Eximius Group

Jonathan Astbury joins Eximius Group

admin — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 12:04:47 +0000

Co-founder of Astbury Marsden, Jonathan Astbury, has joined Eximius Group.

Astbury’s financial services recruitment career spans over 20 years. In the early days, leading the banking finance team at Harrison Willis, Jonathan then founded banking recruitment firms Astbury Marsden and Sandton Group, specialising in middle office, risk, finance and front office recruitment.

Astbury now joins the Senior Finance team at Eximius, developing client relationships with top tier clients in the UK, the emerging markets and developing the company’s client base overseas.

Nick Stevens, CEO of Eximius Group, welcomes Astbury to Eximius Group: “We’re really excited that Jonathan has chosen to work at Eximius. He brings a wealth of recruitment knowledge and experience and we look forward to deepening reach into existing clients, and developing a new client base in the UK and International markets with him.”

Jonathan commented: “I’m delighted to join Eximius, the market fit and opportunity is a great fit for my background and expertise, and the positive, high tempo nature of the business made me confident this is the right place to make grow my career.”

Contact information
For any additional information regarding Eximius Group, please contact:

Nick Stevens
CEO, Eximius Group
nickstevens@eximiusgroup.com
+44 (0) 20 3003 5511

Or visit www.eximiusgroup.com

Eximius Technical Branches Out to Rail Recruitment

admin — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 12:03:06 +0000

LONDON, 8 December, 2011:
Engineering recruitment specialist Eximius Technical has launched its brand into the Rail sector with a new team headed by Mark Clinch.

Mark joins Eximius with over 11 years experience, having worked closely with the rail industry’s leading organisations. Mark built a recruitment business in London focussing on a similar opportunity with Ruillion Engineering Personnel.

Working from London, the new team will expand Eximius Technical’s sector coverage which currently includes Energy, Aerospace & Defence and Construction.

Brad Lewington, Director of Eximius Technical comments, “Mark has a superb reputation and a strong engineering background and we really excited about this new launch.”

Nick Stevens CEO of Eximius Group adds; “Diversifying our engineering capability is a core part of the strategy for Eximius Technical, and Mark Clinch is a really positive addition to the already strong leadership team in this division. We welcome Mark on board and wish him the best with this exciting initiative!”

Mark commented “Eximius Technical have developed a strong position in core markets over the past three years, the brand launch into Rail is a natural step to take and their unique culture and approach will offer a positive alternative to clients in the Rail Market.”

About Eximius Group
Eximius Group was founded in 2008 and now operates from London, Southampton and Dubai covering Financial Services, Engineering and Legal recruitment markets. Strong growth results for 2008 – 2010 and a very strong 2011 to date make Eximius one to watch as they move into a commanding role in their core markets. The Group thrives by offering highly professional service levels and providing clients with access to outstanding headhunted candidates across multiple industries.

Contact information
For any additional information regarding Eximius Group, please contact:

Nick Stevens
CEO, Eximius Group
nickstevens@eximiusgroup.com
+44 (0) 20 3003 5511

Or visit www.eximiusgroup.com

Eximius Group in the Recruiter Magazine Hot 100

admin — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 12:00:51 +0000

LONDON, 7th December, 2011:
Eximius Group is delighted to be included in the Recruiter Magazine Hot 100.

The list comprises the top 100 recruitment industry SMEs ranked by gross profit per employee. According to Agile Intelligence who compiled the report, the figures indicate how effectively an organisation uses the skills of its employees to generate profitable return for its shareholders.

This year sees a rise in the number of specialist recruitment consultancies, such as Eximius, who comprise 92% of the listed firms.

A slight improvement in overall recruitment industry spend in the UK this year has provided an opportunity for companies to focus developing their operations.

This is certainly true for Eximius, whose CEO Nick Stevens says that training the team is key to strong business growth: “Investment in training and developing our team has made us stronger and more profitable through 2011. The Hot 100 figures are based on 2010 metrics, and we will do even better in next year’s listings. It’s a really exciting time to be part of the recruitment sector, and part of the Eximius story!”

About Eximius Group
Eximius Group was founded in 2008 and now operates from London and Dubai covering Financial Services, Engineering and Legal recruitment markets. Strong growth results for 2008 – 2010 and a very strong 2011 to date make Eximius one to watch as they move into a commanding role in their core markets. The Group thrives by offering highly professional service levels and providing clients with access to outstanding headhunted candidates across multiple industries.

