January 2013 | By Colin Cottell

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.

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.

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