but as Godson himself points out it is those relationships built up over, in many cases, five or six years that are now bearing fruit, with many consultants effectively managing the careers of financial services professionals. Similarly, many candidates who OJA placed earlier in their careers are now clients.

This emphasis is also apparent in the directors’ recognition that becoming a fully-fledged vertical market specialist is not something that can be rushed, but can take one to two years. “It’s about not putting a timescale on consultants that they have six months to bring in this amount of money. We realise the need

“I want to be known as a company where people enjoy their work, not a hire-and-fire business. It is important they stay with us so they are developed into successful business people in their own right”

James Rogers

CV

OLIVER CASTLE2002 — presentOliver James Associates, director and co-founder1999-2002FSS, senior consultant 1998-1999David Chorley Associates, consultant

NICK GODSON2002 — presentOJA, director and co-founderPreviously worked at Deloitte as a chartered accountant

JAMES ROGERS2002 — presentOJA, director and co-founder2001-02CRM — e-Business,head of contract1997-2001Progressive Recruitment,senior consultant and manager

Oliver James Associates

SECRET OF SUCCESS

COLIN COTTELL MET THE DIRECTORS OF RECRUITER’S TOP-RANKED FAST 50 COMPANY

RECRUITER

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NICK GODSON’S PHILOSOPHY:

IT IS IMPORTANT TO REMAIN PROFITABLE AND TO MAINTAIN THE SAME QUALITY, AND IF YOU ACHIEVE THOSE TWO THINGS SUCCESS WILL FOLLOW

The directors of Oliver James Associates, from left to right: Oliver Castle, James Rogers and Nick Godson

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Profile

to understand the market, our clients’ cultures and our candidates, and that takes time.”

Similarly, Castle says there is recognition that it will take about 18 months from inception before they can expect to see a return from the Hong Kong office, while in the saturated market of investment banking it will take “two to three years to break down the doors”.

The approach also extends to whom the firm hires. “We want to take on board those people who realise that you can’t be up and running and making money in three to six months.”

If any further evidence of OJA’s long-term approach is needed it comes from the firm’s response to the downturn in financial services, which began in 2007. Far from cutting back, the firm has done “the polar opposite” says Castle, by moving into retail, and investment banking and asset management. “We have always had a long-term vision, we are not interested in short-term goals, but are looking to be in the market for a considerable time,” he adds.

The three directors have clearly been the driving force behind the company, with Castle and Rogers being next-door neighbours as children going back a long way, also spending years working together building strong bonds of trust. But that said all three are keen to highlight that it is the company’s consultants and not themselves that are integral to the firm’s success.

For Godson, it all starts with selection. As he points out “from the outset” OJA has insisted on bringing on board only those that are “a cut above the rest of their peer group”, who have firmly decided that recruitment

is their career. “It is a very steady approach, not just putting a lot of bums on seats, or recruiting a lot of graduates and seeing who succeeds,” he adds.

“The important thing is that the directors don’t sit in glass houses,” says Castle. “We make ourselves very available so the consultants can learn directly from us and from our experiences, and this also helps us gain their trust and loyalty,” adds Godson.

Rogers stresses the importance of recognising that each consultant is different, each with their individual strengths and weaknesses. And he pinpoints how giving everyone in the company a voice has contributed to the firm’s success. “We speak to everyone in the business; it is not about us making decisions, it is about everybody making decisions,” he says, citing how OJA’s move into Hong Kong was triggered by the desire of one consultant, Jonny Plews, to work in Asia.

Castle agrees that the downturn in financial services has made things “remarkably tough”. “No doubt about it everybody has been a little less successful than we would have expected,” he says. However, he adds: “Thankfully we have very strong foundations based on staff that have been there for many years. This has created a huge amount of loyalty and trust, so we have been able to look at solutions rather than accept the problems in the market, and try to up our performance.”

While loyalty, trust and working harder may not be the trendiest business buzz words around, OJA’s achievement in topping this year’s FAST 50 despite tough conditions suggest that such old-fashioned virtues are still hard to beat.

