Nicholas Barton, Founder and CEO – The Barton Partnership

Created 17 years ago by Nick Barton, the Barton Partnership has continued to evolve and redefine its proposition while retaining its specialist focus on strategy and innovation. Its evolution has taken the business beyond talent services by establishing a consulting arm that delivers fractional advisory and project delivery solutions. The fractional advisory model enables boards and executive management to engage trusted senior advisors for guidance in addressing mission-critical challenges and driving organisational impact. The business’ consulting arm acts as a complementary extension to the firm’s independent consulting and permanent search services, creating a ‘one-stop shop’ to address diverse needs related to strategy and M&A, data and analytics, ESG and sustainability, and transformation and change.

The business has become a member of the Management Consultancies Association and achieved B Corp certification, reflecting its commitments to maintaining and building high standards of excellence and accountability, along with balancing profit with purpose and setting a benchmark for ethical and responsible business practices within the industry.

Nick nurtures a culture of collaboration and continuing improvement in the recruitment/search/consulting industries, providing advice, guidance and mentorship to other recruitment entrepreneurs. He is an investor in AI automation tool HireARA and diversity analytics platform Mixxyl. He is also an investor and director of Search Chain Partners,  a FinTech executive search and recruitment firm,  and sits on the board of BritishAmericanBusiness, the transatlantic business organisation dedicated to helping companies build their business on both sides of the Atlantic.

Judges’ comments

He is “an exceptional role model for the industry – not just in terms of his inspiration for starting the company but in how he has continued to evolve it while ensuring it remains true to its niche operational focus. True to his intent of being a ‘disrupter within the market’, the most recent evolution has enabled the company to truly pivot.” The judges also noted that he invests in start-ups and technologies with potential as well as mentoring others further back in their journey.

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