Aberdeen-based Recruitment Ventures has appointed recruitment and professional services leader Jen Campbell as Chief Executive Officer and will rebrand as Granite with a three-year £20 million growth plan.
The company will also launch a strategic expansion beyond the oil and gas sector into wider energy, infrastructure and defence recruitment, adding to its headcount with the opening of a new Glasgow office to target Central Belt clients.
With an estimated £74 billion of planned investment by 2031 announced by major grid and transmission companies – including the creation of more than 56,000 new roles – and an £8 billion investment in British shipbuilding, including the building of Type-26 frigates on the Clyde which will support 1,700 skilled jobs in Glasgow, Granite’s focus is to build scale and brand recognition in these sectors.
Jen Campbell, who has taken a significant shareholding in Granite, joins from Big Four firm EY where she held a senior business development director role, working across mergers and acquisitions, restructuring and growth advisory, and led a Scottish Finance Leaders network of 300 CFOs.
She has more than 15 years’ experience in STEM-focused recruitment, including senior roles with SThree Plc where she played a pivotal role in expanding the company’s footprint across oil & gas, nuclear, power and wind in the UK and Middle East and developed the company’s largest energy client.
Recruitment Venture’s three existing brands, Granite Recruitment – Omni Subsea and Ingenii – will be consolidated under the one Granite brand and Operations Director Rhea Fraser will continue to play a central role in growing the business.
Backed by the I7V investment group, which acquired the business in 2021, Granite has a 22-year track record in technical recruitment.
I7V chief executive officer, Doug Duguid, said: “I’ve known Jen for some years through her leadership role at EY and her experience in energy, power transmission and infrastructure are the exact qualities we need to tap into the huge investments being made to modernise and transform Scotland’s transmission and grid capabilities.
“We are confident Granite can achieve revenues of around £20 million over the next three years, and with Jen invested emotionally and financially in driving the business forward, the Granite brand can become synonymous with the major corporations looking to fill the thousands of new vacancies which will be created.”
Jen Campbell added: “Aberdeen remains at the heart of the UK’s energy sector, where customer proximity is fundamental to how we operate, and oil & gas continues to play a critical role in our economy and in a responsible, balanced energy transition.
“We will continue to invest in this market, supporting the businesses and talent that have made Aberdeen the energy capital of Europe. At the same time, we are hiring staff and opening a new office in Glasgow which reflects our commitment to maximising growth across the wider energy and infrastructure sectors.
“This expansion ensures that exceptional talent developed here in Scotland is retained, redeployed, and empowered to drive the next phase of the industry’s evolution. Our ambition is clear – to be the partner of choice in the sector and the place where energy recruiters can build long-term, meaningful careers.
“Granite will play a key role in supporting the new wave of grid and transmission upgrades and renewables and low-carbon project delivery, which are central to the country’s wider zero-carbon ambitions.”
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