Contact information
For any additional information regarding Eximius Group, please contact:

Nick Stevens
CEO, Eximius Group
nickstevens@eximiusgroup.com
+44 (0) 20 3003 5511

Or visit www.eximiusgroup.com

Eximius Group Southampton Launch

admin — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 08:27:43 +0000

LONDON, 13 September, 2011:
Eximius Group is delighted to announce the opening of a new office in Southampton.

The new office based in Ocean Village will focus on the Technical side of the business – specifically within the Oil and Gas industry.

Leslie Hewlett joins Eximius to lead the Southampton Office; “I’m really excited about helping Eximius to continue their explosive growth into the technical recruitment market”, Leslie comments, “Eximius has made great progress into the Oil and Gas recruitment space in a short period of time, and I’m very excited about continuing to help build the business by increasing the Eximius contractor base within this market.”

With over 8 years experience within technical recruitment, Leslie will initially build a team of 4 consultants and develop the contractor base in Oil and Gas. Bradley Lewington, Managing Director of Eximius Technical comments; “This new office will not only strengthen and complement our existing client bases established from our London and Dubai offices but will also establish new business in the contract Oil and Gas industry”.

Nick Stevens, CEO, continues; “We’re extremely excited about this new venture and looking forward to building new client and candidate relationships through this new office.”

Contact information
For any additional information regarding Eximius Group, please contact:

Nick Stevens
CEO, Eximius Group
nickstevens@eximiusgroup.com
+44 (0) 20 3003 5511

Or visit www.eximiusgroup.com

Eximius Group Supports UK Emergency Services

admin — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 07:59:03 +0000

LONDON, 11 August, 2011:
Following the civil unrest throughout London and the UK this week, Eximius Group is proud to support our emergency services who have risked their lives to control the widespread disorder.

We have made a charitable donation to support three charities which provide support services for people injured in the line of duty within our police, fire and ambulance services. The charities are the Police Dependant’s Trust (http://pdtrust.org/), the Fire Fighters Charity (www.firefighterscharity.org.uk) and the Ambulance Service Benevolent Fund (www.asbf.co.uk). All donations will be equally split between the three charities.

We encourage all our stakeholders to donate and to help get the country back on track. Please visit www.justgiving.com/eximiusgroup.

Eximius Group CEO Nick Stevens comments “It has been an eventful week across the United Kingdom, and one of the few upsides is a revitalised sense of community. We’re grateful to our emergency services for their determined response, and pleased to promote donations to these very important causes. Please give generously!”

About Eximius Group
Eximius Group was founded in 2008 and now operates from London and Dubai covering Financial Services, Legal and Engineering recruitment markets. Strong growth results for 2008 – 2010 and a very strong 2011 to date make Eximius one to watch as they move into a commanding role in their core markets. The Group thrives by offering highly professional service levels and providing clients with access to outstanding headhunted candidates across multiple industries.

Contact information
For any additional information regarding Eximius Group, please contact:

Nick Stevens
CEO, Eximius Group
nickstevens@eximiusgroup.com
+44 (0) 20 3003 5511

Times are Hard For the Jobless Bankers

admin — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 16:05:32 +0000

LONDON, 08 August 2011
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/jobs/8687445/Bonfire-of-the-jobless-bankers.html

By Louisa Peacock

The bonfire of the bankers is upon us, but the thousands of banking staff faced with losing their jobs could have an extra thing to worry about. According to some headhunters, nobody will want to rehire them.

Banker-bashing has now become so ingrained in the British psyche that it has found its way into recruitment circles too. Where private sector companies in a range of industries would have once jumped at the chance of hiring ex-bankers, many now will not touch them with a barge pole, according to some executive search firms.

Moira Benigson, managing partner at The MBS Group, says: “In the past, there would have been companies who would have taken bankers on or had a look at them. It is different now. Bankers do not have such a good reputation any more.”

Benigson says that countless media headlines over the past few years portraying “greedy” bankers and their role in the credit crunch has left a bad smell in the air. “This makes it very difficult for [banking] people losing their jobs,” she says.

The question, then, for the 48,000 staff set to be made redundant from the UK’s major banks within three years, is where on earth will they go?

The banking sector is undergoing such change and uncertainty that those 48,000 jobs are not automatically set to return to the industry once things pick up again.

