Thu, 11 Feb 2016

VMA Group has appointed Tim Gilbert as managing director to lead further international expansion to territories including South Africa and possibly China.

The specialist corporate, marketing and digital communications recruitment consultancy announced in a statement this morning, Gilbert, the former managing director of marketing recruiter EMR and most recently a director at global recruiter Robert Walters, would be joining to support its ongoing growth plans. Gilbert succeeds previous managing director Claire Tuffin, while Andy Hibbert’s position is a new role for the group.

Gilbert is joined by new chief operating officer Andrew Hibbert. Hibbert was most recently working as a finance consultant to the hotel and leisure sector and has held high level director positions at organisations including the Royal Society and Great Ormond Street Hospital.

Asked for more details on the growth plans, a VMA Group spokesperson told Recruiter the firm is to announce the opening of an office in Cape Town on Monday. VMA already has an office in Johannesburg.

The spokesperson added the group is making further inroads into China through the placement of a consultant based in Shanghai.

“We have made a couple of placements but it’s a very different way of doing business,” the spokesperson told Recruiter.

“We never like to launch into an area until we are entirely confident that there’s a need for the level of service we’re going to provide. We don’t just recruit. We consult around building high performing communications functions – that’s always been our USP [unique selling proposition].”

Both new appointments are UK-based.