Group Archives - Bluestones Group

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 Best Companies Result 2023

MC — Mon, 27 Nov 2023 08:20:56 +0000

For the fourth year running, Bluestones Investment Group is pleased to announce that it has been recognised as a Two Star accredited company by Best Companies.

As an employee engagement survey that allows our employees across the Group to respond anonymously and provide insight across a range of workplace factors, we use the survey as an opportunity to gauge how our people feel, and understand more about their views on the company and how we work.

As well as maintaining the two-star rating, we’ve also maintained our inclusion in the Top 75 Best Large Companies to Work For in the UK list and in the Top 75 Best Company to Work For in the North West.

As a recruitment specialist organisation, to be recognised as a Top 25 Best Recruitment Company to Work For in the UK, is also pleasing, particularly as it sees us improving from 35th last year, to rank in 23rd position in 2023.

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Bluestones in the Fast 50 again

MC — Mon, 31 Jul 2023 08:00:30 +0000

For the third year running, Bluestones Group has appeared in the Recruiter’s Fast 50 report.

Although placing at 46th this year is down from its 19th position the previous year, it’s still a remarkable feat to be consistently featured in the Fast 50.

As CEO, Steve Pendergast commented:

To be regularly featured over the previous three years in the Fast 50 report really demonstrates the pace of growth we’ve been targeting here at Bluestones. Our multi-sector approach through a balanced portfolio of well-established recruitment brands and staffing service companies has been proven effective, despite the economic uncertainty and disruption in recent years.

As the Group looks to the future, it sees continued growth through greater market penetration, acquisitions, ongoing investments in recruiters and recruitment companies, and further diversification within the sector through its divisional focus on ‘all things recruitment‘, which spans recruitment, support, and investment.

The methodology

The Recruiter Fast 50 report is prepared annually by Clearwater International, and lists the fastest-growing, privately-owned recruitment companies in the UK according to their revenue compound annual growth rate (CAGR) over the three most recent annual reporting periods.

The report goes on to outline its methodology further, outlining its criteria for inclusion, any exclusions that apply, and the data collection methods.

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World poetry day

MC — Tue, 21 Mar 2023 09:10:44 +0000

For #worldpoetryday we’ve created the following little rhyming poem to celebrate all that we do at Bluestones. What do you think of it?

In the world of talent, where recruiters reign,
Our company invests, to relieve their strain.
We scale and create wealth, with a strategy fine,
Building recruitment brands, that truly shine.

At the heart of our mission, our people we treasure,
Investing in talent, beyond any measure.
For we know that success, in this industry grand,
Is built upon people, and the strength of their brand.

With social impact, we’re committed and true,
To uplift and inspire, in all that we do.
Our values we live, and breathe every day,
In the pursuit of a vision, we’re well on our way.

Towards a billion in revenue, the Group’s eyes are set,
A phenomenal growth, that we won’t soon forget.
For we have a purpose, ambitious and clear,
To change the recruitment game, in the coming years.

With our partners together, we strive for new heights,
We push for growth, both day and night.
New startups we seek with fresh inspiration,
Who’ll find in us a true collaboration.

Our goal is to empower, to help you succeed,
With investments and support, we’ll take the lead.
With our people and values, we’ll make a difference true,
For the heart of our mission, is investing in you.

—————————

And would you have realised that this was mostly created with AI? It has been edited by a human to make it more relevant and readable, but the bulk of it was created with chat-GPT.

Whilst some people and companies try to hide their use of AI, or are concerned about the implications of these new tools, at Bluestones we tend to embrace technology and adapt to new innovations that can improve what we do, streamline our operations, and increase efficiencies.

We don’t think AI is here to replace humans any time soon, at least not in the recruitment sector, but it can certainly supercharge some of what we do.

It’ll be interesting to read any comments on this topic – not just about the poem itself, but about our publicly acknowledged use of AI.

Share your views on our LinkedIn post with this poem.

#CreatedWithAI #recruitment #recruitmentinvestment

Want to launch your own agency?

If you are looking for investment to launch your own recruitment agency or scale your existing company, find out more about what we offer in terms of investment and support via our investment division.

Find out more

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All things recruitment

MC — Mon, 06 Feb 2023 09:42:55 +0000

Bluestones Group today reveals its ‘all things recruitment’ concept, along with a new divisional structure and an all-new Group website.