The difference in the banks’ lay-offs this time around is that they reflect a fundamental shift in the way banks will make their profits in future. New regulatory controls mean banks will have to shelve some business activities altogether. They can take fewer risks now than ever before – those eye-watering deals that went practically unnoticed for many years before the crisis are a thing of the past.

As Jonathan Nicholson, managing director at City recruitment firm Astbury Marsden, says: “It’s hard to make the instant profits banks made before the recession. It will get increasingly difficult as the [regulatory] environment gets tougher.

“As the banks come under increasing pressure to maximise shareholder returns, which have suffered for years, one of the only sure-fire ways of keeping costs down is reducing headcount – permanently,” Nicholson says.

More UK bank jobs will come under threat once the Independent Commission on Banking’s report, expected to recommend major and costly reforms, is published in September. RBS said as much on Friday when it rounded off a tumultuous week in the industry with a £794m half-year loss.

Privately, major FTSE 100 headhunters are worried the prospect for bankers in the UK is deteriorating. There has been talk of a mass exodus of talent abroad for a few years now, but they say the latest cost-cutting spiral will act as a catalyst for investment bankers keen to carry on living the high life to flee overseas. Hong Kong, Frankfurt and Paris are said to be favourable destinations at the moment, attracting the very best people.

Bankers also know that in the UK, there is already a queue of highly qualified and experienced people in their own sectors eager to find work after being made redundant, let alone an employer taking a gamble on someone from a different industry.

Unless those bankers leave the finance world altogether – and retrain or start at the bottom in a new industry – they are unlikely to get a new job very easily, the headhunters warn behind closed doors.

Benigson, whose firm places executives in the retail, hospitality, and technology sectors, says India and China are booming at present.

She says: “I don’t see how an investment banker would help my UK retail clients. Moving from financial services would be near impossible. You can only get into another sector if you have got very good transferable skills and a proven track record in that industry.”

The only exception is for those banking staff in “support” roles, she says, such as finance directors, human resources managers or IT professionals, who have transferable skills.

Benigson says: “Bankers have had a very good run of it for many years, earning much more money than in other sectors. Their champagne lifestyle is now out the window. They are just going to have to get on with it.”

It is not all doom and gloom for the UK’s bankers though. There are those with unique skills sets and contacts, which if harnessed properly, could see them set up their own private banks, small businesses, consultancies or advisory practices. They are not all going to give up on the UK without good reason.

Nick Stevens, chief executive of search firm Eximius, says: “The UK economy is overweight as far as financial services is concerned. But the majority of banking staff will find a home somewhere.

“Someone with an Oxbridge degree, an MBA and a few years experience in an investment bank is unlikely to sit around at home claiming benefits,” he adds.

Eximius Group’s Breakfast Briefing – AWR: Knowledge is Key

admin — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 15:37:04 +0000

LONDON, 3 August, 2011:
On Thursday 28^th July, Eximius Group held a breakfast briefing at Old Broad Street House, Liverpool Street. This event; AWR: Knowledge is Key, delivered important information and practical advice to Eximius’ key clients and partners regarding the introduction of the AWR Regulations this October.

At the event three prominent industry experts explained the impact of AWR from different perspectives:

Will Winch is a leading Employment Lawyer in London and works at Mishcon de Reya. Will is a specialist in the legal impact of AWR and advises many employers, recruitment process outsources and recruitment agencies on how to prepare for the legislative impact of AWR.

Janine Chidlow runs recruitment process outsourcer Resource Solutions UK business and spoke authoritatively on the operational impact of AWR for employers, recruiters and RPO providers. In the course of her work Janine works with many employers and helps them prepare for the new regulations.

John Chaplin is a Partner at KPMG and specialises in taxation. He covered all the tax implications of the new legislation.

Feedback from the event was extremely positive and many delegates have already showed interest in attending the next Breakfast Briefing in November. Sample feedback:

“The session was very professional and informative. The quality of the information provided by the speakers was excellent. The speakers also presented very well and kept the audience’s attention.”

“Initially I thought that given the subject matter the seminar would be far too long but it wasn’t and in fact it could have been longer as I had lots of questions. Very informative!”

“Very useful and informative session overall. A very good way of informing a number of people on key changes.”

“Excellent presentations, well timed and flowed. Very helpful to get a better understanding of how it will affect our contractor population.”