KEY FACTS

2002 Oliver James Associates founded2011 Opens in Hong Kong

FINANCIALS2010 £17.6m turnover, 45 staff, £1.51m profit before tax2011 £36.4m turnover, 74 staff, £2.61m profit before tax2012* £45m turnover* Projected

Recruiter FAST 50 2013

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Recruiter FAST 50 2013

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his year’s Recruiter FAST 50 rankings are testament to the recruitment sector’s unrivalled

ability to defy the underlying economic conditions. While the UK and much of the world economy at best bumped along the bottom, these UK recruiters showed they had what it takes not only to grow, but more impressively still to do so at a faster rate than those companies in the Recruiter FAST 50 12 months ago.

While the traditional view is that the prosperity of the recruitment sector is linked to that of the wider economy and the economic cycle, these 50 recruiters successfully managed to challenge the validity of this relationship, growing their revenue by 39% on average, compared with 26% last year.

Outperforming the economyRecruiter’s FAST 50, produced in association with mergers & acquisitions advisers Boxington Corporate Finance, ranks the fastest-growing private recruitment businesses in the UK (see Methodology box, below). Tim Evans,

Boxington’s managing director, says that given the economic backdrop, “the overriding theme for the FAST 50 is defying expectations”.

He tells Recruiter: “What we see is an overall growth rate of 39%, which is up by about 50% on last year.” And reflecting on the overall performance of this year’s FAST 50, Evans continues: “It is a reminder that recruitment is a sector that performs

better than most industry sectors, and certainly above the economy, which has been broadly flat in the same period.”

Indeed, he adds: “Of the five FAST 50 lists to date, this is one of the highest growth rates, and given the economic backdrop could be the most exceptional.”

Sustaining growthThis year’s FAST 50 also illustrates the enduring strength of a number of established players to prosper even in the most trying circumstances for the UK and parts of the global economy.

A total of seven recruiters have managed to sustain their growth over three consecutive years or more, indicating that fast growth need not necessarily be a one-off phenomenon (see box above). Pride of place must go to IT (SAP) recruiter Red Commerce, which appears in the list for the fifth consecutive year. “Combining growth and consistency — that is the Holy Grail,” adds Evans, who praises Red Commerce’s performance as “super exceptional”.

Evans says that at 23, the number of recruiters remaining in the FAST 50 from the previous year “has probably never been higher”. In 2012, the figure was 18, in 2011 it was 17 and in 2010 it was 20.

Evans says that the most prominent illustration of the sector’s ability to defy expectations is provided by the strong representation of financial services recruiters.

METHODOLOGYThe Recruiter FAST 50 prepared by Boxington Corporate Finance lists the fastest-growing private recruitment businesses in the UK according to compound annual sales growth rate as measured over each entrant’s most recent three-year financial reporting period.

CRITERIA FOR INCLUSION: The FAST 50 assesses temporary and/or permanent recruitment companies which are registered in the UK as private, independent and unquoted companies. This category includes private companies that are co-owned by Private Equity. All companies considered for inclusion must achieve a level of annual sales of £5m or above in each of their last three financial years.

EXCLUSIONS: Companies that have filed abbreviated accounts at Companies House without disclosing audited sales are excluded from the FAST 50 due to the absence of independently validated sales. Unaudited management accounts are not accepted as proof of sales. Companies that serve the recruitment sector through the provision of IT, payroll, administrative or other services also do not quality.

DATA COLLECTION METHODS: Qualifying companies are automatically identified through several research methods including the analysis of sector information from Companies House, financial databases, press coverage and other research. Entry submissions are not therefore required, although any firm which believes that it may not be automatically assessed in the 2014 FAST 50 is invited to contact Boxington Corporate Finance. Please email fast50@ boxington.co.uk

T FINANCE: 12% OF FAST 50 2013 MEMBERSFAST 50 2013 Rank Company1 Oliver James Associates5 Astbury Marsden7 McGregor Boyall Associates19 Leathwaite 28 Goodman Masson 35 Sheffield Haworth

Five out of the six recruiters (the exception being Goodman Masson) have an international footprint, with an office in either Hong Kong or Singapore or in both

Despite financial services going through a torrid time in recent years, the number of financial services recruiters has risen from two to six, or 12% of the total.

