Livingston James in IT launch

Recruitment firm Livingston James Group has launched a new brand as it looks to expand its expertise into technology.

Hamilton Forth is the sixth brand launched by the group since its inception in 2010 and the first to have a base outside of Scotland.

Sarah Greensmith, former managing director of IT and technology at Hudson, joins to lead the business in the UK. Laura Thorburn, previously head of technology at Change, will head up the Scottish office.

The new unit will focus exclusively on the search and selection of senior roles in the technology and “change” recruitment sector. Greensmith is said to be looking to attract “experienced recruiters” to join the operation across the UK.

Group co-founder Jamie Livingston said: “Any new business succeeds or fails on the strength of its leadership team and we are delighted to welcome Sarah and Laura to drive the growth of Hamilton Forth across the UK.”

Greensmith added: “Client reception to this new venture has surpassed expectation.”

Many of the group brands are named after an inspiring innovator in, or related to, their field, with Hamilton Forth referencing Margaret Hamilton, the computer scientist who wrote the Apollo spacecraft guidance software for Nasa.

The team also chose to honour Hamilton to acknowledge the continued need for increased representation of women in IT.

The launch of the new division comes after a period of growth for the group that has seen its headcount rise from 32 to 39, while turnover has jumped 63 per cent to £6.7 million over a rolling 12-month period to the end of the first quarter of 2017.