Scottish recruitment agency Eden Scott is on course to increase turnover to more than £13 million for the first time this year as the business prepares to celebrate its 20th anniversary.
The firm was set up in 2003 by founding directors Michelle Lownie, Guy Martin, and Chris Logue, and has since grown to become one of Scotland’s premier independent recruitment agencies connecting tens of thousands of candidates with hundreds of clients including Skyscanner, The Bank of New York, and Glenmorangie in three separate decades.
Pre-tax profits are on track to reach £1m – a rise of 10 per cent YOY – at the Edinburgh-founded recruitment business, driven by a strong Scottish jobs market and growth in key industries including tech, renewables, healthcare, hospitality, life sciences, and even the nation’s burgeoning space industry.
Turnover is set to rise from £10.3m to £13.4m this financial year – an increase of more than 30 per cent – as the business continues to thrive despite challenging economic conditions caused by factors including the rising costs of doing business, the conflict in Ukraine, and the lasting impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Lownie, Eden Scott’s chief executive, said: “The Scottish jobs market remains extremely buoyant, and our growth over the past year or so shows the value companies place on effective talent acquisition.
“Sectors including energy, renewables, semiconductors, the space industry, and technology – particularly start-ups – are seeing significant investment and with that comes growth, and there is huge demand for talent to facilitate it.
“Our industry specialist teams are working closely with clients to identify where that talent comes from – from within those industries or outside; on these shores or from overseas – and attract them to Scotland through our programmes and initiatives such as Talent Spark.
“We have a strong, people-focused approach to recruitment built on client and candidate relationships developed over years, not single projects or transactions, and the success of that approach is what continues to set Eden Scott apart.”
Eden Scott has worked with some of the biggest names in more than 15 sectors during its 20 years in business, including financial services giant BlackRock; the NHS; whisky giant Glenmorangie; and world-leading Scottish tech enterprises such as Pufferfish and Skyscanner – both beneficiaries of Eden Scott’s Talent Spark start-up programme.
Speaking as Eden Scott prepares to mark its 20th anniversary in May this year, Lownie said overcoming difficult periods such as the Covid-19 pandemic and the 2008 economic crash has helped the firm navigate recent global challenges, leaving the company ideally positioned for further growth.
She said: “The pandemic accelerated the evolution of the company. It taught us that volume is not always the key to success, and we are more focused and determined, and keep a sharp eye on day-to-day operations with eyes on the future.
“For example, in 2008 our biggest sector was construction, which virtually died overnight, and we had to adapt. Whilst it ultimately led to the birth of our renewables and energy division – now one of our most successful – I believe we were too slow to react.
“This time we have been far more agile, proactive, and forward thinking and identified sectors and industries likely to thrive and invested resources there. We are well aligned with industries that have to grow, for example through government-mandated sustainability targets.
“Spotting which industries are likely to be affected by an economic downturn early and making contact with consultants to cement those relationships has also been important to prevent competitors from moving in and putting us in a far better position to expand further.”
Looking to the future, Lownie said continued investment in tech and energy sectors, as well as Scotland’s thriving start-up community keep the outlook strong for the business and the market, adding Eden Scott will continue to support Scottish entrepreneurs through its Talent Spark programme.
She added: “We have supported the entrepreneurial economy to grow in this country and been there to support the accelerators at every stage of the journey and now support scaling companies to grow.
“Scotland has always been stable and entrepreneurial, with an abundance of owner managed businesses, and our success in supporting them through Talent Spark has been about beginning and maintaining those relationships as those businesses grow.
“Our aim will always be to connect great people with great organisations. We don’t want to be transactional recruiters. It’s why we stay away from high volume, low margin businesses. It’s more about putting key people into businesses. We may not compete on volume, but we excel on value.”