Faro Group article in Recruitment International September 2009

1. R i RECRUITMENT INTERNATIONAL
September 2009
Faro’s Flood and Lythgoe
Reveal Their Global Strategy

2. cover story
The New Global Player On The Block -
Faro Recruitment Group
You may not have heard of Faro group wide activity from client sharing under their pre-acquisition legacy names:
Recruitment but this worldwide staffing through to funding. In addition, we People First in the UK; Interiman in
group is galloping its way through the have a very well developed training and Switzerland and Monroe Staffing in the
recession and has grown by stealth to coaching business which complements States for example. “We don’t believe
become a diverse recruitment group with our core activities”. in destroying brand equity”, says Group
a global footprint to die for…. Marketing Director Simon Lythgoe.
Operating in the professional staffing, “Each of these operations - and their
With a track record spanning almost light industrial and hospitality sectors, stellar reputations - have been built over
thirty years, 80 offices in fifteen countries the group operates on a partnership many years. Rebranding to Faro would
in a range of vertical market niches and basis with each of the operating units’ simply confuse clients and candidates -
over 1000 employees, Faro Recruitment former owners retaining minority and be prohibitively expensive. They
Group is the international staffing interests and remaining as the local all know they are part of the Faro Group
business of Japanese conglomerate The executive management teams. “In this - they all have that ‘label’ as part of
Okano Group. The business rebranded way, the goals of the group and the local their branding - and that endorsement
as Faro after Okano sold its Japanese management are more easily aligned provides the best of both worlds.”
staffing business to Recruit Co in than in other traditional buy and build
December 2007. That left a recruitment schemes,” adds Flood. “Each business So why Faro? “It means ‘lighthouse’ in
business spanning Europe, the Americas, was acquired because of its niche focus, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish”, says
Asia Pacific and Australia and while the its longevity in its respective markets Lythgoe, “an image that is fitting for a
latter two regions are managed by two and its strong customer relationships.” group that acts as a beacon - not only
Okano Group Directors, SuKong Pang bringing together businesses, employers
and Masairo Nishimura both of whom Faro operates as an umbrella identity for and jobseekers, but also searching
are industry veterans, the larger part the Group and is the brand name for the out new opportunities to enable us
of the business needed some strategic Asia Pacific businesses. In the western to continually enhance our service
direction and focus. hemisphere though, the businesses trade offering.”
Fast forward to 2009 and following
a detailed strategic review of all its
operations Faro appointed Brendan Flood
as Chief Executive Officer, previously a
senior executive at Hudson, to head up
the Europe and the Americas part of
the business - by far the largest at 80%.
Alongside him, enter Simon Lythgoe as
Group Marketing Director with a long
pedigree in recruitment with names such
as Spring Group, Robert Walters and
Randstad. Their task? To further develop
a world class recruiter while maintaining
a sustainable business which delivers a
return to its shareholders.
“Faro is principally a temporary
contracting business - a sector which
accounts for around 90% of our revenue”
explains Flood. “That, coupled with our
extensive global footprint, has helped
us to ride out this recession through
visibility and spreading our risk. We
are also increasingly engaging in more Source: Points UK Limited
www.recruitment-international.co.uk RI - January 2009 21

