Trio launch agency to modernise recruitment

Three Yorkshire finance recruitment specialists have joined forces to launch a new era of purpose-driven recruitment. 

Joe Ingham, Rachel Frankland and Javed Bobat, three of the region’s most reputable and respected finance recruiters, have partnered to combine their 50 years-plus experience to create a new purpose-driven venture focusing on recruitment within the Yorkshire accountancy and finance market.

The founders of IFF Talent say they are on a mission to go ‘beyond recruitment’ and the trio aim to enhance and modernise the recruitment agency experience, while also placing social purpose at the heart of their business model.

Javed Bobat boasts more 20 years of industry experience as a finance recruiter, notably launching Marks Sattin in Leeds in 2009 from a start-up to a top three regional agency with a multi-million revenue. 

In 2018, Javed launched FIDE, recruiting within the accountancy and finance market while also offering mental health and well-being training and support services through his non-profit.

FIDE will now represent the F in IFF Talent, and Javed will continue his work by championing mental health and workplace wellbeing as his social pillar.

Javed, who has championed raising mental health awareness alongside growing his own recruitment business in the last four years, said: “Having successfully grown Fide into a socially conscious recruitment business I’m so excited to come together with two excellent and reputable recruiters who share similar values in wanting to create a bigger, better purpose-driven recruitment business in IFF Talent. 

“We will ensure our clients and contacts receive an enhanced recruitment agency experience that goes way beyond the transactional part of the process. I will also be ensuring the accountancy and finance profession are supported by continuing to drive my social pillar of mental health in the sector.”

Rachel Frankland brings 17 years of sector experience to IFF Talent, coming from HW Global Group where she most recently successfully launched a new division, HW People aimed at emerging leaders. 

A highly respected interim and senior finance recruiter in the Yorkshire market, Rachel’s social pillar will focus on empowering women in finance and supporting gender equity and she is keen to highlight how the finance industry needs to embrace female talent on all levels.

As of 2024 in the UK, women hold 34.5 per cent of leadership roles within FTSE 350 companies, including executive committees and their direct reports but women continue to be under-represented in the highest-ranking positions with only 18 per cent of finance director roles and eight per cent of chief executive officer roles held by women.

Rachel explains: “While female representation at the top is growing, challenges remain in finance around pay, culture, and supporting women into leadership roles. Many talented women still leave the industry as companies fail to support them due to inflexible work structures and limited mentorship”

Joe Ingham has spent more a decade as a respected senior finance recruiter across corporate, independent, boutique, and new office start-ups. 

Most recently, he was a partner at regional recruitment firm Pratap Partnership, responsible for successfully building and growing the interim finance division before the business transitioned to an employee ownership model. 

Joe, who champions social mobility, said: “IFF Talent will be looking at ways we can further educate ourselves around the importance of social mobility, especially in the current labour market, in addition to adding our support to a cause that is very close to my heart.”

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