THREE employees of Stirling-based Contract Scotland, the technical and professional recruitment consultancy, have completed a management buyout from its founder, Colin Woodward.
Directors John-Paul Toner, Julie Fleming and Alan Shave will now lead the business while Woodward takes up an advisory role.
The trio all joined the business as trainees and between them share almost 50 years’ experience at the company, which was founded in 1990.
With 25 employees and a current turnover of £14 million, the company recruits for positions in a range of sectors including construction, civil engineering and engineering.
The deal sees Toner, who has been with the company for 18 years, become the majority shareholder, with both Fleming and Shave taking up directorships and acquiring ‘notable’ shareholdings.
Toner said, “Colin has built a successful and respected company over the last 30 years which has redefined recruitment. Succession planning has always been high on the agenda and having developed my own career here and been part of the company’s journey, I’m excited and enormously proud to be part of the leadership team shaping its future.
“Together with Julie and Alan, our ambition is to build on the legacy Colin has created, and retain the values and ethics that the business was founded on that are an integral part of our culture.”
Woodward added, “I’m delighted to be able to hand over the ownership of the business to the individuals that currently run it and have been doing so for the past couple of years, through some of the most turbulent times in our 30-year history. There are many exciting challenges and opportunities ahead, which John-Paul, Julie and Alan have the capability and experience to navigate. On a personal level, I’m pleased to be handing over to three members of staff who all joined the business as trainees and have progressed through the business on merit.”
