The Scotsman

Capital recruiter set for double-digit revenue growth

● Denholm reports significan­t surge in demand from flourishin­g tech firms

- @Denholm_tweets By EMMA NEWLANDS emma.newlands@jpimedia.co.uk

the Edinburghh­eadquarter­ed executive search and recruitmen­t agency that specialise­s in marketing, sales and commercial profession­als, says it is on track for double-digit revenue growth in 2019 amid burgeoning demand from expanding tech firms.

The recruiter, whose client base includes Skyscanner, Virgin Money, Hilton Worldwide and Visitscotl­and, also highlighte­d how it has invested “significan­tly” during the year to keep pace with a fast-changing business environmen­t.

Nicki Denholm, the firm’s founder and executive chair, said this year’s focus has been capitalisi­ng on a changing marketplac­e.

“Our client profile, particular­ly in Edinburgh, is moving rapidly towards businesses and job titles that didn’t exist ten years ago. We have seen a huge upturn in demand for marketing and sales people for

Scotland’s next generation of tech start-ups and scale-ups. And where this market intersects with more traditiona­l Scottish industries in the form of the booming fintech sector, new roles are being created all the time, particular­ly in managing and analysing data including to power more efficient client communicat­ions.”

Denholm, which has been building up its tech client list working alongside businesses such as fintech lending platform Lendingcro­wd and autonomous vehicle startup Machines With Vision, is in the process of launching a data-focused division that will be led by recent hire Ciaran Ahern in addition to his sales and marketing remit.

Ahern was previously at Search Consultanc­y where he spent more than two decades working primarily across IT, digital and business change.

Nicki Denholm added: “When you look at the whole area of data, Edinburgh and Scotland have a reputation for innovation, and Ciaran will be spearheadi­ng our growth into related markets. In Edindenhol­m, burgh alone, you have worldclass facilities at [the University of] Edinburgh’s School of Informatic­s and Heriot-watt University’s Grid, supported by investment through the City Region Deal, and from start-ups to scale-ups trough to more establishe­d companies the demand for people in new and evolving roles is only going to increase.”

The firm has also continued to invest in new digital platforms with talent attraction tool Scout and digital adverting profile Brandbox in 2019.

August saw the launch of Scout, which is designed to help clients scale up by beating the ongoing talent shortage.

Denholm added: “Our propositio­n centres on our ability to attract people talent that clients can’t find themselves. Scout and Brandbox underpin this approach.”

In November 2018, the firm announced that it had been chosen to be the UK partner of Vienna-headquarte­red global executive search group Talentor. Denholm was founded in 2002 and its client base also includes Nucleus Financial, Appointedd and Edrington Beam Suntory.

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