Introducing the judging panel

17-Sep-2008

As a group, the businessmen and women who will adjudicate the 2009 Recruiter Awards for Excellence, supported by Thomas International, are uniquely qualified to select the UK recruitment industry’s best of the best.

From a business ethics expert to leading recruitment industry entrepreneurs, and from legal and corporate finance specialists to in-house resourcing professionals, this year’s judges are recognised leaders and innovators in their respective fields.

“We look for judges who understand, and believe in, the power of recruitment as a dynamic and creative business force,” says Recruiter editor DeeDee Doke. “We also seek out individuals who understand the many different facets of achievement in the face of economic, socio-cultural and competitive challenges facing ambitious businesses today.

“This year’s panellists bring a wonderful array of insights, expertise and experience to the Awards. I very much look forward to working with each and every one.”

Dave Bensonis resourcing manager for charity Oxfam. He began his career as an IT graduate but says “I soon learned I was better with people than with technology and quickly moved into an HR role”. He previously worked at Barclays, where he was responsible for graduate recruitment, and then for employee branding and attraction.

Rosaleen Blair is the founder and chief executive of leading recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) provider Alexander Mann Solutions. Widely credited with pioneering the RPO concept in Europe, she has built a business turning over £350m and employing 1,300 people around the world. In the last 12 months, she has led the company through a £100m management buyout and the acquisition of major RPO provider, Capital Consulting.





Bill Bottriellco-founded the first of the international specialist recruitment SThree group of companies in 1986. Now AIM-listed, SThree currently has 10 operating brands. A former systems analyst, he now runs investment house Dublon Capital.






Christopher Clark is a partner at BDO Stoy Hayward where he is on the Corporate Finance Team, which focuses on advising on private equity transactions, corporate finance strategy and merger/acquisitions projects. He previously worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers. He has advised numerous recruitment companies on maximising value through acquisitions, fund raisings, flotations and disposals.





Carl Creswell is a director in the Employment Relations Directorate where he leads the Guidance Programme to help employers save time and money, and on their employment law paperwork. His previous roles have included a stint in the Low Pay Commission Secretariat when the minimum wage was introduced.







Nick Davis is a partner at law firm Mishcon de Reya where he specialises in takeovers, mergers and acquisitions, and AIM listings. Among the companies he has advised are Monster Worldwide, MFI Furniture Group and Godrej Consumer Products. He has particular experience in the recruitment, advertising and PR, and e-commerce/technology sectors.

 

 

Philippa Foster Back OBE is director of the Institute of Business Ethics where her responsibilities include raising awareness and spreading ‘best practice’ in the field of business ethics. She was awarded the OBE in 2006 for services to the Ministry of Defence where she was formerly a non-exec director and chair of the Defence Audit Committee.





Martin Holden, a partner with UK top 20 accountancy firm Saffery Champness since 2003, heads up the organisation’s Professional and Consultancy Services Group. The firm acts for over 600 providers of professional and consultancy services with a particular focus on recruitment businesses, from executive search to temporary placements.






Isabelle Hung is head of resourcing and programmes for Harrods. She previously was head of national resourcing at information provider Yell in the UK and UK recruitment manager at Monster Worldwide. She has earned a reputation for implementing cutting-edge recruitment solutions such as recruiting on online virtual world Second Life.






Miles Hunt is CEO of international recruitment group Empresaria, a company he founded in 1996. Empresaria is one of the pioneers of the ‘management equity’ model within the staffing industry. He introduced the company to OFEX in 1999 and migrated to AIM in 2004. He qualified as a solicitor and holds an MBA from Warwick Business School.

Steve Huxham operates his own retained search and selection business, HUX Executive Recruitment. He also acts as an external adviser on HR and business strategy issues to a number of small and medium-sized enterprises both within the recruitment sector and beyond. He is chairman of the Recruitment Society.






AlanMacKinnon is group resourcing manager at specialist software provider Northgate Information Solutions. He previously worked as a management consultant at hy-phen, the RPO division of Spring, and as an HR supplier manager, recruitment manager and recruitment advisor for T-Mobile (UK). He began his recruitment career as a consultant for Michael Page.

Kean Marden is head of UK research at Kaupthing Singer & Friedlander Capital Markets, a highly successful UK small and mid-cap specialist investment bank. He spent a decade at UBS before joining Merrill Lynch in 2004 and subsequently to Kaupthing in 2006. During his career, he has covered numerous staffing agencies including Adecco, Hays, Michael Page, Randstad, Vedior and SThree.





David Mason is talent manager at leading steel company Arcellor Mittal where he is responsible for looking after the globally mobile executive population. Previous roles include UK group head of resourcing at AXA, head of resourcing at AXA Life, resourcing manager at BG Group and EMEA/UK head of recruitment at EDS.






Iain Newman is a partner and head of the Corporate Group for law firm Nabarro. He jokes that his 20 years at Nabarro means he hasn’t contributed to legal recruitment turnover but he has recruited a large number of lawyers. His team represented Premier Recruitment on its successful contested takeover of Imprint in competition with Hydrogen Group and OPD.





John O’Sullivan is managing director at Elite Leaders, the peer-to-peer learning programme for owners and MDs of recruitment firms. He is also owner of Racz Consulting and holds a number of non-exec director positions with staffing, IT and other service companies. Previously, he was a director at Computer People and founded Best International Group.

Professor George Stonehouse is dean of Napier University Business School and professor of international strategic management. His main research and consultancy interests lie in the areas of creativity, knowledge, organisational learning, strategic management and global business. He is a visiting professor at the University of International Business and Economics Beijing (see also News feature, p25).





Crawfurd Walker is co-founder and MD of Recruitment Industry Benchmarking, which helps companies to identify where they can improve efficiency, management and the value of their business. He is also co-founder, director and company secretary at Corporate Finance Partners.

Denise Walker is a business professional who began her career in recruitment as a consultant with Reed Employment. She later set up and ran her own recruitment business, Tulip Recruitment Group. Through her management consultancy business, Absolutely Business, she offers bespoke business consultancy, training services and interim management.





Mike Walmsley is an entrepreneur and leading recruitment trainer specialising in turning good recruiters into ‘SuperBillers’. Founder of the Elite Leaders peer-to-peer learning programme, he was previously MD at internet company PurpleMoves.com and international recruiter Parker Bridge. He owns training business RecruitmentTraining.co.uk.






Toni Williams is resourcing manager for multi-sector service provider Serco Group where she is responsible for resourcing, recruitment marketing and e-recruitment solutions across Serco’s businesses.