The session was chaired by Eximius Group Managing Director Ed Stevens who comments;

“Eximius Group is committed to empowering its clients with knowledge and information about new legislation and current issues in the workplace. These events are a great opportunity for our partners to gain important information from respected and experienced speakers as well as network with their peers.”

The next Breakfast Briefing is scheduled for November and will be entitled; “How to Become a Diverse Employer”.

To reserve your place please email: events@eximiusgroup.com

Eximius Group is a Finalist in the National Business Awards 2011

admin — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 07:15:24 +0000

LONDON, 2 August, 2011:

Eximius Group is proud to announce that it is a finalist in the National Business Awards. Eximius joins over 150 of Britain’s most innovative and sustainable public and private sector businesses taking part in the awards including; Debenhams, JD Wetherspoon, moneysupermarket.com, BSkyB and Majestic Wine.

As a finalist in “The Blackberry Growth Strategy of the Year” category, out of the 10 finalists Eximius is the only recruitment company in the shortlist. Other companies include; A1 Pharmaceuticals PLC, Fine+Rare Wines, TelecityGroup and Durbin PLC. Nick Stevens CEO of Eximius Group comments;
“It is an honour to be selected as a finalist of the National Business Awards. Eximius Group has always promoted exceptional growth and career development and being selected as a finalist for the Blackberry Growth Strategy of the Year Award by a body outside of the recruitment sector is a credit to the company. We look forward to completing the next stage of the judging process.”

The judging will be based on a ‘Dragon’s Den’ style presentation to a selected group of expert judges which will take place in September and October at the offices of Coutts & Co, London.

Baroness Bottomley of Nettlestone, Chair of Judges for the National Business Awards comments;
“The economic climate continues to present UK businesses with an unprecedented challenge: it is therefore particularly encouraging that the entries in this year’s National Business Awards have shown no drop in quality or performance. Congratulations to all finalists for demonstrating tremendous strength in their ability to adapt and innovate which no doubt reflects the resilience and optimism that are the hallmarks of UK enterprise”.

The winners of the National Business Awards will be announced at the gala dinner at the Grosvenor House Hotel, London, Tuesday 8th November, where George Osborne, the Chancellor of the Exchequer will deliver this year’s welcome address. Visit www.nationalbusinessawards.co.uk for a full list of all 2011 finalists.

- Ends –

About Eximius Group

Eximius Group was founded in 2008 and now operates from London and Dubai covering Financial Services, Legal, Engineering and Public Sector recruitment markets. Strong growth results for 2008 – 2010 and a very strong 2011 to date make Eximius one to watch as they move into a commanding role in their core markets. The Group thrives by offering highly professional service levels and providing clients with access to outstanding headhunted candidates across multiple industries.

Contact information
For any additional information regarding Eximius Group, please contact:

Nick Stevens
CEO, Eximius Group
nickstevens@eximiusgroup.com
+44 (0) 20 3003 5511

Or visit www.eximiusgroup.com

Unintended consequences strike again

admin — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 13:06:33 +0000

LONDON, 29 July 2011

http://www.cityam.com/news-and-analysis/bottom-line/unintended-consequences-strike-again

BOTTOM LINE

David Crow

ANOTHER piece of poorly thought-out regulation, another set of unintended consequences. At the start of this year, the European Commission imposed on its banks the most onerous regime governing bonuses in the world. The banks responded by jacking up salaries, something that started in 2009 when they attempted to avoid Labour’s 50 per cent bonus tax.

Since then, fixed compensation has continued to soar while bonuses have been culled. According to Eximius, the recruiter, salaries for so-called “revenue generators” have climbed by 54 per cent in the last two years. Staff at vice-president level now command a basic salary of between £110,000 and £140,000 against £70,000 to £90,000 in 2009, it says.

Before the populist assault on bonuses began, banks would respond to tough times by slashing variable compensation, enabling them to keep valued staff while shielding the bottom line. And there is no doubt about it: these are tough times. At Goldman Sachs, fixed income revenues fell by 63 per cent between the first and second quarter; at Credit Suisse they tumbled 76 per cent; and JP Morgan saw them fall 18 per cent.