And most impressively, it is niche financial services recruiter, and new entrant to boot, Oliver James Associates that sits proudly at the top of this year’s rankings after more than doubling its revenue to £36.4m in 2011, from £17.6m in 2010 (for more on Oliver James Associates, see Profile, pp28-30).

“What this means is that many more established players are finding themselves better positioned to drive growth,” says Evans, who contends by way of explanation that both the client and candidate are seeking “the reassurance factor by going with more established players”.

Evans continues: “People are playing safe, I think, and some of the more established players have benefited from that.”

Tougher to enterThe flip side, according to Evans, is that it “appears to be harder for new entrants to make it into the FAST 50”. This is surprising, he adds, pointing out that this is different to previous years. However, he suggests that it could be explained in part by the lower levels of capital available to fund new enterprises.

While the number of new entrants compared with a year ago has fallen from 32 to 27, Evans notes that the same phenomenon of established players gaining ground may be at work. As he points out many who have entered the table this year are not in fact “brand new entrants at all”, but are also sizeable “established players” who dropped out of the FAST 50 in 2011, having also been in the rankings in years previous to that.

Evans points to the financial services sector as evidence for this, referring to recruiters, “many of who we already know”, including Astbury Marsden, Goodman Masson and Sheffield Haworth. “These are not the biggest businesses in the world,” says Evans, but “relative to the FAST 50”, he adds, “they are the more established and sizeable entrants”.

Among other recruiters to fall into this

‘returner group’ are Pathology Group, the top-ranked recruiter in the 2011 FAST 50, and oil & gas recruiter Fircroft Engineering Services (ranked 30th two years ago).

Evans suggests that there is also a link between the size of companies in the FAST 50 and their growth strategy, with medium-sized firms and the larger enterprises taking a different approach. While the former have been able to take marketshare by retrenching to “safer domestic markets” the latter, notably NES Global Talent and Air Energi, have focused on international expansion. “The medium-sized firms have come back, the

larger ones have pushed forward,” he says in summary.

It is notable that over a number of years both NES Global Talent and Air Energi have proved attractive to private equity, with both attracting new private equity backers in late 2012.

Organic growthAnother noticeable change from previous years is that growth has been organic rather than by acquisition. Evans says this is symptomatic of a weak M&A market. “This is probably a more representative table of pure growth as it is less distorted by the impact of acquisitions,” he says.

HEALTHCARE: 6% OF FAST 50 2013 MEMBERSFAST 50 2013 Rank Company4 Pathology Group9 ID Medical 40 Global Medics

Representation of healthcare recruiters in the FAST 50 has fallen by half to three compared with six in last year’s FAST 50

INDUSTRIAL, LOGISTICS AND CONSTRUCTION: 16% OF FAST 50 2013 MEMBERSFAST 50 2013 Rank Company3 Ship Shape Resources10 Transline Resource Group13 Linear Recruitment17 Templine 34 Assist Recruitment 36 OSR Recruitment 44 Extrastaff 45 The Best Connection

Sustained growth is difficult to achieve in one of the more fragmented sub-sectors of recruitment

RECRUITERS APPEARING IN AT LEAST THREE CONSECUTIVE YEARS OF THE FAST 50RANK 2011 RANKING COMPANY SECTOR9 31 ID Medical Healthcare16 12 Fircroft Engineering Services Oil & gas30 37 Henderson Scott IT, Finance32 45 Red Commerce IT (SAP)33 30 Recruit 121 International IT (SAP)38 19 Whitehall Resources IT (SAP)40 6 Global Medics Healthcare

Seven of this year’s FAST 50 show that strong growth need not be a flash in the plan, but can be sustained, by appearing in the FAST 50 rankings for at least three consecutive years, of which one, IT (SAP) recruiter Red Commerce, managed five consecutive years. Mark Kingston, senior executive at Boxington Corporate Finance, who helped compile the FAST 50, says: “These businesses have clearly invested in systems, methodology and most importantly people to sustain very impressive growth over a three-year period of challenging recruitment markets … it’s a fantastic performance.”

