‘Volume quality recruitment’ will be the focus of professional recruiter Antal International in its mid-market managerial arena as the company moves forward under newly appointed group chief executive officer Tremayne Elson. Clients’ greater expectations and changed market conditions are driving necessary adaptations to how Antal, best known for its entrepreneurial, risk-taking culture, aims to grow its marketshare.   

Speaking exclusively to Recruiter, Elson said an increase in marketshare would be “based on quality customer service, and offering this specialised recruitment approach of … drilling down into specific areas of core competence”. He added: “I think now my catchwords will be ‘volume quality recruitment’.”

Elson’s history with Antal dates back to 1994. He is credited with building Antal Russia, sold in 2008 to the FiveTen Group, into a regional powerhouse. He was appointed CEO in a restructuring of Antal’s leadership in September. Bringing on board new model recruiters who place high importance on client service and “the quality aspect of the recruitment process” is among the steps being taken in this latest evolutionary phase, Elson said. 

In Antal’s drive toward greater specialisation within mid-market roles, professionals with significant experience in industry disciplines are being recruited to lead key practice areas, with a number already in place, leading, for instance, engineering and marketing matrixes in Germany.

Also sought are “good people who understand the recruitment process and client service element and can also manage people”, along with consultants with at least 18 months’ experience who will then be assigned to work with more seasoned staff, Elson said.

“The message I need to get out to the client is, Antal isn’t just a bunch of two or three-year qualified people sitting around a bank of telephones just making telephone calls and sending CVs out.”

DeeDee Doke