Gareth Allen

About Gareth

​Superior Role

Gareth may have the title and duties of leading this business but 99% of his time is spent speaking to current and prospective clients across the sectors we operate within. Generating new business, tendering for PSL’s and MSA’s, managing the team across sales, sourcing, compliance, payroll, finance, P & L and training.

Background

Joined recruitment in 2001 working across the fast-paced industrial sectors within FMCG and food production. Then moved across to Rullion building a desk and division across North East trades within Mechanical and Electrical disciplines with SMEs and national Engineering and Infrastructure clients. Headhunted to join Natural Resources where for 6 years focused heavily on the blue and white collar upstream and downstream disciplines in the UK and Norwegian sectors as well as placing candidates The Netherlands, Germany, Nigeria, Italy, Switzerland and Qatar.

Projects in Norway ranged from refineries, Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), Marine and Rig Build/Modifications. Joined Oil Consultants in the UK with the remit to grow the sales and servicing side of the business and go and open up the relatively untapped Middle East and African markets across Well Services, Well Intervention and Drilling. Successful collaboration with the worlds largest 5 OFS companies those being Schlumberger, Halliburton, Expro, Weatherford and Baker Hughes. Set up offices and/or partnerships in the Dubai and Abu Dhabi (UAE), Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and serviced clients recruitment needs, by managing successful resourcing and account management teams with direct placement of contractors or staff into over 50 different countries.

Left Oil Consultants to set up Energy Professionals Group with two investors in an already established business. Built a team of 22 staff and traded in 29 countries, with turnovers of £4m in Y1, £10.5m / $14m USD in Y2 and on course for £14.5m / $18.7m in FY 3 before leaving the business in November 2018, after a failed MBO to set up Superior Recruitment Group, accolades included:

• North East Business Awards Winner - Lets Grow Award - 2018

• Federation of Small Businesses Winner - Scale up Award - 2018

• Federation of Small Businesses National Finalist - 2018

• North East Exporter of the Year - Runners up - 2016

• Small Business of the Year - Finalist - 2017

Why Recruitment?

The most rewarding challenge I love about recruitment is pitching to, and winning over a new client that has never used you or your services, yet has an established supply chain with a long history or supporting there business “successfully.” Convincing the client that I, we and Superior can offer a better service without dropping quality, compliance or simply under cutting. People are our product at every stage in the recruitment sector and I love speaking to new candidates or clients daily to understand the challenges they need a solution to.

Why Superior?

Superior was founded after a failed MBO with Energy Professionals Group which I successfully launched with two investors. There is no such thing as an easy day when running your own business, but equally there is nothing more rewarding when you achieve success, whether that be minor wins or long-term financial stability.

We are creating an environment where recruiters can come to work under their own autonomy, build careers and earn uncapped commission unlike many other agencies out there right now. As a recruiter myself I am motivated daily by wanting to keep my clients and candidates happy and that is what drives me.

Best success since joining Superior?

There have been many successes since our inception, winning business and clients from agencies who are significantly larger and more established, securing PSL’s and some enviable clients. But the best success is seeing our internal team develop week by week, growing their skill set, confidence levels and most importantly their credibility with our external partners, clients, and vendors.

Outside of recruitment what is it you like to do?

I have a wonderful small family and a daughter who is growing up too quickly and a wife who has more air miles than Richard Branson. We love to travel, explore, and sample different ways of life, post Covid we hope that can resume. I also have the privilege of managing the first team at a non-league football club in the North East which is over 110 years old.

After the craziness of 2020 what do you want to see in 2021?

After the gloom of 2020 I want to see people have an opportunity to get back into work and rebuild their livelihoods which have been taken away from so may without any choice. I hope to see clients diversify their businesses like many did during the early stages of Covid-19 especially across the manufacturing and technology sectors to work round the challenges this terrible virus and lockdowns have caused. This will in turn create more opportunities and jobs for candidates.