Cooper Lomaz recruits to address market demand

Cooper Lomaz recruits to address market demand

Quick to perceive and respond to burgeoning demands from engineering sector industries in East Anglia, Norfolk and Suffolk based specialist recruitment agency, Cooper Lomaz, has expanded the 50-year experience of its engineering recruitment team.  No fewer than four new consultants joined the company in 2011.  Sean O’Connell and Faye Lewis both took up their posts in May, to be followed by Dan Benson in September and Chris Beech in October.

Sean O’Connell was new to recruitment, but was attracted by the Cooper Lomaz professional approach and its solid reputation within the recruitment industry.  With a Diploma in Engineering, and having gained experience in the automotive sector, Sean is most excited by the sales aspects of his new position, which comes with responsibilities for Suffolk and Essex.  “I’m finding plenty of employment opportunities, particularly in design engineering,” Sean comments.   “The challenge is finding enough people with the right skills to satisfy the needs of potential employers.”  On the personal front, Sean likes to keep fit by playing tennis and squash.

Previously on a graduate management programme with a nationally recognised car hire company, Faye Lewis from Norfolk also joined Cooper Lomaz in May.  She takes responsibility for the Norfolk market, and says she is finding it “exciting, with lots happening in design engineering, R&D and product development.”  Faye, like all technical consultants, is experiencing a candidate-led market - companies with full order books and suitable candidates in short supply.  “However,” she says, “I’m finding that employers are being very flexible and are increasingly willing to take on graduates with no experience and people from other industry sectors who need retraining.”  Faye loves the rural life in Norfolk where she keeps fit, swims and walks with her dogs.

Dan Benson’s previous experience was gained from both the specialist and commercial recruitment sectors nationally and more recently in Norwich; he was aware of, and impressed by, Cooper Lomaz’s reputation in the industry.  His responsibility for oil, gas and renewable energy comes at an exciting time, and he is currently recruiting for a number of specialist technical roles more especially in the offshore wind sector.  He comments: “This is a young market, and because of this, there is an inherent lack of experience and the necessity for significant retraining.  However I have identified many opportunities, especially in the decommissioning of oil and gas platforms.”  Dan lives in Lowestoft and lists amongst his recreational activities fishing, rugby and motor sports.

Last but by no means least is Chris Beech, who joined Cooper Lomaz in October.  On moving to Ipswich from Birmingham to be with his partner, Chris brought with him four years’ valuable experience in the specialist and technical recruitment sector.  In his area of responsibility of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Chris is finding a big demand from employees - greater than the number of available candidates.  “Candidates can almost have their pick of employers,” comments Chris.  In his leisure time, Chris is a keen footballer.

All four team members report to Business Manager Emma Painter, who leads Cooper Lomaz’s Technical team.  She comments, “Since May, we have done for ourselves what we do most successfully for others – we have recruited four very capable consultants to fill the requirements of our clients.  Sean, Faye, Dan and Chris will strengthen our Engineering recruitment team to take us forward into the exciting times ahead.”