By Richard Collins and Nick White, Co-Founders of Insight Executive Group

In 2015, we started Insight from our spare rooms in London and Brighton. No funding. No flashy brand. Just a shared belief that recruitment could and should be done differently.

Fast-forward to today, and we’re proud to be celebrating ten years of growth, partnerships, and people-first recruitment.

What began as two friends on a mission has become a 35-strong team across four businesses, supporting clients and candidates across the UK and North America.

From day one, it’s been personal.

We didn’t set out to build the biggest recruitment business. We set out to build one with heart.

A company where relationships come first. Where consultants are treated as professionals, not delivery machines. And where clients and candidates are listened to, understood, and supported rather than part of a fixed process.

That vision still holds true today.

A few milestones we’re proud of:

• Growing from 3 people to 35+, with offices in London, Cheltenham, Tamworth, and Manchester
• Launching our specialist brands:
  • Insight Executive (public and private sector recruitment)
  • Insight Executive Solutions (executive search in North America)
  • Insight Consulting Services (elite public sector consultancy)

• Supporting the NHS during the pandemic with rapid interim delivery
• Partnering public sector organisations to deliver multi-role campaigns, including government, local government and, NHS New Hospital Programmes, providing expert recruitment and consultancy support
• Introducing a hybrid-first culture that gives our team space to thrive
• Remaining founder-led and values-first, even as we scale

What makes us most proud?

It’s not the offices, the awards, or the numbers, it’s the people.

It’s seeing consultants promoted into leadership, like Rob Parker, who joined us as a manager in 2016 and now leads as Managing Director of Insight Executive. Or Andrew Pyman (PY), who came on board “temporarily” that same year and is now a Board Director, shaping our direction and mentoring our consultants.

It’s the partnership of people like Sue Cooper, our Chair, who has supported us with guidance and perspective from our earliest years. And Katie Yianni, who joined the business and worked her way to Operations Director, helping to create the infrastructure that allows us to grow without losing our culture.

It’s watching careers flourish – whether that’s a recruiter finding their niche and building a division from scratch, or someone returning from parental leave and thriving in a flexible role that works for their life.

It’s hearing that someone got their first mortgage, bought their first house, or found renewed confidence in their work. That a consultant felt safe enough to be fully themselves at work. That someone came back from falling out of love with the industry and rediscovered their love for recruitment.

It’s watching our values – transparency, impact, inclusion, and accountability – show up in the way our teams operate every single day.

And it’s the long-standing client and candidate relationships that continue to grow with us.

So, what’s next?

We’re not slowing down. Over the next few years, we’ll continue to:

• Expand our presence across the UK and North America
• Deepen our consultancy offer through ICS
• Invest in the next generation of recruitment talent
• Evolve our practices to stay ahead in a changing market

But no matter how we grow, one thing won’t change: our commitment to doing recruitment differently.

To our teams we thank you.
To our clients and candidates, we thank you.
To everyone who’s been part of the journey, we couldn’t have done it without you.

Here’s to the next ten.

Rich & Nick
Co-Founders, Insight Executive Group