Ross Eades has stepped down from his role as chief executive officer at staffing group Kellan but will remain with the firm in a non-executive capacity, the company announced this morning.

The move comes after Eades told Recruiter last September that the recruitment group was ready to move from phase two to phase three of a growth plan, commenting “don’t be surprised if we make acquisitions if something comes on our radar”, and describing a greater feeling of “optimism” at the group he had not felt in the business at any time since coming on board in 2009.

Earlier this year, equity research analyst Kevin Lapwood, writing for recruiter.co.uk, recommended buying shares in Kellan in 2013 – albeit recommending it as a “lazy approach” in picking shares that were the greatest underperformers in 2012.

Tony Reeves, Kellan’s non-executive chairman, becomes actively involved in the day-to-day running of Kellan as executive chairman. He has over 45 years of recruitment sector experience, including spells as CEO at hotgroup and Delphi Group, before their respective acquisitions by Trinity Mirror Group and Adecco.

“A further announcement will be made in due course,” the company says, with no word as to who will succeed Eades as CEO.