Exclusive: Gemma Lonsdale, Mark Ions and Jason Melrose

Partner Article

North East recruiter set to expand following six figure investment

North East-based recruitment and HR consultancy, Exclusive, are set to expand following a six figure investment from Finance for Business North East Growth Fund, distributed by NEL Fund Managers.

It was reported that the working capital will allow the business to manage growth and create new jobs in business development and recruitment functions.

The company have offices in Newcastle, Aberdeen, Leeds and the USA. One of the areas that they’ve focussed on expanding is their Engineering and Technical division.

Managing Director Mark Ions, who set the business up in 2007, said: “The last 12 months have seen us make a lot of progress on many different fronts, but we think we’re only scratching the surface of what we can achieve, and this second investment will help keep us moving forward at pace.

“We’re seeing tangible growth across a lot of different sectors, from oil & gas and engineering through to human resources, IT and executive recruitment, and having the right personnel in place to meet different clients’ particular needs provides a real imperative for our own recruitment needs.”

Exclusive’s Engineering and Technical division is led by Gemma Lonsdale. She said: “The lack of available talent in this sector has increased the amount of organisations that require our assistance when identifying and engaging with suitable candidates.

“We focus on what our client can offer potential candidates long-term, not just the financial package and we actively try to discourage entering into a salary bidding war.

“Our clients cover a variety of vertical markets from automotive to oil & gas so it’s vital that we have a competent team in place. With a lot of our work being retained, it makes it even more important that we ensure our consultants are knowledgeable with specific and relevant sector experience and get it right first time.

“We’ve recently welcomed Jason Melrose as part of our Engineering and Technical division. Because of how the skills shortages affect this sector, this was an integral appointment for us and completes our expansion for 2014. Jason is an exceptional, established recruiter and he has an extensive network that our clients will benefit from.

“2015 is going to be another big year for us as we’re targeting to double our turnover and we will certainly be looking to add further experienced consultants to the team.”

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