January 2013 | By Colin Cottell

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 (pictured right, above), 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 (pictured left, above), who along with Castle and Nick Godson (pictured centre, above) 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.