Defying all expectations

CRISIS? WHAT CRISIS? THE ENTRANTS IN THIS YEAR’S FAST 50 HAVE PROVED TO THE REST OF THE UK’S INDUSTRIES THAT AMBITION, DRIVE AND LONG-TERM THINKING ARE KEY FACTORS IN OUTPERFORMING THE REST OF THE ECONOMY. COLIN COTTELL REPORTS

Recruiter FAST 50 2013

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Recruiter FAST 50 2013

RANK 2012 RANKING COMPANY SECTOR COMPOUND ANNUAL GROWTH RATE % LATEST YEAR REVENUE £000S WEBSITE

1 - Oliver James Associates Finance 134.32% 2011 36.46 www.ojassociates.com2 1 Head Resourcing IT, change 127.21% 2011 46.42 www.headresourcing.com3 8 Ship Shape Resources Construction 68.53% 2011 30.40 www.shipshaperesources.com4 - Pathology Group Healthcare 58.15% 2011 36.01 www.pathologygroup.co.uk5 - Astbury Marsden Banking & finance 54.66% 2011 26.35 www.astburymarsden.com6 38 Brightwork Multi-sector 54.61% 2011 26.26 www.brightworkltd.com7 13 McGregor Boyall Associates Finance 52.09% 2011 49.19 www.mcgregor-boyall.com8 26 Cornwallis Elt Technology, change, operations 51.45% 2011 19.21 www.cornwalliselt.com9 31 ID Medical Healthcare 48.82% 2011 41.16 www.id-medical.com10 4 Transline Resource Group Industrial, driving, supply chain 46.24% 2011 54.35 www.resource-transline.co.uk11 15 Cititec IT 45.53% 2011 60.92 www.cititec.com12 - Bright Purple Resourcing IT, finance 45.27% 2012 39.30 www.brightpurple.co.uk13 - Linear Recruitment Construction 45.18% 2011 19.48 www.linearrecruitment.co.uk14 - Fusion People Multi-sector 41.00% 2011 76.99 www.fusionpeople.com15 - Kin-Tec Oil & gas, energy, pharma 40.26% 2012 42.47 www.kin-tec.com16 12 Fircroft Engineering Services Oil & gas 40.14% 2011 551.16 www.fircroft.com17 21 Templine Logistics, industrial 38.00% 2011 31.85 www.templinerecruitment.co.uk18 48 E-Resourcing IT, telecoms 37.42% 2012 10.11 www.e-resourcing.co.uk19 34 Leathwaite Executive search finance 35.38% 2011 16.66 www.leathwaite.com20 - Redrock Consulting IT, telecoms 34.70% 2011 19.96 www.redrockconsulting.co.uk21 35 Encore Personnel Multi-sector 33.75% 2011 24.98 www.encorepersonnel.co.uk22 - Petroplan Oil & gas 33.55% 2011 87.90 www.petroplan.com23 - Faststream Shipping, oil & gas, mining, logistics 32.36% 2012 20.25 www.faststream.com24 22 Shilton Sharpe Quarry Legal 31.68% 2011 12.17 www.ssq.com25 2 Timothy James Consulting Multi-sector 31.65% 2011 17.32 www.timothyjamesconsulting.com26 - People Source IT, engineering 31.05% 2012 8.59 www.peoplesource.co.uk27 - Amoria Bond IT, banking, oil & gas 30.83% 2011 14.15 www.amoriabond.com28 - Goodman Masson Finance 30.26% 2011 29.26 www.goodmanmasson.com29 - NES Global Talent Technical, engineering 30.18% 2011 517.75 www.nesglobaltalent.com30 37 Henderson Scott IT, finance 30.12% 2011 14.84 www.hscott.co.uk31 - Tangent International ICT, telecoms, construction & design, legal 30.03% 2012 37.64 www.tanint.com32 45 Red Commerce IT (SAP) 29.48% 2012 78.14 www.redcommerce.com33 30 Recruit 121 International IT (SAP) 28.80% 2011 28.39 www.recruit121.com34 - Assist Recruitment Industrial, commercial 28.70% 2011 15.48 www.assist-recruitment.co.uk35 - Sheffield Haworth Finance 28.27% 2011 16.97 www.sheffieldhaworth.com36 - OSR Recruitment Commercial, industrial, hospitality, agriculture 27.90% 2012 12.39 www.osr-recruitment.co.uk37 - Carlton Resource Solutions Multi-sector 27.54% 2011 17.10 www.carltonrs.com38 19 Whitehall Resources IT (SAP) 27.36% 2012 19.29 www.whitehallresources.co.uk39 - Green Park Interim & Executive Search Multi-sector 26.67% 2011 21.64 www.green-park.co.uk40 6 Global Medics Healthcare 26.40% 2011 17.73 www.globalmedics.com41 - Air Energi Oil & gas 25.35% 2011 209.44 www.airenergi.com42 - IT Skillfinder IT 25.29% 2012 11.41 www.it-skillfinder.co.uk43 - Dutton International Multi-sector 24.28% 2011 28.25 www.duttoninternational.com44 41 Extrastaff Driving, industrial 24.10% 2011 14.81 www.extrastaff.com45 - The Best Connection Industrial, logistics 23.61% 2011 169.33 www.thebestconnection.co.uk46 50 Bailey Employment Services Multi-sector 23.55% 2011 9.95 www.baileyemploy.co.uk47 - Kinetic Engineering, manufacturing, technical 22.52% 2012 29.74 www.kinetic-plc.co.uk48 - Resource Solutions Group IT, change 21.96% 2011 134.82 www.rsg-plc.com49 17 Investigo IT, change, finance 21.29% 2011 42.43 www.investigo.co.uk50 - First Recruitment Group Multi-sector 21.28% 2011 75.93 www.firstrecruitmentgroup.com