The video below explains our all things recruitment approach to how we structure our business and how we operate in this industry.

Bluestones is widely regarded as one of the market-leading recruitment investment companies in the UK, with a portfolio of specialist recruitment and staffing services brands. Our growth has been phenomenal year-on-year and we’ve helped recruitment entrepreneurs realise their dreams of creating their own recruitment agencies, building their brands, and creating value. Much of this growth has been organic, applying our proven joint venture model and building out our network of businesses across the UK.

We’ve always been focused on telling the story of our brand portfolio and how through its balanced structure and our proven joint venture model, we’ve expanded across our chosen sectors and geographies, to build a high-growth, high-value business. However, this structural change is being introduced to reflect the expanded nature of what we offer as a Group.

Yes, we’ll continue to grow our core recruitment business through organic growth and targeted acquisitions and bolt-ons to our existing brands, but with the creation of our new investment division and investment fund, we’re actively inviting investment enquiries from recruiters that are looking to start their own agencies but want the support and extensive range of benefits that are available when partnering with Bluestones.

Want to launch your own agency?

Find out more

Recruitment

Within our Recruitment Division we have five core sectors, within which there are 20 recruitment and staffing service brands that operate from locations throughout the UK.

Investment

Our Investment Division is primarily focused on recruitment start-ups and scaling businesses through 100% funding and operational support, with equity ownership and exit strategies being just a part of the picture.

Support

Our Support Division provides specialist recruitment funding and payroll services to recruitment businesses throughout the UK, operating across the full spectrum of industries and sectors.

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Happy New Year

MC — Tue, 03 Jan 2023 09:00:27 +0000

Happy New Year from all of us at Bluestones Group

In 2022, we saw revenue and profitability records being broken, incredible growth, a third successive two-star Best Companies award, and successes across our balanced portfolio of recruitment and staffing service businesses.

So what will 2023 bring? More of the same, we hope; and for all our people, their clients and candidates, and the broader communities we work within – we wish you the very best for 2023.

And for those of you that decided this is the year you’ll launch your own recruitment business, then talk to us about the investment, funding and support we can provide. We provide a unique blend of investment and support to help create and launch new recruitment businesses using our proven joint venture model.

Investment CEO, Matt Cody added:

“Our proven approach to creating and launching recruitment businesses is just one of the many reasons recruiters are choosing to partner with Bluestones Group. With risk-free investment, extensive support, and unparalleled access to a well-established network of recruitment experts – there’s no reason to put off launching your new business with us.”

As well as announcing the company’s 2023 investment fund there are some exciting developments being planned for this year… so, watch this space.

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Insight from Alison

MC — Tue, 29 Nov 2022 12:47:48 +0000

Alison Drew, Bluestones Group’s Head of IT Services, talks to us about cyber security, IT challenges, the Group’s shared service functions, and her IT career to date.

As much as the Bluestones Group is a sales-focused portfolio of recruitment and staffing brands, there’s a core set of people and business functions that sit in the Group’s head office on the outskirts of Chester, providing a range of support services to the businesses within the Group. As Head of IT Services, Alison leads one of these support functions.

Can you tell us a little about your background at Bluestones?

When I started with Bluestones in January 2016, we consisted of 40 users across eight brands.

I began work as a Systems Implementation Manager looking at the technology used across the business and how we could adapt to the demands of the changing recruitment market as well as our ability to scale and support growth plans.

Since then, we have transformed the digital estate to accommodate the aggressive growth of the business, to support our users across multiple technology areas, and enable genuine remote collaboration.

Have you always worked in IT?

No and it wasn’t particularly planned either. I always had an interest in technology, but my background is within retail computer sales.

The exposure I received from my initial role with Bluestones, implementing new technology across the business, pointed me in a direction within IT where I could also be responsible for ongoing configuration, maintenance and security.

I have since been supported by the Group with my ongoing professional development and have achieved numerous accreditations within this field.

What does your role entail?

My role is fairly broad in that I’m ultimately responsible for ensuring the business has the technology solutions they need, streamlining work processes, and enabling them to compete in their chosen sectors.

What that means in practice is that my role is split into three main areas:

Reactive support
Continuous improvement
Future proofing / strategic oversight

Day-to-day my role is really varied, and I can be liaising with suppliers and third parties one day, to then being involved in IT security and governance meetings, interacting with stakeholders across the business, or managing the Group’s IT team and optimising our business IT processes.

