Group Archives - Bluestones Group

Technical Partners launches

MC — Thu, 05 Feb 2026 10:18:09 +0000

We’re proud to announce the launch of Technical Partners, a new specialist recruitment brand created to bring together its established technically-focused businesses under one unified identity.

Technical Partners has been formed through the coming together of EC&I Partners, Mechanical Partners, and Green Carbon Talent, combining their sector expertise, networks, and market insight into a single, focused technical recruitment offering.

The new brand has been created to meet increasing demand for highly specialised recruitment support across complex and regulated engineering industries, and the domestic and commercial built environment. By uniting these complementary businesses, Technical Partners provides a strengthened ability to support clients and candidates across the full lifecycle of technical and engineering projects.

Operating across sectors including energy, renewables, manufacturing, infrastructure, nuclear, buildings and building envelopes, utilities, and industrial services, Technical Partners will continue to deliver permanent and contract recruitment solutions across its technical disciplines.

Each of the specialist divisions within Technical Partners will continue to operate with the same dedicated focus and deep technical understanding they are known for, while benefiting from shared systems, best practice, and group-level support.

Speaking on the launch, Kirsty Brewer, Technical Partners’ Managing Director commented:

“Technical Partners represents a natural evolution of our technical recruitment businesses. By bringing these specialist brands together, we are strengthening our proposition while remaining true to what matters most – expertise, integrity, and long-term relationships.”

To find out more about Technical Partners, please visit their website – www.technical-partners.co.uk or follow them on LinkedIn HERE.

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Bluestones Group appoints new Professional Services Managing Director

MC — Mon, 19 May 2025 08:16:14 +0000

We’re excited to welcome Nicola (Nicky) Rogers as the new Managing Director of Professional Services at Bluestones Group.

With more than three decades of experience in the recruitment and workforce solutions industry, Nicky has led transformational programmes across critical sectors such as education, transport, nuclear, construction, and tech. She joins us from Rullion, where she most recently served as Director of Client Services, overseeing strategic sales, ESG integration, and client growth across complex, regulated markets.

Steve Pendergast, CEO of Bluestones Group, commented:

“This appointment reflects our strategy to build a balanced portfolio of high-performing brands. Nicky’s exceptional background, leadership qualities, and passion for sustainable workforce solutions make her an ideal fit for the Group. We’re thrilled to have her on board.”

Nicky began her career with Adecco Group in 1994, rising through the ranks to become a Business Director. She has led national delivery programmes including the ONS Census 2021 and Uber’s industry-first outsourced pensions solution. In addition to her operational expertise, she’s a passionate advocate for mental well-being and has contributed to workforce development policy as a member of the UK Fusion Skills Council.

Nicky Rogers said:

“I’m proud to be joining a forward-thinking organisation like Bluestones Group. This is a people-first business that’s serious about its purpose – and I’m excited to help shape the next chapter of growth and innovation in the Professional Services division.”

In joining Bluestones Group, Nicky brings a strategic, people-first mindset backed by commercial strength, operational rigour, and a passion for doing things differently. She is committed to enhancing our Professional Services offering across the UK and beyond; developing consultative, insight-led relationships that deliver long-term value for clients and candidates alike.

Known for her authenticity, humour and deep sector knowledge, Nicky leads with purpose and intent. Her focus will be on expanding our footprint in key markets, strengthening service lines, and ensuring the Bluestones Group continues to offer differentiated, future-fit workforce solutions.

Welcome to the team, Nicky!

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Bluestones Group acquires ThinkWorkforce

MC — Wed, 08 Jan 2025 09:04:10 +0000

Bluestones Group has completed another strategic acquisition, with ThinkWorkforce becoming the tenth business to join the Group’s portfolio of recruitment and staffing services businesses within the last 12 months.

Founded in 2021, and operating across the UK healthcare sector, with an offshore branch in Cape Town, South Africa – the business specialises in recruiting GPs, nurses, and other healthcare professionals on a temporary and permanent basis. Harj Dadrah and Nana Mayosi will continue leading the business as the core leadership team. ThinkWorkforce is being acquired from Effer Ventures, a multi-sector investment company.

Bluestones Group CEO, Steve Pendergast commented:

“As we continue on our acquisition trail, we’re also further branching out internationally, with ThinkWorkforce being the second business in our portfolio to have non-UK operations. There are clear synergies between ThinkWorkforce and other businesses within our portfolio, and our ability to provide sector-specific, market-leading support services, will help the business thrive”.

