The managing director of Hays for UK & Ireland says he is prepared to share the pain of the recession that saw headcount fall by 27% in the 12 months to the end of March this year.

Tim Cook told Recruiter: “As a principle all the management should take exactly the same pain as the team that is delivering the cash. But equally we want to make sure that there are opportunities for us to share the gain as and when we come out the other side.”

Cook adds: “I am quite relaxed about it to be honest.” 

However, last year, Alistair Cox, Cook’s predecessor as UK & Ireland managing director, received £1.481m in emoluments, although this included a guaranteed element that he forfeited by moving to Hays from his previous employer. A spokesperson for Hays said she didn’t know the value of Cook’s remuneration package.

See the today’s edition of Recruiter (10 June) for a complete profile.