Stateside move to provide better service for US-based clients
Software and fintech executive search consultancy Oakstone International has opened an office in Chicago to provide better service for USA-based clients and candidates.
The US operation is led by Arran Campbell, Managing Consultant North America. Campbell has transferred from Oakstone’s Poole headquarters to the Illinois city. The move provides the consultancy with more US working hours and the ability to meet clients and candidates in person.
Campbell has been with Oakstone International for two years. Before Oakstone, he was an award-winning senior manager in the automotive industry for 20 years. He began his recruitment career after selling a vehicle to Paul Rayner, CEO of Oakstone.
Arran Campbell, Oakstone Managing Consultant North America, said: “There is a huge opportunity for Oakstone International here, with the amount of software companies which are looking for assistance and candidates who are seeking to change their lives.
“Oakstone having a greater presence in the USA and really cementing our global status as an international company is nothing but a good thing. It gives us visibility in the US, which is a huge market of clients and candidates.
“I’ve transitioned my workload to the US. I had started doing more and more US projects while I was in the UK – dealing with clients and candidates and doing searches – and found myself dealing almost exclusively with American roles.
“Being in the UK made this challenging – time differences meaning only six hours a day of communications was possible – so when the opportunity came up for my wife and I to move to the US we thought it was perfect timing.”
“One thing I have noticed here in the States, which I have tried to relay to my client managers, is the speed of hiring. People are now going through processes in two weeks. Gone are the days when you might have up to 10 interviews
“People are being hired for high-paid jobs on one or two Zoom interviews. Here, it is generally a two-week notice period, a bit more fluid than much of the rest of the world
Paul Rayner, Oakstone Chief Executive Officer, said: “Arran is an experienced operator whose skill sets make him ideal for this position. I had no hesitation in backing this opportunity
“From a business perspective the benefits for Oakstone having a representative in Chicago is that a lot of the long-term clients he is working with all have their head offices in the city.
“With Arran as a full-time representative we not only have a better chance to communicate with and meet clients and candidates, but we are also better placed to meet existing and future prospects in person.”
“The clients who are flexible in terms of salary and remote working are the ones who are succeeding in winning the talent. Software companies which are stuck in their ways are no longer getting the best people.