The lockdown introduced a huge change to the way we all lived and worked. What did it mean for you, from an IT perspective?

Covid-19 provided us with a real-life experience to test our business continuity processes. By this point, we had already migrated the majority of our systems to the cloud and implemented device management systems. This allowed us to upgrade the remaining desktop devices within a short timescale and ensure all of our users were fully operational securely from their homes.

Having already largely migrated to a cloud-based infrastructure, we could switch quickly to fully remote working, ensuring minimal disruption for the business.

Cyber security is a hot topic right now. Where are you focusing efforts?

Cyber security is at the forefront of our minds with all new systems and technology we look to implement within the business.

All of our system suppliers need to comply with our IT security requirements prior to contracts being signed, to ensure the integrity of our data supply chain is upheld.

It’s also important we balance security needs with operational functionality and ease of use. We manage this through a layered technology approach, configured and controlled centrally.

As a Group, we take our IT security very seriously and this is demonstrated through the different accreditations we hold throughout the business (e.g. Cyber Essentials).

From your perspective, what are the benefits of the central service approach you provide to the Group’s portfolio of brands?

IT and technology underpins everything that we do. By implementing, maintaining and supporting the infrastructure centrally, it enables our brands to focus on what they specialise in… recruitment.

This enables us to be subject matter experts in the technology we provide and has enabled us to develop streamlined processes for onboarding new businesses and delivering standardised technology solutions out of the box.

What achievement are you most proud of?

I’m most proud of having migrated all of our business systems to the cloud and ensuring complete business continuity throughout the pandemic.

A close second, is our ongoing efficiency drive that has led to us becoming more proactive with the support we provide throughout the Group. Often, we are identifying, isolating and resolving problems before our end users have had the opportunity to notice something is wrong.

We’re continuing to improve and adapt with further technology projects in the future… watch this space!

Looking ahead, what are the biggest challenges we’ll face from an IT perspective?

Technology, generally, is moving faster than ever. So it’s important we review our service provision regularly, ensuring it’s streamlined, efficient, fit-for-purpose, and cost-effective.

By collaborating closely with other (support) departments within the Group’s Head Office we can effectively implement new technology quickly while focusing on delivering the optimal user experience for our internal employees, candidates and clients – and all without losing the human element.

More broadly, within the IT industry, we are still experiencing the repercussions of Covid with equipment shortages and ever-increasing costs. However, by embracing cloud technology early, we have been able to scale up in-line with business demands and I expect our capability in this area will continue to benefit the business.

And, finishing on a high… what do you think are the biggest opportunities too?

Technology is an ever-evolving field and we have the opportunity to continue embracing this to improve our user experience throughout the business – both internally and externally.

The biggest opportunities we have involve further automating our processes and systems, and integrating them more to enable our users to do what they do best… focus on the results.

Alison Drew

Alison Drew is Bluestones Group's Head of IT Services, with overall responsibility for our IT infrastructure, cyber security, hardware & software, and ensuring the people in our brand portfolio have the IT equipment and services to excel in their roles.

See our other insight articles

Insight from Mike

To help explain what it’s really like joining and being part of Bluestones, we felt it’d be easier to share insight from those who have

29/06/2022

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Winners of the BIG Awards 2022 announced

Kelly Croutear — Thu, 03 Nov 2022 14:13:35 +0000

On Friday 28th October, Bluestones Group came together to celebrate yet another successful, record-breaking year at our annual BIG Awards evening in at Chester Racecourse.

Sponsored by Bullhorn in 2022, the BIG Awards is an opportunity for brands from across the Group, as well as the central support services, to come together for an evening of food, drink, entertainment and celebration.

The focus of the event is people recognition, with awards recognising everything from the top billers across our divisions, to inspirational leaders and people who demonstrate our Group values every day. With the Group continuing to grow in headcount, 2022 saw our largest number of winners yet, with 27 awards being scooped up on the night.

Here’s the full list of our BIG Awards winners for 2022:

Top billing temporary consultant – Education

Top billing temporary consultant – Generalist

Top billing temporary consultant – Healthcare

Top billing temporary consultant – Technical

Top billing permanent consultant – Specialist

Top billing permanent consultant – Professional

Support awards

PACE – Passion

PACE – Accountability

PACE – Collaboration

PACE – Enjoyment

Outstanding achievement

Business of the year – Growth

Business of the year – Overall profitability

Inspirational Leadership

Employee of the Year

What is the prize for BIG Awards winners?

