11. Forsyth Barnes

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

Scott Parsons and Roheel Ahmad are the “right people to find the right people”.

Both had successful careers in recruitment, with Ahmad growing a complete business unit as the youngest ever member of a senior management team, and Parsons leading the fastest growing and most profitable division within the business he worked at.

In January 2015, the pair joined forces to create an antidote to the recruitment industry standard of businesses being led by quantity and KPIs ahead of quality.

Coming in at 16 in last year’s Startups 100 and making its last appearance in the Startups 100 2018, Forsyth Barnes is an executive appointment consultancy that uses profiling, mapping and technology to place candidates either on a retained or contingent basis.

It also provides interim consultancy staffing solutions across the UK and internationally, primarily to aid the delivery of large scale change and transformation programmes.

On the retained model, the business receives a fee for search and delivery, but only takes a fee upon the delivery of a candidate for the contingent model.

Three years since launch and Forsyth Barnes  – nominated in two categories at the Startups Awards 2017 – now works with over 145 clients including several tech start-ups, large financial services organisations, consumer goods businesses, and sport companies.

This fast growth has enabled the business’ to ramp up its headcount from just two employees to more than 30 and has led to the opening of three offices in London, Leeds and Nottingham over the last two years.

What’s in store for the next 12 months? Founders Parsons and Ahmad say this year could be the one where the business makes its first leap beyond UK shores with one of its longest standing member of staff already scoping out the potential for a new office in New York.

While recruitment is a hugely competitive industry, Forsyth Barnes has built an early reputation and this look to only be further cemented in years to come.