Alex Fenton, Group CEO at Effer Ventures commented:

“We are delighted with the completion of the sale of ThinkWorkforce to Bluestones. The business has been able to consolidate and grow within our portfolio, but for the next stage of its growth, we felt that it needed the right growth partner. Bluestones has a fantastic track record and are perfectly positioned to take ThinkWorkforce to the next level, so the transaction makes a lot of sense from all sides.”

Bluestones Group has been firmly on the acquisition trail with this being the tenth business that has been acquired this calendar year. Bluestones invests in recruitment and staffing services businesses and has developed an enviable portfolio of over 30 such businesses across a range of sectors and locations.

You can find out more about ThinkWorkforce by browsing their website HERE and Bluestones Group via their website HERE.

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Bluestones appoint fractional CTO, Tom Cooksey

MC — Wed, 27 Nov 2024 09:00:13 +0000

Bluestones Group is pleased to announce the appointment of Fractional CTO, Tom Cooksey, who’s joined the Group to help drive its technology strategy forward, build on the Group’s existing IT capabilities, and support the company’s ambitious future growth plans.

Speaking about his appointment, Tom said,

“I am delighted to join Bluestones as a Fractional CTO. The business is extremely ambitious and embraces technology to help drive its overall growth strategy – it is going to be great to be a part of that.”

Tom is a highly experienced technology leader with demonstrable experience in solving complex business problems. He’s a technologist at heart and is as comfortable in front of some code as he is in the board room. Previous roles include founder at IR35.io which went on to be acquired by The Kingsbridge Group, where he became Chief Technology Officer. He has also worked for major brands including EA Games, Sky, and The National Lottery.

Bluestones Group’s CEO and founder Steve Pendergast commented on Tom’s appointment, saying,

“As the Group continues to scale at pace, it’s important that we evolve sustainably and capitalise on the technologies available to us. With Tom’s experience and insight, we believe we will be well-positioned to nurture and develop our existing team of IT and technology specialists, whilst creating a structured technology roadmap for our future.”

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Bluestones Group acquires Dynamite Recruitment

MC — Tue, 26 Nov 2024 08:44:16 +0000

Bluestones Group has completed another strategic acquisition, with Dynamite Recruitment becoming the latest business to join the Group’s portfolio of recruitment and staffing services businesses.

Coinciding with the move, Fran Curtis and Katie Dalgleish – with nearly 20 years’ collective tenure with Dynamite Recruitment between them – will become joint Managing Directors. Headquartered in Portsmouth with 11 employees, Dynamite Recruitment is a successful multi-sector recruitment company, originally established in 2011. The Dynamite team recruit temporary and permanent personnel across the commercial, retail, technical, accountancy & finance, and financial services sectors; and provides RPO and outsourcing support for selected clients too.

Bluestones Group CEO, Steve Pendergast commented:

“Acquisitions continue to be one of the three primary growth vectors for the Group. Dynamite is well-structured, has strong client and candidate relationships, and we believe that with our support and investment can continue to grow at pace. I look forward to seeing the business evolve and scale”.

Divisional CEO, Matt Cody commented:

“We identified Dynamite Recruitment as an acquisition target and have worked at pace to complete the deal quickly, acquiring 100% of the business. Bringing the business into the Bluestones portfolio, we will work the new joint Managing Directors Fran and Katie to fully integrate the company into the Bluestones Group world and support its future growth”.

Bluestones Group has been firmly on the acquisition trail this year, and this is the eighth such business that has been acquired this calendar year. Bluestones invests in recruitment and staffing services businesses and has developed an enviable portfolio of over 30 businesses across a range of sectors and locations.

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Bluestones Group acquires legal recruitment specialist

MC — Tue, 28 May 2024 08:00:12 +0000

Bluestones Group acquires legal recruitment specialist Clayton Legal, in its seventh brand acquisition this calendar year.

The company will continue to operate as a standalone business, building on the legacy of the brand and the strong candidate and client relationships that have been developed over years of focus on the legal sector. Headquartered in Preston, yet recruiting throughout the UK, the business has a diverse client base that includes Legal 500, Top 200, regional and boutique law firms, recruiting legal professionals at all levels and across a wide variety of legal disciplines.

Steve Pendergast, Bluestones Group CEO commented,

“In acquiring Clayton Legal we’re continuing to evolve our divisional structure within the Group whilst adding to our ever-growing portfolio of high-quality recruitment and staffing service brands. Growth through acquisition is just one of our strategic pillars, yet it clearly demonstrates our ability to grow at pace and outperform the market as we leverage the economies of scale and support services in the Group to fast-track this acquisition”

Clayton Legal has been operating in the sector for over 20 years, acting for a wide range of legal businesses across the UK. The team covers all legal roles from newly-qualified, junior fee earning positions and support staff, to solicitors, partners and associates. They cover every type of contract required from permanent to temporary, locum, and interim.