3. cover story
The New Global Player On The
New horizons niche skill sets - these people don’t look
The aim over the next few years is to for jobs in a traditional way - sourcing
develop a larger permanent business this sort of talent is much more about
while expanding the existing offerings getting involved in their networks.”
to new clients and new geographical
regions but it’s not all about buy “We have already looked at other
and build. “We will look at strategic geographies for the roll out of this
acquisitions but will also not be afraid business such as Hong Kong and New
of launching new businesses where we York”, adds Lythgoe, “both of which
believe there is potential to tap into new have a ready market place which is
profit streams” says Flood. virtually untapped and we will use the
success of the UK business as a platform
A great example of this is Faro Digital for the aggressive expansion of the
Media which launched in London, in brand.” Matt Briand - Monroe Staffing
March of this year and recruits digital
account executives, managers, planners In terms of other new markets, Faro has gives Monroe that extra edge: “Many
and creatives on both the client and already established strategic alliances organisations talk a good talk about
agency side. “The digital media market with US based FA&OWorks (Finance); ‘extensive networks’ and ‘tapping into
is still in its infancy” says Simon SiriusWorks (IT) and Barrister Works international talent pools’” he says. “The
Lythgoe. “But we have recruited a team (Legal). “This not only works as a difference is that we actually have that
of real specialists and the business has valuable revenue generator but also global capability which gives us that
already developed a steady stream of helps to build our experience in potential extra credibility.”
income which means we are forecasting future market sectors” says Brendan
profitability in its first year.” Flood.
The French (and Swiss) Connection
Back in Europe, The Partner Finance
And against a backdrop of economic Across the Pond Group based in France, joined the Faro
gloom, this recruiter does certainly seem In fact the USA is already a market where
family in 2006. Established in 1999 by
to be bucking the trend by tailoring its Faro has a strong presence through its
ex Michael Page Consultants Samuel
service to respond to a market known to Monroe Staffing Services brand. “What
Tamagnaud and Herve Savy, initially as
have an appetite for less traditional ways started in 1969 as a small one office
an accounting and finance recruiter, the
of doing business. “This is a market firm specialising in contract design
group has two distinct offerings: James
that is not really telephone based,” says engineering, has now grown into a full-
Partner for permanent recruitment within
Manager James Nicholls. “I’m more service consulting and staffing partner
accounting and finance and Partner
likely to get hold of my clients via twitter with multiple locations throughout
Interim for temporary staff. Today it has
than I am by phoning them. It’s also a Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode
50 staff across four divisions covering
market that has a requirement for very Island and New York”, says CEO Matt
finance; sales & marketing, supply chain
Briand. “And from our niche beginnings
& logistics and PAs.
in engineering, the last four decades
have seen us build a business which
caters for our clients’ additional needs
in the finance, accounting, office support
and IT sectors.”
But Monroe goes beyond just filling
jobs. “It may be a cliché,” says Briand,
“but we truly act as a partner rather
than a supplier and believe that we are
Faro Digital Media Team - LtoR
the benchmark for other staffing firms
James Nicholls, Borz Farahani,
Roy Hailstones, Kate Hughes
in the area.” And according to Briand, Herve Savy & Samuel Tamagnaud - The
being part of a global brand really Partner Finance Group
22 RI - January 2009 www.recruitment-international.co.uk

4. Block - Faro Recruitment Group
operate as independent entities even
though they are part of a greater whole
- and so when Faro approached us to
join them in 2006, there was a natural
synergy.”
Joined Up Thinking
But no matter how independent the
individual brands are, what is absolutely
key with a business as globally and
sectorally diverse as Faro is a group
infrastructure that works. As Lythgoe
puts it: “The trouble with most global
players in diverse markets with differing
brands is that they talk about cross
Reymond Knigge - Interiman Group Thierry Jacquier - Interiman Group selling but rarely get their act together
to do it properly - mainly because there
“There are many benefits of being part of Interiman, founded in 1998 has carved
isn’t the commitment at group level
Faro,” says Tamagnaud. “It has allowed an enviable reputation for itself in the
to put the systems in place to really
us to accelerate our national growth field of temporary and more recently
make it happen. Our view is that you
while still retaining our own set of permanent recruitment across a range
have to have an infrastructure that
values which contributed so much to our of diverse commercial and industrial
evolves with the group. That’s why, as
initial success. Consequently we now sectors. Interiman operates as a network
the organisation expands its services,
have operations in Neuilly sur Seine; of agencies - Interiman itself is dedicated
we are also expanding and improving
Versailles, Lille and Lyon. Additionally, to the service sector while Interima
the infrastructure. By utilising the
it gave us that international dimension services the industrial and construction
information we gather during extensive
that so many clients are now looking sectors. Albedis, also part of Interiman,
financial and IT reviews, we are able to
for. The cross selling opportunities with specialises in executive appointments.
implement a centralised reporting model
other partner recruiters both in Europe “Becoming part of Faro allowed us
which allows all management teams to
and globally give us a real competitive to think locally but act globally” says
make informed fact based decisions.”
edge. It’s that ‘large enough to cope - Director Robin Gordon.
small enough to care’ philosophy that
“This is already resulting in a growing
really sets us apart”. “It’s about connecting the local with
number of cross border initiatives,”
the global, connecting individuals with
says Lythgoe. “Our US businesses
And just across the border in Switzerland, the worldwide system in which they
are currently speaking with partners
operate. For Albedis, the Faro network
in Brazil about a possible deal with a
is invaluable. It’s now supported by an
common blue chip client. Additionally
international network of companies and
Switzerland and France are working
offices, giving it rapid access to expertise
together on resourcing roles across
from different regions and resulting in
borders.”
an excellent knowledge of the economic
fabric of local communities. That’s a
But it doesn’t stop there. Lythgoe is
great differentiator in a competitive
also working on the development of a
market.”
new internal communications platform
which will encourage further cross
“Faro as a group operates very much
selling and greater company interaction.
as we do”, continues Gordon. “All the
An ambitious new recruitment website
agencies within the Interiman network
is in the pipeline which will centralise
are organized as small, independent
the advertising of all global vacancies
teams - all the partner companies in Faro
Robin Gordon - Interiman Group in different languages ranging from
www.recruitment-international.co.uk RI - January 2009 23

