Archer Mathieson attracts two top performers to its HR recruitment team and opens London office

Archer Mathieson attracts two 'top performers' to its HR recruitment team and opens London office

Archer Mathieson attracts two ‘top performers’ to its HR recruitment team and opens London office

HR management recruitment specialist Gordon Whyte has left a senior role in Digby Morgan’s HR interim team to join Archer Mathieson, based at a new London office near Moorgate. A familiar figure in HR recruitment, Whyte is joined by former colleague Kerryn Hooper, another newcomer to Archer Mathieson, and a well-known City HR interim recruiter. Both were ‘top-billers’ at Digby Morgan.

Whyte leads a specialist interim HR team placing mid-to-senior level managers in interim roles throughout the UK. Together with Hooper, the team also includes Amanda Luke, with Archer Mathieson since 2007, and recent newcomer Lucy Martin, ex-Michael Page International. Whyte is also charged with establishing and growing Archer Mathieson’s first office outside the Thames Valley region.

Archer Mathieson chief executive Richard Wright said:

“These latest appointments and this first move beyond our traditional Thames Valley heartland are part of our strategic plan to be a much larger player in the executive search and interim management segments. Having a strong City presence is a logical step; it gives us operating synergies with our City-based sister companies as well as better access to clients and candidates.”

Commenting on his new role and the market for HR interims, Gordon Whyte said:

“In my previous role Archer Mathieson was my best competitor, so I already have a lot of respect for the firm.  There is a common narrative coming from the companies we’ve been speaking to recently: it’s about how best to execute significant, complex change programmes at lower personal risk. I think there’s increasing recognition that HR interims are a potent extra resource to get the certainty of results people want.

“Many companies have been through cost-cutting and downsizing phases and are now rebuilding, growing and strengthening their people resources. Assignments are typically centred on HR-led projects covering reward, organisational re-design, leadership development and employee re-engagement. But it’s very much a twin-speed market for HR interims; public sector recruitment decision making has slowed right down and is very risk-averse. By contrast, the private financial services sector is quite vibrant; for example, we expect forthcoming regulatory and compliance changes in the insurance sector to create new demand for HR interims in the City.”