HR and recruitment consultancy Penna has launched an in-house advertising and communications arm, Recruitment Communications.

The division will offer full-range recruitment advertising and employee communications in both online and offline media.

Penna has a ready-made team to run Recruitment Communications after luring four out of a possible seven executives from Bartlett Scott Edgar Limited (BSEL), an established communications firm that is part of advertising giant TMP Worldwide.

TMP merged BSEL into its UK operations in April this year, and around the same time Penna approached managing director Anne Riley and other members of her team with a view to setting up its communications business. Riley will head Recruitment Communications when her contract with BSEL ends in October 2005.

Gary Browning, managing director of Penna, described the hiring of the new team as a “great coup”. “The team is pre-eminent in its field and its experience fits with our strategy of offering businesses a total solution for their people issues,” he said.

Only a few recruitment agencies have in-house advertising and communi-cations wings as it is thought more cost effective to use an external agency.

Currently, Penna uses a third-party advertising agency, J Walter Thompson, but hopes to convince clients to employ its own advertising services from now on.

“If you look at Penna’s services, there’s definitely a gap for a communications arm,” explains Brian Cernuschi, commercial director of Recruitment Communications.

Penna’s other services include recruitment, interim management, human resources consulting and career transition. Its client list includes 60% of the FTSE 100 companies.

Peter Phillips of recruitment advertising firm 360 reckoned that Penna was making a shrewd move. “They’re fortunate in that they are buying a ready-made team and client base,” said Phillips.