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The Best HR Recruitment Agencies & HR Recruiters in the UK

Are you looking for your next HR role? Perhaps you need to hire a new member for your HR team. Or maybe you’re making redundancies and want to help your colleagues who are losing their jobs? If this is you, here is a list of the best UK-based HR Recruitment Agencies and HR Recruiters that I’ve come across.

It’s no secret that, at the moment, working in HR is particularly stressful. Unfortunately, many HR teams are having to take the lead on large-scale redundancies. And that is certainly one of the most dreaded parts of having a job in HR.

In the outplacement work I do with companies, I regularly see HR teams give incredible support to the people in their business. Often, this comes from HR teams who are also at risk of redundancy. And yet, facing the prospect of losing their jobs doesn’t stop HR professionals from going over and beyond to help their staff. Sadly, this often means leaving the search for their next role to the very last minute.

So if you work in HR and are facing redundancy or if you are looking for your next role, you might find this list of HR Recruitment Agencies and HR Recruiters helpful.

The list is compiled of people who I’ve met personally and others who have been recommended through my network. I’m very grateful to all the HR professionals who have taken the time to recommend HR Recruiters who have helped them take the next step with their own careers. If there is anyone you think is missing and who deserves to be added, please do get in touch to let me know so that I can include them.

Amy Madgwick – Allen Associates – Oxfordshire

Oxford-based, Amy is a welcome addition to this list (as many of the other entries are quite London and South-East England focused). She is responsible for running the HR division at Allen Associates. Her team recruits for HR roles at all levels, across a wide range of sectors in Oxfordshire, including Education, Life Sciences, Engineering and Consultancies.

You can connect with Amy on LinkedIn.

Annabella Mestrinho – Frazer Jones – London

With over 13 years of recruitment experience and 5 years working as an HR professional within city law firms, Annabella works for Frazer Jones. She specialises in permanent HR roles at all levels for London-based professional service firms.

Annabella covers all levels of the market – from administration to directors. She works with a diverse range of organisations, including law firms, FTSE-listed firms, global organisations, and SME’s (small to medium businesses). Also, she specifically focuses on Professional Services – legal, accounting, insurance, and property.

You can connect with Annabella on LinkedIn.

Ant Coen – Macmillan Davies – UK 

Ant works for Macmillan Davies and specialises in Not for Profit UK-based HR positions. He covers all areas of HR recruitment, including all Generalist, Learning and Development, Talent, Reward, Resourcing, and Recruitment. He recruits for all levels (from advisory to senior appointments). Ant can help whether you are looking for permanent, contract, and temporary positions across the UK.

You can connect with Ant on LinkedIn.

Chris Chappell – Page Personnel – Leeds

Leeds-based, Chris is responsible for the recruitment of interim and permanent junior to mid-level HR generalist and specialist positions within Yorkshire and Humberside’s Public and Not-For-Profit sectors. Typical roles he recruits for include HR Administrator/HR Assistant, HR Officer, HR Business Partner, HR Manager, Recruitment Coordinator, Internal Recruiter/Talent Acquisition, L&D Coordinator, L&D Advisor, Pay & Reward Specialist.

You can connect with Chris on LinkedIn.

Deborah Warburton – Spencer Stuart – EMEA

London-based, Deborah heads Spencer Stuart’s HR Practice in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA). She recruits for senior HR roles in listed and private companies in a broad range of sectors. These include Consumer, Private, Equity, Financial, Services, Professional Services, Technology, Media, Telecoms, and Industrial.

You can connect with Deborah on LinkedIn.

Helen Easter & Neil Smith – Fólk Recruitment – Leeds

Helen and Neil named their business Fólk Recruitment because they were inspired by the Nordic countries, who lead the way in health, wellbeing, gender equality and happiness in the workplace. The name is a nod to their own commitment to the issues that matter most within their HR community. Based in Leeds, they specialise in the recruitment of permanent, interim and fixed-term contract positions across all sectors.

You can connect with Helen on LinkedIn and Neil on LinkedIn.

Jane Barry – Liberty HR Recruitment – Hampshire

Jane is the Managing Director of Portsmouth-based Liberty HR Recruitment. Liberty HR Recruitment’s standards of ‘preparation’, ‘liberty’ and ‘trust’ really shine through when you interact with them.

Jane specialises in all roles from trainees up to senior-level HR professionals. She recruits for interim and permanent roles across the UK. In particular, her specialities are in Generalist, Executive Search, Employment Law, Learning and Development, and Talent Acquisition. Jane is also the Chair of the CIPD’s Wessex Branch, meaning that she is tuned in to the latest trends and issues experienced by the HR profession.

You can connect with Jane on LinkedIn.

Jane Middleton & Harriet Lavender – Trapeze HR – UK

Covering both interim and permanent UK-wide HR roles at all levels, Jane and Harriet’s business Trapeze HR is one of the few HR recruitment agencies I have come across that has a strong focus on part-time HR roles. However, they do also recruits for full-time roles. With a wealth of experience between them, Jane and Harriet have recently expanded their remit to cover UK-wide roles, having focused on London prior to this.

You can connect with Jane on LinkedIn and Harriet on LinkedIn.

