RECRUITMENT AGENCY OF THE YEAR – MEDIUM (50-99 EMPLOYEES)

WINNER: SR2 Recruitment

This Bristol-based, Certified B Corporation IT recruiter truly wowed the judges. “This entry left us all feeling so inspired,” the judges said, “from their #WomenRock role models to empower women to their incredible CSR [corporate social responsibility] activity with 5% of profits going to charity and encouraging their team to volunteer in their communities in a truly meaningful way.”

The judges commented further that SR2 had evidenced a reputation in their market for “really making a difference to people’s lives”, without compromising profit for purpose and vice versa.

Their summary: “Really incredible and an outstanding winner.”

HIGHLY COMMENDED

Signify Technology

The judges described Signify as “impressive” with their strong focus on attracting diverse talent in a competitive market and strong financial performance year-on-year. They also praised Signify’s focus on community partnership, particularly the company’s initiative Scala in the City.

RECRUITMENT AGENCY OF THE YEAR – MICRO (UP TO 19 EMPLOYEES)
Sponsored by Class People 

WINNER: f1 Recruitment

An outstanding business that has gone through transformational change over the past 12 months and succeeded in scaling, gain B-Corp certification and launched an ‘early careers’ job board to support opportunities for underrepresented communications. The judges found that f1 offered a direct and honest approach to driving inclusion in a very specific sector, creating and identifying opportunities with unique impact.

RECRUITMENT AGENCY OF THE YEAR – SMALL (20-49 EMPLOYEES)

WINNER: Franklin Fitch

This company gave priority to diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) and their impact on the business, with evidence of a strong culture. The judges said, “We can see the link between culture and growth.” Also praised were Franklin Fitch’s charity work and commitment to developing new talent in the company’s sector, IT infrastructure. Summing up, the judges said, “The range of accomplishments…was (a) visible (factor) in enhancing their reputation in the industry and sector they are operating in.”

HIGHLY COMMENDED

tml Partners

The judges said this company “live and breathe” their culture and values, and noted tml’s pursuit of B-Corp certification, with its organisational focus on managing risks and opportunities related to environmental, social and governance criteria.

BEST CLIENT SERVICE 
Sponsored by Mercury 

WINNER: TTM Healthcare Solutions

This company’s results demonstrate that they “do not compromise their people or profit for excellent client service”. A facet of their client service that strongly impressed the judges was TTM’s “bow tie” approach to risk management, a technique that aims to identify causes, consequences and mitigating factors of potential risk events. Use of this approach “instilled a true partnership across their clientele”. TTM, the judges said, offered “a great example of how to develop strong and substantial relationships within their niche”.

RECRUITMNET AGENCY OF THE YEAR – LARGE (100+ EMPLOYEES)
Sponsored by Wolf and Lamb

WINNER: Opus Talent Solutions

Opus stood out as the winner with their level of innovation, driven by technology, and driving commitments in diversity & inclusion and social mobility.

Impressed that Opus received private equity funding, the judges also were impressed by Opus’s focus on D&I, which sees the company provide training, support and employment opportunities for people from underrepresented backgrounds through technology.

The training cohorts are made up of 48% female, 17% LGBTQIA+, 63% BAME, 76% career changers and 67% from non-STEM backgrounds.

Also impressing the judges was Opus’s ‘purpose’ fund, enabling clients and Opus to co-invest and drive environmental, social and governance/technology initiatives.

HIGHLY COMMENDED

La Fosse Associates

Recognised for their focus on building two new service lines – futureproof, a technology training company, and digital transformation consultancy Digital Outcomes – which both support La Fosse and the recruitment industry’s professionalisation. Also recognised by the judges for their involvement with Programme One, addressing black underrepresentation in recruitment, and the #10,000 Black Interns initiatives plus their women’s network, LGBT and proud to be. “These highlight their level of innovation and putting back into the industry,” the judges said.

Nadia Edwards-Dashti, CCO, Harrington Starr

Impressing the judges as an accomplished advocate for women, Nadia’s approaches have given women in her fintech marketplace a real voice. The judges said: “Our winner has significantly shifted the needle in what is, and what isn’t, possible and achieved impact and relevance beyond just her company.”

HIGHLY COMMENDED

Natasha Makhijani, CEO Oliver Sanderson

In a category of exceptional nominees, Natasha emerged as at the forefront of representing equality, diversity & inclusion (EDI) on a global scale, bringing along key stakeholders from FTSE 100 companies.

Matthew Jeffery, Head of EY Talent Attraction & Acquisition

Matthew has created a culture and team that embraces diversity & inclusion through empowering team members, creating a safe environment for them to operate in and focusing on their overall well-being. He

Happy to challenge the status quo, he is strong in his convictions and passionate about “making recruitment as critical as to whether the business succeeds”. Matthew is committed to empowering females on his team and in the business and to creating a positive career culture for all team members.

His high energy, drive and vision make him an ideal ambassador for the recruitment profession.

HIGHLY COMMENDED

Sarah Manning, Head of Resourcing, Addleshaw Goddard LLP

An impressive candidate in this hotly competed category, Sarah’s passionate leadership and her honesty shone brightly. Judges cited her focus on social mobility, her emphasis on reverse mentoring and honesty in sharing her own neurodiverse diagnosis to champion true diversity both internally and in the broader commercial world.

Chris Sheard, Director, SR2 Recruitment

Business growth delivered through social responsibility, community and giving back makes Chris a worthy winner, the judges said.

The ‘SR2’ in the company name stands for Socially Responsible Recruitment, and the judges said they found that social responsibility “was not only in the company name, but at the heart of everything Chris does”.

SR2 have donated 5% of their profit to charities, a move that has significantly benefitted people in their local community of Bristol and beyond. This year, they have given “a significant sum” to the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) Ukraine humanitarian appeal.

The judges described his achievements during the period in question as “outstanding”. They added, “To take an idea ‘People over profit’ and lead a sustainable and successful business that is true to its purpose is laudable.”

HIGHLY COMMENDED

James Orr, Managing Director of Doctors Direct, Allied Health Professionals & Non-Clinical, NHS Professionals

EMEA Technology Recruiting – JP Morgan Chase

The judges said that the team demonstrated “full cross-business dialogue and ‘no silo’ thinking”. Multiple strategies were employed to meet hiring ambitions and broad candidate assessment was undertaken to maximise the identification of opportunities across the business.