CANDIDATES:

“People look for different things in a recruitment consultant. For me it is having an unlimited source of contacts and industry knowledge, being open and honest in their dealing with me, working for me and ensuring the opportunities they put me forward for are a hand in glove fit to my skills and experiences. Sally has all of the above behaviours and has every time worked hard with her team to source the right opportunities for me. Furthermore I can honestly say that Sally is just, and quite simply a very nice person to work with and has fulfilled my expectations of a trustworthy, honest, knowledgeable recruiter.” Interim Procurement Unit Officer – The Home Office

“I have enjoyed extremely professional and supportive service from Sheila and I will forever promote her enthusiasm and refreshingly open outlook on recruitment opportunities and trends.
She has broadened my career through successfully promoting me for challenging roles in new industries as well as introducing me to opportunities with a wide spectrum of organisations and business environments. Forever pro-active, positive and capable of delivering a good match of candidates for clients challenging requirements, I can thoroughly recommend her recruitment management skills.” Interim Procurement Consultant

“I have had the privilege of working with Tom in transitioning to a new position that offers the opportunity to grow both soft and hard skills that are marketable in the new economy. He is a consummate professional that communicates frankly, follows up timely and negotiates fairly.” Procurement Director – Revlon

“I have worked with 1st Executive for a number of years now and have found them to be excellent at their job - both in terms of professionalism, and also how hard they work to find their candidates the right roles. They develop long lasting and high-value relationships which yield results.
They are helpful, providing support across every step of the journey between identifying roles and matching them to the right profiles, and also when supporting interview prep, and on boarding candidates, and are always positive even when things get tough. I could not recommend 1st Executive highly enough.” Senior Procurement Manager - Nike

“Sally is a very experienced and capable director who has a great deal of common sense, integrity and a strong understanding of procurement. It has been a pleasure to work with her.”  Interim Procurement Consultant HSBC 

“I would just like to let you know that Samir has been excellent during the whole process of my recruitment phase. He has been very professional and prepared me for my interview with Inmarsat to a high level, which has led me to receiving a job offer in a very short space of time and which I have accepted. He has been thoroughly professional and a joy to work with.” Sourcing Specialist – Inmarsat

“During my search for a new position, I searched internationally, more specifically in Western Europe. Tom was my key go-to contact in Europe to discuss opportunities I found as well as some he presented to me. He is trustworthy, very positive, and attentive to details, as well as well informed and knowledgeable about the professional areas I was looking for.” Head of Procurement – FMC

“Jim's preparation and attention to the small details were exceptional and he guided me through the different steps which resulted in a very successful outcome, with the company making an offer the same day. I wholeheartedly recommend Jim as a point of contact if you are looking for an interim role.” Former Purchasing Specialist – Novartis 

“Samir was a great help in securing my latest position with Value Retail, from initially recommending the position and employer through to making sure that I was well informed and prepared for interviews throughout. He made a real effort to consider my career aspirations and motivations to make sure he found me a great match. Not only that, but he is a very pleasant chap as well! Highly recommended for great service and great personality!" Procurement Operations – Value Retail

“All of the things that disappoints people about recruiters - Rebecca was none of these things. Quite the opposite. She managed my hunt with exceptional transparently, always acting, and sharing information with me, in my interests alone. Interview prep was through and the whole process was well-organised. This makes me confident I would get a real, end-to-end recruitment service if I hired 1st Executive, rather than the all-too common stumbling round in the darkness hoping to get lucky approach that many recruiters sadly take. I am so pleased with her approach I would highly recommend both Rebecca and 1st Executive to any colleague or friend.” Software Procurement Manager - BT​

CLIENTS:

“I have been in regular contact with Tom for the last few years.  As an experienced international CPO in the consumer goods industry I know just what a crowded market there is for executive search.  I probably get two or three unsolicited calls per week from companies hoping to meet our recruitment needs. I cannot possibly respond to all of them, but am always happy to talk to Tom due to his deep understanding of the market overall and his excellent intelligence on current moves and people.  He's one of the few who really knows all the key players and what's happening to them and their companies.”  Former CPO at Beiersdorf

“1^st Executive really outperformed the other agencies we used.  We didn’t end up interviewing any other candidates other than the ones they sent in and we could have offered both of the shortlisted candidates the role.  The other agencies said it was a very difficult to fill role (which I would agree with) but we got a great result here.  This is particularly impressive as 1^st Exec weren’t on our PSL and they managed to get onto that through the official routes and outperform those on the PSL – impressive!”  Procurement Manager – Samsung

“1^st Executive is excellent at finding and matching candidates to roles, and navigating through the hiring process. I was impressed with the consultant’s ability - over the phone, to perceive concerns from just the slightest modulation in my voice. I recommend them for all your toughest searches.” Global Commercial Director – O-I

“A true supplier partner. Excellent communication and relationship; quick to provide accurate market intelligence and  they understand the market so provide strong candidates. I'm confident that when they have a candidate offered that they are on top of the compliance and I do not have to chase them. They are essential to the Procurement tier. I enjoy working with them” Reed Global MSP

“Tom is a sharp professional with a personable way of interacting and a good sense of match between the potential employer and the candidate. What I appreciated about working with Tom was his quick follow up to any questions and his ability to provide solutions to challenging negotiations. Tom is also very resourceful and knowledgeable about the job market and is up to date with the market developments. I highly recommend Tom as a recruiter of choice. “ Global Sourcing Manager – Danone

“Rebecca was called in to help with a recruitment campaign that was going nowhere fast. Her knowledge of the market and approach produced excellent results quicker than expected.” Senior Commercial Adviser – Southern Water

“Kimberley is a first class recruiter. I had a really tricky role to fill (to be honest I didn't think we would fill it and other agencies told me they couldn't). As Kimberley had helped me find work we signed 1st Exec up to our very tightly controlled PSL. She was the only consultant to send in solid CVs and very quickly found an absolute diamond. She is very personable, professional and just knows her business. Top marks!”  Interim Head of Procurement – GSK