Global energy recruitment firm moves to new offices at the North East BIC

A global energy recruitment business has opened a new North East head office after a year of solid growth. AEPartners, which employs over 200 people across its nine offices in the US, UK, Canada and Australia and boasts an annual group turnover of over £80million, has moved into new, larger offices at the North East BIC in Sunderland.

Founded in 2018 by CEO, Michael Grayson, the company started life in the North East before expanding rapidly across the US with the opening of a series of offices in Houston, Delaware, Midland and Boston.

Providing permanent and temporary recruitment solutions delivered by people ‘who know the industry inside-out’, the company’s approach has been such a success that it has also opened offices in Canada and Australia in recent years.

This led to the business reporting annual turnovers north of £80million last year and has also resulted in the company continuing to invest in its North East operations, which remains home to the majority of AEP’s ownership and senior executive teams.

Ryan Alder, president of AEP, said: “It’s been a fantastic year for AEP and we’re delighted to be continuing to invest and create jobs in the North East, where it all began. Over the last few years, it’s been a real test of character for companies in our industry, as the pandemic resulted in our entire business grinding to a halt almost

“When we set up the business, we said from day one that we wanted to turn recruitment on its head by bringing more professionalism and security to the industry and this is something our clients seem to have really bought into, especially in the US.

“Since we opened our first office Stateside in Houston, the business has grown exponentially to the extent that 80 per cent of our business is now accounted for by companies across the pond, with the North East base continuing to oversee all of our operations.”

The decision to take up a further 1,100 sq ft at the North East BIC comes as the company looks to continue growing its headcount at its head offices over the next 12 months to cater for the growing demand for its services and to aid its planned expansion into the renewables sector.

Ryan added: “We have excellent staff and client retention rates which I can only put down to the fantastic services delivered by our teams, especially our core team in the North East who work tirelessly to ensure the business continues to move in the right direction.

“When we first moved to the BIC in October 2020, it proved the perfect place to grow the business, from providing us with a central location in the region to attract talent to providing the flexibility to up and downsize our offices in-line with business growth.”

Donna Surtees, centre manager at the North East BIC, said: “Michael and the team at AEPartners have been a real pleasure to work with. Not only have they built a business which is flying the flag for the region across the globe, but they are also continuing to create jobs for local people and invest in the area and we’re delighted to have supported them on their journey.”

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