A fast-growing recruitment agency has celebrated its third year in business by signing a new, extended lease at the BIC.
Laura Gillespie set up her eponymous Gillespie Recruitment business in May 2021 having spent three decades working in various recruitment, media sales, marketing and fundraising roles.
Fostering a desire to do things her own way and work for herself, she set the agency up to provide specialist solutions for businesses operating in niche sectors such as digital, healthcare and finance.
Fast-forward three years and the company, which started out as a one-woman-band, now employs five people and serves clients the length and breadth of the UK, from small businesses through to major corporates.
Reflecting on the past three years, she said: “I set the agency up to work with niche clients across the North East initially, but it wasn’t long until we found ourselves working nationally with some quite big companies.
“We take pride in the fact that we do recruitment differently by working very, very closely with our candidates and our clients to get the exact niche person for the role, which is what I think has helped set us apart.
“Every role we recruit for is not just about finding someone with the right experience and qualifications, but also spending time to see if they are the right fit for the organisation, it works for both parties and we’ve done a great job of that so far.”
The agency’s growth has resulted in it signing a new, three-year lease on its existing workspace at the North East BIC, and with plans in the pipeline to continue growing over the next 12 months, Laura is confident about the company’s future.
“We moved to the BIC because I’d worked here previously for other employers and I always found the team really supportive,” she said. “They were always there for you and I like the fact that I could come in, take a small office, and grow at a pace which suited the needs of the business.
“They have literally supported us from day one. We have got a really good relationship with the business advisers here, in fact, everybody on the team is always willing to go above and beyond to help.
“As a new business owner, it was very different from being a recruiter and so I had a lot to learn but to look back over the past three years, it’s great to reflect on how much I’ve learned.
“Looking forward however, it’s an exciting time for us. We’re approaching year four, which will hopefully see us continue to grow our team, so we are all excited to see what else it has in store.
“Hopefully I can also begin to take a step back ever so slightly and have other people leading the ship for me!”