Jennifer Gaster – HR Heads – London, the Home Counties & the South Coast

Jennifer is the Founder of HR Heads, which specialises in recruiting senior HR professionals across London, the Home Counties, and the South Coast. She recruits HR professionals in all sectors and specialising in both interim and permanent HR roles – from management to board level positions. While Jennifer’s focus is on all skills sitting within the broader HR function, her remit includes Reward, Compensation and Benefits, Learning and Development, Business Partnering, as well as Talent Acquisition, and Organisational Design and Development.

You can connect with Jennifer on LinkedIn.

Jo Benelisha – Strictly Recruitment – London

A Director at Strictly Recruitment and founder of the HR Networking Forum on LinkedIn, Jo is based in London and recruits across all sectors and levels from HR Advisor/HR Manager up to Head of HR/Global HR Director. She holds expertise in the areas of bespoke headhunting activity and benchmarking, creation of high performing teams, competitor intelligence and insight, succession planning, talent acquisition strategy, and design.

You can connect with Jo on LinkedIn.

John Hetherington – Leathwaite – Global

John works for Leathwaite and specialises in recruiting roles globally for Chief People Officers and HR Leadership Teams. He works with Chief Human Resource Officers, HR Directors, Chief Operation Officers, and also CEOs to source, assess and secure top talent. John’s remit covers a range of backgrounds and industries, and his passion is to build sustainable, high-performing HR teams.

You can connect with John on LinkedIn.

Laura McNair – Totum Partners – London

With over 15 years’ experience in recruitment, Laura heads up Totum Partners‘ specialist HR teams. As an HR and Operations Recruitment Consultant for legal and professional services firms, she recruits across various disciplines. These include Recruitment, Learning and Development, Reward, and HR Operations.

Laura’s remit includes senior roles and broader positions in general management. She has a focus on senior-level roles.

Specialising in interim HR roles at all levels for London-based professional services firms, Marcus is Head of Interim Practice at Frazer Jones. Marcus works with a variety of clients in a range of different sectors. These include, for example, Asset Management, Insurance, Investment Banking, Legal, Accountancy, and Management Consultancy. In particular, Marcus focuses on backfilling contractor roles to cover for maternity, specific projects, and even permanent resignations.

You can connect with Marcus on LinkedIn.

Matthew Whitfield – Hays HR – Southampton

Matthew is based in Southampton and is a Business Director for Hays HR with over 20 years’ experience. Specialising in HR appointments from junior roles up to HRD within Hampshire, Dorset and Wiltshire, he has a specific focus on Public Sector, NHS, Not for Profit and Charitable organisations. He is part of a national team of specialist HR Consultants across the UK.

You can connect with Matthew on LinkedIn.

Michelle Church – Career Legal – London

An experienced Recruiter who heads up the HR Recruitment team at Career Legal, Michelle has a strong interest in Diversity and Inclusion. She partners with her clients to ensure her team is doing all they can to be diverse and inclusive during the recruitment process. Michelle is also a Neurodiversity and Mental Health Champion for Career Legal, organising seminars and events to share knowledge and best practice in these areas. Her team recruits for HR roles across all levels within professional services organisations.

You can connect with Michelle on LinkedIn.

Sam Stafford – Sam Stafford Search – London

After a career spent working for a number of highly-regarded recruitment firms, Sam set up her own business, Sam Stafford Search in January 2020. Covering permanent, contract, and temporary recruitment across the full spectrum of HR roles, ranging from junior to senior levels. Sam also recruits for both generalist and specialist areas.

These include Generalist HR, Recruitment, Graduate Recruitment, Learning and Development, Talent Acquisition, Employee Relations, and Payroll. But also, Compensation and Benefits/Reward, HRIS, Global Mobility, Diversity and Inclusion, Corporate Social Responsibility, and Change Management. Her focus is on the Professional Services sector.

You can connect with Sam on LinkedIn.

Sharon Mullen – Mullwood Partnership – UK & International

Sharon is the Founding Director of Mullwood Partnership. They focus on recruitment for the UK and for international senior executive, board level, and non-executive director HR roles. With over 20 years’ experience, Sharon also works with a number of organisations as a non-executive director. She advises on business growth and stability.

You can connect with Sharon on LinkedIn.

Simon Geere – Alexander Lloyd – South East England

Simon helped launch Alexander Lloyd’s HR Practice in 2003 and has helped hundreds of organisations (large and small) to recruit HR positions across all levels. Focused on the South East, his team recruits for roles across all HR functions. These include Compensation & Reward, Internal Recruitment, Learning and Development, Talent Management, Employee Relations, Organisational Development, Change Management, Internal Communications, and Employee Engagement.

You can connect with Simon on LinkedIn.

Tansel Omer – The Talent Place – London and the South East of England

Tansel is an HR Recruiter and Career Coach. He set up his own successful HR recruitment agency, The Talent Place following a successful career building HR Recruitment teams for other recruitment firms. He specialises in both interim and permanent mid-level and senior HR roles. Covering roles in London and the South East, Tansel recruits specifically for small to medium businesses.

You can connect with Tansel on LinkedIn.

Would you like any further help? 

If you are currently working in HR and supporting staff who are going through redundancy, you may also be interested in this article: Understanding and Supporting Staff When Making Redundancies. And if you are looking for career coaching or outplacement services for your organisation, get in touch.