With salaries so high, banks have little option but to lay off staff, especially as many are eking out a return on equity in the single digits. The number of job cuts could run into the tens of thousands, which is bad news for the global economy. Because these people aren’t just revenue generators – they’re wealth generators too.
david.crow@cityam.com

The clock is ticking against UK bank jobs

admin — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 09:56:38 +0000

LONDON, 29 July 2011

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/banksandfinance/8669065/The-clock-is-ticking-against-UK-bank-jobs.html

Thousands of job losses in the banking sector is probably not what George Osborne meant when he started talking about rebalancing the British economy.

A greater focus on high-value manufacturing – a return to the glory days of UK exporting and a lesser reliance on services – is an admirable goal.

But the desired switch in the British economy isn’t yet taking place, or at least not smoothly, according to experts. Slow growth in manufacturing, coupled with a slew of job cuts in financial services, suggests Britain must face up to a host of challenges before it sees sustainable and better-balanced growth in the future.

Philip Shaw, chief economist at Investec, said a substantial increase in the number of manufacturing jobs available, rather than a decline in banking jobs, would signal the UK was on the right track. But there are too many barriers – not least the anaemic economic environment, he said.

“The recovery is ongoing but it remains fragile,” he said. “One of the risks is that unemployment begins to rise significantly, which creates a downward pressure on consumer spending. I’m sure that’s not what the Government wanted.”

The intensifying regulatory pressure on banks – as a direct result of the financial crisis – has contributed to job losses in the sector, he added.Banks are having to spend more time focusing on meeting mandatory requirements imposed on them whilst trying to improve profitability. The first thing to go is headcount, which is by far the biggest spend in any company.

Andrew Gray, UK banking leader at accountants’ PricewaterhouseCoopers, and who jointly authors the quarterly CBI/PwC financial services report, said banks were under “immense” pressure to remain in the black while coping with the new legislative demands post-crisis. He said: “The ongoing increase in regulation and the general expectation of risk management means the burden of requirements for banks, and doing their best to keep up with the new standards, creates a mandatory spend. Banks now expect to spend even more than anticipated on compliance over the next year.”

The fresh wave of cost-reduction plans was a direct side effect of banks adapting to the likes of the Basel III agreement on global capital requirements, for example.

The latest CBI/ PwC report shows business volumes fell slightly in the three months to June, but the sector expects a more evident fall in volumes next quarter. Banks also reported that business volumes were below normal and their cost base grew, the survey of 104 companies, showed.

It is, perhaps, inevitable that the likes of Credit Suisse, UBS, Lloyds and HSBC have all revealed job loss plans.

Credit Suisse, which yesterday said it plans to cut 4pc of its headcount across the group as part of a Sfr1bn cost-cutting plan, said slightly more than 2,000 roles would be cut. The cuts have already begun in Britain and are a “necessary response to this environment”, David Mathers, the bank’s chief financial officer said.

The announcement came hot on the heels of its crosstown rival UBS, which said it would reduce staff numbers but refused to specify how many. Elsewhere, in the UK, Lloyds announced 15,000 job cuts at the end of last month, followed by HSBC which said it would cut 700 roles. Across the Atlantic, US financial giant Goldman Sachs said it would make 1,000 posts redundant.

Banking headhunters say the banks vastly overestimated how many staff they would need coming out of the “W-shaped” recession, when the market picked up slightly after the huge drop.

Nick Stevens, chief executive of search firm Eximius Group, said: “Predicted 2011 banking profits have not met expectations for the first half of the year. Many financial services businesses have relaxed the pace of their hiring and we expect this trend to continue for this year.”

Sonamara Jeffreys, of Korn/Ferry Whitehead Mann, said: “We have seen a marked difference in the hiring market in banking recently. Poor second-quarter results combined with the uncertain economic outlook have resulted in a considerable slowdown for many banks.”

A less flexible environment to do business means banks will have to ask themselves what an acceptable level of trading is in future, according to Jonathan Nicholson, managing director at City recruitment firm Astbury Marsden. “There is a mismatch of expectations about what can be achieved in the new environment. Some people are trying to make it happen and others are just sitting back waiting for results to come in,” he said.

More job losses were on their way this year, as banks cut out the bottom 15pc in some functions – usually they trim 5pc at this stage, he said.

While bankers won’t get much sympathy over job cuts, according to Mr Gray, London’s financial services industry should remain central to Britain’s growth strategy. The Government must prevent rules from becoming too overbearing which threaten to stifle competitiveness, he said.