Specialist finance recruiter Michael Page has announced that Steve Ingham is taking the helm ahead of schedule, and also said that first-quarter profit had soared.

The company had previously announced that Ingham would take over from Terry Benson in May, at the time of the firm’s Annual General Meeting. But on 6 April it said the handover process had gone well and Ingham was taking over with immediate effect. Benson has stepped down from the board and will retire from the firm at the end of this month.

Page has also announced gross profits of £79.1m for the first three months of the year, up 31.9% on the same period in 2005.  
UK profit is up 22.9% to £36.6m. In continental Europe, profit rose 45.3% to £28m. The company said it was recovering from problems in Australia after disruption caused by a new IT system.

“Our first-quarter performance this year has been outstanding.  The internal issues in Australia are now largely behind us and our investment plans are progressing well,” said Ingham.
The shares are now at an all-time high, and the firm is valued at £1.2bn on the stock exchange.
Analyst Numis upped its full-year profit forecast after the statement.