Leeds-headquartered finance recruitment consultancy, Headstar, has made two new senior hires and three promotions to its team following record demand for its services.
Simon Webster has been appointed as consultant finance director and recruitment lead for the Humber and South Yorkshire, in a newly created role that will see him focus on recruiting talented finance directors for clients in those areas, as well as providing finance director level consultancy services.
An experienced and highly regarded finance director himself, with a well-established network in the region, Simon will be responsible for building the company’s burgeoning presence and client base in both areas. His appointment further bolsters the company’s growing team of qualified finance directors, headed up by its chairman Neil Muffitt and managing director James Roach, with the team providing an extensive range of finance consultancy services including turnaround and transformation support, as well as part-time and portfolio financial directors.
He’s joined by Karis Splaine, who has been appointed as an associate consultant with a focus on recruiting part qualified accountants. Her appointment comes at a time when the company is seeing surging levels of demand in this area of the market, with the division expected to grow further in the coming months.
Headstar has also promoted three members of its 19-strong team. Jenny Mayer is now associate director, further strengthening the company’s seven-strong leadership team. She now leads the company’s industry and practice divisions and will be working closely with the board of directors to drive Headstar’s growth strategy, while continuing to recruit for finance director and chief financial officer roles across Yorkshire.
In addition, Ross Wallace has been promoted to senior consultant in the company’s practice division, while Niamh Hellewell, who joined the business as an apprentice in 2018, continues her rapid rise through the ranks, following her promotion to senior consultant in the transactional finance team.
Alongside expanding its team, the company has recently doubled the size of its Leeds city centre headquarters as it prepares for further growth over the next 12 months, with the aim of growing its team to 35 consultants by 2030. Between January and June 2022, its recruitment consultants placed a record number of candidates (95) in roles across the UK.
Headstar’s managing director, James Roach, said:
“We’re delighted to welcome both Simon and Karis to the team, with their appointments further strengthening our unique offering which sees us provide straight-talking, evidence-based advice in both the management and recruitment of finance teams.
“Simon’s arrival, in particular, marks a milestone moment for the business as we look to grow our client base more widely across the region, and comes at a time when demand for our finance director level consultancy services, such as our turnaround services, continues to grow as businesses face into the challenging economic backdrop.”
The business, originally known as FD Yorkshire Limited, was established 35 years ago and has grown significantly in recent years, expanding its client and contractor base which consists of a wide range of UK SMEs, mainly based in Yorkshire, including PureGym, Mamas & Papas and Tile Giant. Alongside placing permanent and interim finance staff, Headstar also provides a range of consultancy services, designed and delivered by experienced finance directors, including turnaround support and part-time finance directors.