Every year, all award winners are treated to an award winners’ trip and this year we revealed that our winners will be jetting off to the sunny shores of Mykonos! You can watch the video of the big reveal below:

Previous trips have seen winners travel to locations across the world including Dubai, Ibiza and New York.

Although the evening focuses on people’s achievements, it is also an opportunity for colleagues across the Group to reconnect and celebrate together. This year, all attendees were treated to welcome drinks and canapes in the County Long Room at Chester Racecourse before enjoying a delicious seasonal three-course meal in the Pavilion suite.

Everyone then had the chance to let their hair down by trying their luck at the casino tables and dancing the night away to the sounds of DJ Daniel Chicken and Sick Trumpet. To top it all off the all-inclusive bar got everyone in the mood to celebrate!

Could you be one of our future BIG Award winners?

We value our people and recognise the importance of investing in them, which is why we constantly seek to attract and retain the right talent for the Group; people that respect out values and are committed to achieving our shared vision.

See our current opportunities

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New Bluestones Group Chairman appointed

MC — Mon, 01 Aug 2022 10:15:05 +0000

Bluestones Group is pleased to announce the appointment of Tim Trotter as its new Chairman.

Tim joins Bluestones as a successful entrepreneur with over thirty years’ experience in business and support services, financial services and media.

He currently has a wide variety of international interests which include both public and private companies.

Tim is Chairman of Glenfern, the leading management consultancy, Instinctif Partners, CC Group amongst others. He was a founding shareholder of Citywire and a co-founder of Luther Pendragon. Alantra UK, Alpha FMC, FC Business Intelligence, Fintel, Lucid, Nigel Wright and PEI Media were other successful business interests.

Prior to this, Tim was the Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive of Ludgate Group, the international business communications consultancy. He established operations in London, Brussels, Frankfurt, Hong Kong and New York and developed a joint venture in India. He was also responsible for the successful introduction of two leading private equity companies to the business: Cinven and Granville. Tim later initiated and implemented the sale of Ludgate to Interpublic and was subsequently appointed Deputy Chairman of Interpublic’s global PR business interests which included Weber Shandwick.

Commenting on Tim’s appointment, Group CEO Steve Pendergast said,

“Tim’s track record of entrepreneurship speaks for itself. He’s clearly going to be someone that can add value, speak from experience, and help support us in delivering our vision”.

On the appointment Tim also commented,

“Bluestones is an impressive business with a very successful track record and leadership team. I look forward to helping the team achieve their full and significant potential”.

You can find out more about the Bluestones Group by browsing this website.

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Cyber Essentials Plus accreditation

MC — Thu, 14 Jul 2022 16:08:57 +0000

Connex Education Partnership and Bluestones Medical have both now secured their Cyber Essentials Plus accreditation, in another important milestone for the Bluestones Group and its portfolio of brands.

With the businesses being holders and processors of sensitive personal information and other data, they must ensure they’re adequately prepared and fully secure. Although already operating to the highest standards, this Cyber Essentials Plus accreditation demonstrates the security levels they’re working to, and that the businesses have now passed their independently assessed Technical Audits.

As education and healthcare businesses, many of their clients operate within the public sector, and increasingly, cyber security compliance and holding suitable accreditations are now prerequisites for suppliers.

Cyber Essentials is a comprehensive framework from the Government’s National Cyber Security Centre that covers five technical control themes:

1. Firewalls
2. Secure configuration
3. User access control
4. Malware protection
5. Security update management

Group IT manager, Alison Drew commented,

“Managing the technical infrastructure and security requirements of our diverse portfolio of geographically spread businesses can be challenging at times, but we’ve got the right people, policies and technology in place to ensure we’re compliant, secure and operating efficiently”.

Many other brands within the Bluestones Group portfolio are already accredited to the level one Cyber Essentials accreditation, which has the “simplicity of approach” and protections required but without the hands-on technical verification required for Cyber Essentials Plus. Over time, the Group’s IT team is working to ensure all brands within the Group’s portfolio have Cyber Essentials or Cyber Essentials Plus accreditation in place.

More information about Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus is available HERE.

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