Louise Kearns, Managing Director at Clayton Legal shared her thoughts on the acquisition,

“I believe we can build on our existing platform as one of the UK’s leading legal recruiters to achieve our ultimate goal of establishing Clayton Legal as the employer and recruiter of choice in the legal sector and continuing to exceed the expectations of our clients and candidates. Our team has developed an in-depth understanding of their legal disciplines and we’ve identified several significant growth opportunities that we believe we can now capitalise on with the help and support from Bluestones”.

Bluestones Group has grown rapidly since its inception in 2014, and now has 24 recruitment and staffing service businesses in its portfolio. It has secured a Two-Star Best Companies rating for the last four consecutive years, an impressive measure of engagement across its 450+ employees – and last year a number of its businesses secured Recruiter Awards in their first year of entering.

The company primarily operates throughout the UK across a wide variety of industry sectors, but also expanded internationally recently with an acquisition in New Zealand. Growing its portfolio organically through sector penetration and geographical expansion, the business also constantly looks for new investment opportunities – both in terms of start-up and established agencies, or via acquisition – and welcomes direct enquiries from interested parties.

More information about Bluestones Group is available online, on its website: www.bluestonesgroup.co.uk.

More information about Clayton Legal is available online, on its website: www.clayton-legal.co.uk.

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Bluestones Group announces multi-brand acquisition

MC — Tue, 07 May 2024 11:08:42 +0000

Bluestones Investment Group Limited is continuing on its acquisition trail, now announcing a multi-brand acquisition deal for the recruitment businesses from PACE Investments Group Limited.

Following the recent announcement of the acquisition of HOME and ARC (read news release HERE) this latest deal represents the largest acquisition ever completed by Bluestones – in terms of number of staff, number of brands, and the collective turnover from the acquired businesses.

As Steve Pendergast, Group CEO commented,

“The acquired companies will be a key factor in driving the combined performance of Bluestones as we continue to strive toward our vision of becoming a £1bn revenue business. We believe there are significant upsides available to bringing these businesses into our portfolio, and that through our streamlined and efficient services and processes, we can further optimise these companies, improve their profitability, and help them scale”.

This acquisition is an evolution of our plan to build distinct divisions within our Group that sees us developing services and companies focused on ‘all things recruitment’, and further building our dedicated investment division.

Which companies are being acquired

The acquisition deal is for the following companies:

A specialist Electrical, Control & Instrumentation recruitment company that supplies personnel to support installation, maintenance, decommissioning and production projects in contract and permanent roles throughout the UK.

Visit website

A boutique recruitment company focused on the domestic renewable sector, supporting businesses throughout the UK with their contract and permanent staffing requirements.

Visit website

A healthcare specialist business that has been providing recruitment, care, and training to its clients for over 30 years, predominantly in the South of England.

Visit website

A multi-sector temporary, permanent, and contract recruitment business with three branches across Bedford, Huntingdon, and Milton Keynes – 1st Choice has been established in the area since 1989.

Visit website

When this deal completes there will be 24 recruitment and staffing services businesses within the Bluestones Group’s portfolio.

Matt Cody, Bluestones Group’s Investment CEO commented,

“Whilst the Group will continue to target growth through its proven approach of organic expansion, tactical bolt-ons, and strategic acquisitions in its core portfolio, the investment division will invest in new start-ups and opportunistically acquiring businesses that fit with our investment criteria”.

More information about the Bluestones Group is available on its website here: www.bluestonesgroup.co.uk

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IT support business launches

MC — Fri, 09 Feb 2024 11:54:56 +0000

We’re delighted to officially launch Zircon IT Systems – a trusted IT support partner of the recruitment industry.

With its focus on providing, clear, bespoke IT services, tailored to the recruitment sector, Zircon is uniquely positioned to become an IT partner of choice for many recruiters and agencies.

Zircon is led by IT expert, Alison Drew – who has over ten years’ experience meeting the needs of an ever-changing, ever-growing recruitment sector. Alison, has spent her time in the industry developing a flexible service offering that can not only react to the short-term demands of the market, but also future-proof her clients and keep them one step ahead.

Alison Drew, Managing Director of Zircon IT Systems had this to say:

“We’ve worked with and supported hundreds of recruiters within the Group’s portfolio, and now feel the time is right to offer our services to a wider audience.
The early feedback we’ve had is that there’s a gap in the market for what we offer: recruitment sector expertise, professional IT support, and generally being a trusted IT partner that won’t over-engineer (or over-charge) for our solutions and support”.

