Glasgow recruitment start-up Two Rivers heads for a million

Two Rivers Recruitment founder Eddie Finnigan spent several years working in the UK and abroad,primarily Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Picture: Contributed

Building upon his track record in the aerospace and oil industries, Two Rivers Recruitment founder Eddie Finnigan has built up a database of thousands of candidates in the field of technical engineering.

The venture, which was set up at the start of 2018, also has strong lines in the hospitality and human resources sectors. It is on course to break through the £1 million turnover mark in the current financial year.

Finnigan said: “We have certainly exceeded our expectations for the first couple of years. I don’t want to put a cap on what it is that we can ultimately achieve – we’re just going to continue growing and see where it goes.”

The expanding agency has plans for further diversification, particularly in the field of hospitality. Its largest client is currently defence and engineering giant BAE Systems, with which it has three separate long-term contracts.

Finnigan studied business management at what is now the Paisley Campus of University of the West of Scotland before going on to earn his MBA at Strathclyde Business School.

Corporations

He then spent several years working in the UK and abroad, primarily Saudi Arabia and the UAE, for large corporations such as BAE, Emirates Airlines and oil giant Schlumberger.

He was living in Dubai in 2013 when his mother was diagnosed with cancer, prompting his return to his home city of Glasgow. That created the opportunity to set up on his own, which he did by purchasing the local franchise for Select Appointments, part of UK giant Staffline.

After three years he left the network to launch his own business and then started trading as Two Rivers in January 2018.

"I’d say what I enjoy most is the ability to create employment opportunities for people," Finnigan added. "That, and having the freedom to make our own decisions as an independent business."