Huddersfield-based Red Diamond Executive Headhunters is celebrating a trio of new business wins in one of the busiest quarter-one periods in the company’s history.

The business has made executive level appointments with UK-based clients operating in the aerospace, engineering and financial services sectors.

Founder and MD Emma Robinson said the company – that marks its 10th anniversary this year – had seen a surge in enquiries since the start of the year from organisations looking to boost their senior teams.

This, she said, was in line with expectations that firms that pressed pause on their recruitment plans during the pandemic were now looking to kickstart activity in 2021.

As international headhunters with clients based around the globe, Red Diamond is also experiencing a lift from other countries easing lockdown restrictions ahead of the UK.

Emma said: “We’re already seeing parts of the world that are opening up faster than we are [in the UK] picking up their hiring mandates and seeking strong leaders to help them kick on after the pandemic. We would anticipate a similar pattern emerging closer to home, which is borne out by the increase in activity we have already experienced this year.”

Recent figures from the human resources body the CIPD revealed that more than half of UK employers were planning to recruit staff in the next three months. From 2,000 firms surveyed, 56% reported plans to hire in the first three months of 2021.

Strongest sectors included healthcare, insurance, education and IT – and Emma reported that for Red Diamond, financial services and aerospace were also experiencing an upturn.

“Obviously areas such as hospitality have been really badly hit by lockdown,” Emma added. “But we are seeing the green shoots of recovery in unexpected areas. Aerospace, for instance, is going strong despite existing travel restrictions as businesses look to bounce back from the effects of the pandemic.

“Many of our clients are anticipating a very busy spring and summer ahead.”

Red Diamond specialises in placing high calibre candidates in executive positions with market-leading companies across the globe.

For further information, visit reddiamondexec.com.