Whether it’s project based or retained support, Zircon offers a proven and flexible IT support service for recruitment businesses, focusing on six key areas:

IT infrastructure
IT support
Procurement & setup
Project support
Security
Software & licensing

Keep up to date with the latest insights and advice on all recruitment specific IT information through their website and their LinkedIn page.

For more information, speak to the team today on 0151 433 8860.

Zircon IT Systems is the fourth business within Bluestones Group’s burgeoning support division, joining established businesses Quest Pay Solutions (recruitment payroll), Recruitment Funding Solutions (recruitment funding), and APEX (recruitment marketing).

As Steve Pendergast, Group CEO commented,

“The Group’s support division is a particularly innovative concept; in that it takes the collective experience of our subject matter experts within the Group and enables external recruitment businesses to access their services.
It also flips on its head the idea that service functions are only considered as cost centres, as we continue to build scalable and profitable recruitment support businesses within our portfolio”.

The introduction of Zircon is a further development of our ‘All Things Recruitment’ concept. With three clear divisions – Recruitment, Investment, and Support – Bluestones is well-positioned to continue building its portfolio of recruitment and staffing service businesses that cover every aspect of the recruitment sector.

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Bluestones Investment Group expands globally with two key acquisitions

Nick Baldwin — Mon, 05 Feb 2024 08:00:00 +0000

Bluestones Investment Group, a specialist investment group that focuses on the recruitment sector, is pleased to announce the successful completion of two strategic acquisitions. The newly acquired businesses, Australasian Recruitment Company (ARC) and Home Recruitment (Home), contribute unique strengths to Bluestones Investment Group’s balanced and robust portfolio.

ARC, headquartered in London, specialises in the placement of candidates travelling to the UK from Australia and New Zealand into a variety of white-collar, remote, and office support roles.

Operating out of Auckland, New Zealand, Home specialises in the placement of Kiwi expats returning from overseas into white-collar and office support roles across the country.

Steven Pendergast, Bluestones Group’s CEO, commented on the acquisitions:

"We are thrilled to welcome ARC and Home into the Bluestones Group. These acquisitions align seamlessly with our vision of becoming a global leader in the recruitment and staffing industry. We believe that the combined strengths of these businesses will not only benefit our clients and candidates but will also contribute significantly to our overall growth strategy."

Steven Pendergast

The acquisitions were spearheaded by Trish Stratford, Divisional CEO, who was instrumental in identifying the strategic fit and closing the deals. She commented:

“Both ARC and Home exemplify our ideal acquisition targets - innovative firms expanding our reach, driven by visionary leaders, a shared culture driven by exceptional service and opportunities to create value for world-class clients and candidates across critical geographies."

Trish Stratford

Supporting on the acquisition and sale of both businesses, Bluestones Investment Group was advised by RSM, with corporate finance advice provided to the shareholders of ARC and Home by Ryecroft Glenton Corporate Finance.

The acquisitions of ARC and Home mark a significant milestone for Bluestones Investment Group, expanding the company’s reach internationally and reinforcing its commitment to engaging in strategically aligned investment opportunities in its chosen sectors. These acquisitions compliment the Group’s balanced portfolio, allowing the company to continue tapping into diverse markets and offer specialised services tailored to the unique needs of each region.

“We are thrilled to join the Bluestones Group during this exciting period of growth and expansion,” said Holly Finlayson, Director of ARC. “Leveraging Bluestones Group’s vast infrastructure and resources will accelerate our shared goal to provide life-changing career opportunities for talented Australasians and local talent seeking work in the UK.”

Minta Holton, Director of Home, commented: “This partnership propels our capability to showcase world-class Kiwi talent on the global stage to an entirely new level. Combining Bluestones Group’s renowned staffing excellence with our networks and repatriation specialisation presents tremendous upside for expat job seekers, local talent and New Zealand employers.”

Such acquisitions form a key element of Bluestones Group’s growth strategy, complementing its approach to investment through joint ventures and organic growth. The company remains committed to pursuing opportunities that enhance its capabilities and market presence. With the integration of ARC and Home into the Bluestones Group, the company is poised for continued success on its journey to becoming a £1bn revenue business.

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BIG Christmas Quiz 2023

MC — Fri, 15 Dec 2023 14:22:22 +0000

With very few working days left of this calendar year, and Christmas just over a week away, for many it’s a time of office parties, client visits, and securing those vital final placements.

Perhaps just as importantly, it’s also time for the annual BIG Christmas Quiz.

If you’d like to use our quiz in your own office or with friends and family, we’ve made it available via the links below.

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