Edgar Stewart to double Edinburgh headcount after boosting turnover by 300 per cent

Rory Telfer - Sales Consultant

Rapidly-expanding recruitment firm Edgar Stewart is set to double its Edinburgh headcount following a period of substantial growth.

The consultancy, which relocated from city centre premises to open a business incubator and start-up hub in Stockbridge in 2015, has made five key appointments to help meet the growing demand for its services.

Five new faces will take up newly-created roles at the firm, which has increased its turnover by over 300 per cent in the last 12 months.

The new recruits are Rory Telfer and Ewan Robinson, who have been appointed as Sales Consultants for the Edgar Stewart and Talented brands; Nicola Stewart, a new Resourcing Consultant for spin-out Cyrus; Sophie Parker, Office Manager, and Kayleigh Scott, who has joined as an intern supported by Santander’s Universities SME Internship Scheme.

Rory and Ewan join as recent graduates with some practical sales experience to help bolster the firm’s sales capability across manufacturing, engineering, electronics, optoelectronics, semiconductor, life sciences, biotechnology, medical technology and SME and start-up businesses.

Meanwhile, Nicola Stewart, who has been recruited as Account Manager, will work on the Cyrus Energy Selection brand launched earlier this summer as a spin-out from the Edgar Stewart family.

Nicola, who is formerly of Search Consultancy, has been tasked with matching quality candidates with quality job roles within Scotland’s buoyant water and energy markets.

Sophie Parker joins as Office Manager after a long and successful career with Search Recruitment, while Kayleigh, an Economics student at the University of Edinburgh, has been tasked with running a continuous improvement project to streamline and improve the client and candidate journey.

Edgar Stewart, which is headed up by Founding Director Bruce Hydes, has boosted its turnover from £500,000 to nearly £2 million in the last year after relocating to Stockbridge.

Since the move, the firm has invested nearly £70k in Scottish recruitment start-ups after pledging to invest a ring-fenced £120k by the end of the year.

As a result, Edgar Stewart has launched three very different spin outs specialising in high growth start-ups and SMEs, food and drink, and water and energy.

Bruce attributes its success, in no small part, to good, repeat business and investing in the right enabling technology.

He said: “We are lucky to have a very loyal client base and try to do everything we can to maintain that.

“We try to put people and a quality of service at the heart of everything we do. That’s why – and as a Scottish Business Pledge company – the Edgar Stewart board is keen to invest in aspiring talent.”

Edgar Stewart, whose ethos is to challenge, inspire and innovate, is a keen supporter of the Scottish Business Pledge, which recently marked its first anniversary, and the National Living Wage.

It became the first Edinburgh recruiter to be accredited for each, and in the last 12 months has invested close to £30,000 in a state-of-the-art intuitive and interactive CRM (Client Relationship Management) system and online video interviewing technology.

The firm, which champions developing and retaining talent, also appointed Resourcing Consultants Alastair Edwards and Nick Bolton earlier this year – both of whom are now undertaking a strategic development programme to help boost their skills.

The new hires, which are all expected to be in-post by the end of June, will take the team from five to 10.