Described by her company chairman as “one of [recruitment's] brightest stars”, Helen Stokes, managing director of marketing and creative recruiter Major Players, has died at the age of 43.

Major Players chairman Jack Gratton confirmed to Recruiter on Tuesday that Stokes, who won Recruiter’s Recruitment Agency Leader of the Year accolade in 2015, died on Monday night. She apparently took her own life, Gratton said.

Stokes, who built public sector recruiter Morgan Hunt into an £88m turnover business nine years after starting the company from scratch in 2001, had been away from Major Players for “a couple of months” because of personal issues, Gratton said.

“It is deeply, deeply sad,” Gratton said. “She was loved by a hell of a lot of people. She leaves an amazing legacy.”

The Major Players business had “never been in better shape” when Stokes began her recent time away. “We were really hoping she was going to come back” to fulfil their joint ambitions for the business, Gratton said.

Staff at the recruitment agency were notified Tuesday afternoon, and, with Gratton, were celebrating her life after the announcement. Gratton said, "She was one of the brightest stars, and often it's the stars that burn the brightest that we lose at such a young age. She was incredibly talented." 

On Wednesday, former Morgan Hunt colleagues Matt Churchward, Kevin Redman and Patrick Wall, now at Asoria Group, told Recruiter they were "utterly shocked, saddened and still trying to process" the news of Stokes' death.

Also responding to news of the tragedy was Natasha Clarke, chair of Women in Recruitment and senior partner at SThree. In a statement to Recruiter, Clarke said: "The industry is deeply saddened by the loss of Helen. She was a strong role model for many women in the industry. It's women like Helen who make a real difference not just to her organisation but to the industry. We must work together to ensure women have a strong support network to talk openly and feel connected in times of need."

Stokes earned a Master’s degree in leadership and strategy at London Business School during time away from the recruitment industry between 2010 and 2013. At both Major Players and Morgan Hunt, she led her organisations to numerous awards and honours.

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