Edinburgh recruiter Denholm set for double-digit revenue growth

Denholm, the Edinburgh-headquartered executive search and recruitment agency that specialises in marketing, sales and commercial professionals, says it is on track for double-digit revenue growth in 2019 amid burgeoning demand from expanding tech firms.

Ciaran Ahern and Nicki Denholm of Denholm. Picture: Anastasia Banks.

The recruiter, whose client base includes Skyscanner, Virgin Money, Hilton Worldwide and VisitScotland, also highlighted how it has invested “significantly” during the year to keep pace with a fast-changing business environment.

Nicki Denholm, the firm’s founder and executive chair, said this year’s focus has been capitalising on a changing marketplace.

“Our client profile, particularly in Edinburgh, is moving rapidly towards businesses and job titles that didn’t exist ten years ago. We have seen a huge upturn in demand for marketing and sales people for Scotland’s next generation of tech start-ups and scale-ups.

"And where this market intersects with more traditional Scottish industries in the form of the booming fintech sector, new roles are being created all the time, particularly in managing and analysing data including to power more efficient client communications.”

Ahern was previously at Search Consultancy where he spent more than two decades working primarily across IT, digital and business change.

Innovation

Nicki Denholm added: “When you look at the whole area of data, Edinburgh and Scotland have a reputation for innovation, and Ciaran will be spearheading our growth into related markets.

"In Edinburgh alone, you have world-class facilities at [the University of] Edinburgh’s School of Informatics and Heriot-Watt University’s Grid, supported by investment through the City Region Deal, and from start-ups to scale-ups trough to more established companies the demand for people in new and evolving roles is only going to increase.”

The firm has also continued to invest in new digital platforms with talent attraction tool Scout and digital adverting profile BrandBox in 2019.

August saw the launch of Scout, which is designed to help clients scale up by beating the ongoing talent shortage.

Denholm added: “Our proposition centres on our ability to attract people talent that clients can’t find themselves. Scout and BrandBox underpin this approach.”

In November 2018, the firm announced that it had been chosen to be the UK partner of Vienna-headquartered global executive search group Talentor. Denholm was founded in 2002 and its client base also includes Nucleus Financial, Appointedd and Edrington Beam Suntory.