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UK & Ireland
Golden opportunity for innovative staffing specialists as recruitment industry hits third year of growth. Hybrid workforce solutions provider Gibbs S3 grows three times faster than industry average as demand for tech roles soars
As the UK’s economic recovery continues to pick up pace, the staffing sector has seen three years of successful momentum thanks to leading firms in fast-growth industries such as technology and financial services. The most agile recruitment and staffing firms now have a powerful opportunity for growth as the top international blue chip brands look to expand their workforce.
One of the leading examples in the sector is Gibbs S3, a WEConnect International certified women-owned business, which is celebrating record growth in its 10th year of business with revenue growing 29% to reach £32.24m, and is on track to hit £46m this year, demonstrating impressive growth of 42%. The company has established an experienced senior team to meet the needs of international clients, and has seen global revenue grow to £180m. Its US operations were recently ranked as the 17th largest staffing firm in the country by industry analysts SIA.
The innovative company’s growth far outstrips the industry average, with research from Deloitte and the Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCO) reporting weighted average growth of 12% in the UK, and SIA finding US growth to average between six and nine percent.
Gibbs S3’s rapid global growth stems from a pioneering hybrid workforce solution, which sees the firm specialise in providing both high quality technology staffing solutions and project consultancy to some of the biggest companies in the world. The unique approach was created to provide a single service that meets all of the increasing workforce demands facing global firms in sectors including financial services, pharmaceutical, FMCG, and oil and gas.
Mike Everest, who joined Gibbs S3 as Financial Controller two years ago, has helped oversee the company’s rapid international expansion through purely organic growth and the company is now targeting strategic acquisitions to maintain momentum. An industry veteran, Mike previously managed the finance functions at Sopra UK through a major period of growth, and was highly involved in merger and acquisition activities. He was instrumental in Sopra’s successful acquisition of IT consultancy firm Newell & Budge, where he had previously served as Financial Controller for 10 years.
He comments:
“It’s an exciting time for staffing specialists as the economy picks up and companies of all sizes look to expand with new staff and projects. We have seen unprecedented demand for technical specialists as technology becomes an essential driver for growth in all business sectors. Tech sector firms themselves are also growing three times faster than the UK GDP. Our focus is firmly on mitigating any risk a client may face when hiring a new employee, and ensuring that they reap the rewards of finding the best candidate for each role. Gibbs S3 specialises in providing leading companies with access to the best tech talent in the industry based on a real understanding of their business challenges, which puts us in an ideal position to secure rapid growth alongside them.”
Farida Gibbs, Founder and CEO of Gibbs S3, adds:
“There is a huge demand in the market for skilled workers, but staffing providers now need to go the extra mile to secure opportunities ahead of the competition. Gibbs S3’s unique hybrid model has enabled us to meet both long-term resourcing and short-term project consultancy needs in a single quality solution, enabling our customers to focus on their growth. Our bespoke, tailored approach also removes the risk inherent in the hiring process by ensuring candidates always fit the needs of the business.”
Gibbs S3, also known as GS3, is a privately held, certified Woman-Owned Business Enterprise (WBE) and Ethnic Minority Controlled Business (EMB) founded in 2005 by CEO Farida Gibbs. Headquartered in Surrey and with offices in London, Manchester and Cheshire, Gibbs S3 has pioneered a hybrid approach to workforce solutions that includes IT staff, business change and project solutions.
Through its partnership with leading American firm S3 in 2009, Gibbs S3 now has global reach and can offer services across the world. The company is headquartered in the UK and has operations in North America and Eastern Europe. It most recently established an offshore/onshore development centre in Lithuania. The UK operations are a major driver in the company’s global growth, with turnover increasing by 38% in 2014, far outstripping the market growth of 6-7% estimated by industry analysts SIA. UK revenue is due to reach £46m in 2015, with a global revenue of £180m. Gibbs S3 combines the agility of a start up with world-leading resources, and the US operations were recently ranked as the 17th largest staffing form in the country by SIA.
Gibbs S3 is a tier 1 supplier to FTSE100 clients and its globally aligned model allows it to meet the ever growing requirements and needs of its worldwide customer base, with global brands across sectors including oil and gas, pharmaceuticals, consumer goods and financial services.
Its suite of services includes RPO (Recruitment Process Outsourcing), SOW (Statement of Work), payroll services, project solutions and MSP (Managed Service Provisions), and it is a contingent labour master supplier. The company prides itself on innovation and quality at speed, with an emphasis on the importance of customer care.
Gibbs S3 is the only corporate-level firm to be certified and Ethnic Minority Controlled Business (EMB) by MDSUK and has also been certified as a Woman-Owned Business (WBE) by WEConnect International. The firm has also received ISO 27001 and 14001 certifications for information security management and environmental management.
