16. Forsyth Barnes

Founder: Scott Parsons and Roheel Ahmad
Founded: January 2015
Website: www.forsythbarnes.com

Billed as “the right people to find the right people”, entrepreneurs Scott Parsons and Roheel Ahmad have built a mini-recruitment empire in the space of just two and a half years.

Founding Forsyth Barnes in January 2015, their executive appointments consultancy seeks to put employee engagement at the centre of everything it does.

Admitting the industry as a whole has a somewhat “unfortunate” reputation with a large degree of scepticism attached to it, the duo’s goal is to bring back the relationship aspect to the recruitment process.

Targeting executives who can command salaries of up to £250,000, Forsyth Barnes offers clients both a retained and contingent model – with the former attaching a fee for both the search and placement of a candidate, while the latter allows for a fee only once the candidate is placed.

Working with over 118 high profile clients at present, its customers range from tech start-ups to larger financial services and renowned retailers.

Originally London-based, 2017 has seen the business expand and open a second office in Parsons’ native city of Nottingham. Across both bases, the start-up now has a total of 21 employees, with plans to increase this number to over 30 by the end of 2017.

Achieving 100% year-on-year growth, Forsyth Barnes turned over £2m for 2016 – with this number expected to topple the £4m mark for the end of 2017.

Already discussing a bigger move for their Nottingham branch in the coming year, Ahmad and Parsons are eyeing up international expansion in the years ahead and, while recruitment is a highly competitive industry, Forsyth Barnes shows signs of real staying power.