Scotland's FPSG plans to expand London presence
Bill Graham (left) and Kevin Cruikshank: targeting London for growth but not forgetting FPSG’s Scottish roots
FPSG is targeting London’s technology, professional services and public sector recruitment sectors for its future growth but will not abandon its Scottish roots, according to Kevin Cruickshank, director at the multi-sector staffing firm.
“Scotland can grow but there is not the opportunity for the percentage growth that we can achieve in London. We started off with a modest team in London which we think we can grow much faster than the Scottish markets,” said Cruickshank, who helped open the London office in 2000 and plans to eventually double its 16-strong team.
To spearhead this growth, the staffing firm has appointed regional salesdirector Bill Graham, formerly of multi-discipline staffing firm Huntress, who will lead sales and marketing, technology, banking, procurement and professional services divisions in London.
“We are going to grow the markets in technology, professional services and public sector”, Graham told Recruiter. But he added that a different approach was required in London to the one that has proved so successful north of the border. Graham said that in the regions clients “like the fact that you are in a local area, whereas in London it is more about results and the penetration you have in those markets”.
FPSG, which also has offices in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Manchester, Leeds, Bristol and Surrey, is adopting a specialisation approach to differentiate itself, Graham said, due to a saturated London market.
Staff have been realigned to meet the firm’s strengths: for example staff that are business development focused go into a development role; if they are delivery focused, they go in a delivery role.
Graham said: “Now we are building deep capability in those markets so we can go up against any major player in those markets and deliver. We will still use the FPSG philosophy of developing those relationships into broader camps. The success we have is in giving everything to every client.
“In London, sometimes your clients don’t want you that close. We have focused on markets that get us to the table to talk to clients. We have used our methodology to develop our accounts. We are not the type of business that only wants to do one placement here and there.”
