Recruitment firm poised to pass £10 million mark

A fast-growing recruitment firm that specialises in the oil and gas sector is poised to pass the £10 million turn­over mark after opening an office in Dubai.

Leith-based Advance Global Recruitment (AGR), which was set up in March 2011 by Stuart Hunter and Cameron Taylor, is now planning to open a United States base in Houston after winning contracts from Bibby Offshore and Transocean.

Operations director Alister Gray will move to America to launch the office.

Gray said: “The market in the US has really bounced back since the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Our US office will specialise in areas including drilling and inspection and survey work with remotely-operated vehicles (ROVs).

“We’ll also be looking at the growth of the fracking industry in North America.”

Closer to home, the business is also beginning to expand into the renewable energy market, including placing workers in the offshore wind sector and using ROVs.

Taylor said the firm’s turnover will grow to £6m this year from £2.7m last year, putting AGR on course to smash the £10m mark next year.

AGR – which lists Shell, Total and Wood Group among its clients – has grown to employ 15 people in Leith and three in its Dubai office.

One of its latest recruits is Declan Ross, 18, who joined the firm under a training programme run by Right Track, a Glasgow-based charity that helps young people and long-term unemployed workers to find jobs.

Hunter said: “We’ve been very pleased with Declan’s work and it’s nice to be able to give something back to the community by supporting an organisation like Right Track.”