February 2015 marks Research Partners’ 10 year anniversary and yes, celebrations are in order. Here’s a small glimpse into our past, who we are, where we’ve been, and what tidbits of wisdom we pulled from a fast changing market.
It was back in 2004 when Heidi and I met at a boutique search firm. Ideas sparked immediately and we were motivated to do something together to combine our talents in recruitment and begin providing our own research services.
In The Recruiting World, We Wanted To Be Different
We realized that the recruitment industry was changing. 
With the emergence of sites like Linkedin, technology was starting to change how recruiters were doing their job. Europe was starting to follow the pattern of the US with the rise of the internal corporate recruiting function. Firms were at the early stages of pulling back from using costly high end search firms and moving towards trying Executive research as an option to support direct sourcing. Through these changes it was research firms who confidently emerged, creating their own niche of supplementary services to the recruitment market that gave our clients greater flexibility on how they wanted to recruit and at what price.
This new approach offered much more than a hire with a hefty price tag and a complicated contract, it was a process that pulled intelligent data to satisfy a recruiter’s needs. As well as Executive search, Research firms helped to provide an understanding of market intelligence, salary benchmarking, organizational charts, talent pooling and so much more.
For us to create a winning and dedicated team, we needed to fuel the right environment and build a solid resource of driven researchers.
Our Story Begins
In 2005, Heidi and I formed Research Partners Ltd. In the first year, our clients were predominantly search firms in the UK, and by the end of the first 12 months we hired our first consultant. By the second year we hired our first desk researcher and our assignments were gradually moving into Europe.
In 2006, we met a US tier 1 online brand, and the US Recruiting team that believed in our vision. That’s when things really started to change and our client base started to shift towards the corporate market.
How We Braved The Global Recession
In 2009, the economy was hit hard by the global recession. You might want to ask, ‘’How is a small firm like us going to get through?’’ But contrary to what one might think, we were actually pretty busy. What made us different was that we offered cost savings in a time when low prices meant the world.
By this point we expanded further into Europe including the Benelux region, Germany and Southern Europe.
That’s when we knew the market was changing. There was a high demand for Executive research services that provided lots of flexibility and a chance to divert from the high costs most recruitment firms and agencies were offering.
Win-Win Cost Savings
Since we weren’t taking percentages from Senior Executive hires, or charging for every successful hire we recruited, our costs were a fraction of what was being offered by most key players in the market.
To give you an example, just recently one of our corporate tech clients did a search with us that cost £16,500. They were charged a fixed day rate and made four hires from the search. All we charged was the day rate and they got so much more out of it. This happens time and time again.
We Offered A Bigger Package than Your Typical Recruiter
Beyond the cost effective advantage, we weren’t acting as your typical recruiter. As well as Executive Search services, we were also providing intelligent data about the market our clients needed. Our services were flexible and our clients remembered us for that.
In the last five years we’ve extended our network of consultants in the US and in the last 12 months they now reach into Asia. Our geographical reach helps us provide the best regional insight. Our researchers and consultants speak Italian, French, Spanish, German and Polish.
Competing in the Recruiting World
We realized early on in our evolution that we can have a global reach that will drive success to our business, and ultimately our clients. Our researchers are spread across the continents. Every success story is a team effort, and we have come so far because of dedicated individuals who bring passion, commitment and successful results on a daily basis.
From a small idea between two colleagues, we branched out of only serving the UK to having multiple consultants and researchers across the continents. What began as a London operation has expanded globally covering Europe, Asia and North America.
We are thrilled to be in the recruiting industry and bring a positive difference to our clients across the globe.
Join us in celebrating our milestone. 10 years is just the beginning.
If you would like to learn a bit more about us, have a look at this page.
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Natalie Heilling is a Founding Director of Research Partners. She is based in London and runs the European Operation.
If you would like to get in touch email her at natalie.heilling@researchpartnersllp.com