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Recruiter FAST 50 2013

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While there have been a number of significant changes in this year’s FAST 50, some things have remained broadly in line with previous years. This is the certainly the case when considering the split between niche and multi-sector recruiters, Evans contends.

As he explains: “Across the FAST 50 growth has been realised by sector specialists to drive sales or by the multi-sector players, and as in most years, we continue to see growth from both approaches.”

Evans notes that niche players tend to have higher growth rates than those companies that operate across a number of sectors, but again he says this “is consistent with most years”.

Public sector dropAnother aspect of this year’s FAST 50 that is unlikely to come as a surprise is the negligible number of public sector recruiters (with the notable exception of healthcare recruiters). This does not necessarily mean that public sector recruiters are struggling, Evans suggests, but more likely that with consolidation having taken place in the sector “the larger players are not generating the 40% growth rates needed to get into the FAST 50”.

Looking ahead to next year’s FAST 50, Evans says that unless the economy improves, he expects to see more of the same. “No one knows for certain what will happen, but while the world continues the way it is, these trends will continue.”

If Evans is right, then another year of recruiters defying expectations could be on the cards.

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About Boxington: Boxington is a sell-side M&A house specialising in the international Human Capital & Recruitment sector and advising private and private equity owners of business with operating profits of £2-20m. www.boxington.co.uk

MULTI-SECTOR: 26% OF FAST 50 2013 MEMBERSFAST 50 2013 Rank Company6 Brightwork12 Bright Purple Resourcing14 Fusion People21 Encore Personnel 25 Timothy James Consulting27 Amoria Bond30 Henderson Scott 31 Tangent International 37 Carlton Resource Solutions 39 Green Park Interim & Executive Search43 Dutton International46 Bailey Employment Services 50 First Recruitment Group

There are true multi-sector recruiters, such as Bailey Employment Services, that covers a wide range of sectors and others, such as Amoria Bond, that focus on a small number

OIL & GAS, TECHNICAL AND ENGINEERING: 14% OF FAST 50 2013 MEMBERSFAST 50 2013 Rank Company15 Kin-Tec16 Fircroft Engineering Services22 Petroplan23 Faststream29 NES Global Talent41 Air Energi47 Kinetic

Oil & gas, technical and engineering continues to be a strong sector for recruiters in this year’s FAST 50 list

IT: 24% OF FAST 50 2013 MEMBERSFAST 50 2013 Rank Company2 Head Resourcing8 Cornwallis Elt11 Cititec18 E-Resourcing20 Redrock Consulting26 People Source32 Red Commerce33 Recruit 121 International38 Whitehall Resources42 IT Skillfinder48 Resource Solutions Group49 Investigo

What stands out is the number of recruiters that provide staff with expertise in enterprise resource planning software (SAP, Oracle, Microsoft) — widely used in large organisations