The new head of the Professional Contractors Group, the body that represents freelance and contract workers, has pledged to create closer affiliations between PCG members and recruitment agencies. Simon Juden, who was elected to the post earlier this month, aims to create greater opportunities for agencies that recruit contractors to advertise their services in its online discussion forum.

Juden also plans to introduce an accreditation scheme for freelancers based on the ISO9001 standard. “Agencies will be able to sell to clients on the basis that their candidates are accredited,” he said.

Juden is a Cambridge mathematics graduate who has been freelancing since 1997, and has been a member of the PCG since it was set up in May 1999.