5. cover story
The New Global Player On The Block -
Faro Recruitment Group
Portuguese to Vietnamese. “We’ve landscape. “We saw that the London
appointed 4Mat to work with us on marketplace was really changing and
this complicated development project”, was being chosen as a prime location
says Lythgoe. “It will entail both front for international companies to site
end and admin/consultant translation to their global headquarters”, says Kate
allow all our offices to use it.” Ferguson. “Consequently, organisations
were looking at recruiting language skills
Lythgoe adds that face to face - and as that market developed they were
communication is also high on the also looking at agencies which had a
agenda. “We have a twice yearly global not just a national reach.”
international summit where all our
brands get together - this not only helps Cue Faro Recruitment, who approached
people understand the group ethos and People First in 2002. “It was serendipity”,
strategic direction - but also gives them recalls Ferguson. “ Both Katie and I had
a breadth of knowledge and perspective said that within five years we needed
be achieved with the power of the Faro
across industries and geographies that to be looking for a partner and Faro
global footprint.” And closer to home
would be difficult to achieve anywhere approached us at just the right time and
People First is also working closely with
else.” gave us that global reach that our clients
Partner Finance Group in France on
were looking for.”
projects in the supply chain and logistics
Speaking Your Language
sector.
And that joined up thinking is very much Ferguson says that People First is an
on the agenda of another UK based Faro ideal example of cross selling initiatives
Group company, People First, which with other international partners in the A Shrinking World
recruits in the office support and supply group. “One of the partner companies in The world is getting smaller, and where
chain sectors as well as specialising in Indonesia is currently trying to source a once the thought of recruiting someone
the provision of multilingual staff across general manager for a client in Singapore. from another country was seen as a major
a range of industries. There is also a They are resourcing through talent pools task, today we are just one big global
specialist Japanese desk ‘Team Japan’. in the USA, Canada, the Middle East and market place- a fact that Faro has been
The firm was set up by co-directors Kate here in the UK through ourselves - we quick to capitalise upon. “Operating
Ferguson and Katie Bevan in 1997 as have someone at second interview next a global network of recruitment
a response to a changing recruitment week - it’s a great example of what can companies means that we have a massive
international talent pool”, says Flood.
“That’s a very powerful proposition for
a recruitment group working in a market
where most organisations, no matter
what their size, are now able to operate
on an international scale.”
So what about the future? What’s next
on the agenda? “Well we’re still in a
recession and there’s no magic bullet”,
says Flood. “But, our geographic spread
of risk, coupled with a heavy bias towards
contract recruitment, means that we have
a springboard for developing permanent
business as global economies improve.
At the moment, it’s about keeping lean
and winning one contract at a time but if
the right opportunity comes along - we’ll
Kate Ferguson - People First Katie Bevan - People First be first in the queue!”
24 RI - January 2009 www.recruitment-international.co.uk