Finance recruitment consultancy Headstar has made two appointments and a promotion to its Leeds-based team following record demand for its services.
Sharon Phillips has been appointed to head up the company’s transactional finance division, which is experiencing surging demand as employers look to strengthen their finance functions through the hiring of credit controllers and payroll managers in particular.
With a successful track record in recruitment spanning 30 years within blue chip organisations specialising in various sectors including legal, health, care, and business support, Sharon has built an unrivalled reputation for developing long-lasting business relationships. In her new role, she will support the growth of the transactional team, expanding its markets in temporary and permanent placements across the region.
She’s joined by Sam Goodwin, who has been appointed as marketing manager. As a senior chartered marketing manager with over 14 years’ experience working in market-leading companies, Sam will lead on the development and delivery of a marketing strategy to complement the business’ growth objectives, raising the profile of its services and burgeoning events programme.
Headstar has also promoted Jenny Mayer to the position of head of senior finance. A specialist in placing financial controller and finance director roles, Jenny is now also responsible for leading a team of consultants who recruit for part and qualified accountant roles across Yorkshire.
The appointments and promotion come as demand for the company’s range of SME-focused finance consultancy and recruitment services continues to surge. The business, which recruits all areas of a finance team from entry-level to CFO, reported record growth of 35% in its latest financial year, driven by a post-lockdown hiring boom in finance professionals.
Headstar’s commercial director Natalie McGregor said: “We’re delighted to welcome Sharon and Sam to our rapidly growing 19-strong team.
“They both bring with them a wealth of expertise and experience, and their appointments, coupled with Jenny’s well-deserved promotion, mean we’re better placed than ever before to connect businesses with good people and meet ever-growing demand for our services.
“The business has got off to a great start in 2022, and in addition to Sharon and Sam, we’re looking to add at least a further four people to our team over the course of this year, ranging from consultants to heads of division, as well as expanding our portfolio FD team.”
The business, originally known as Finance Directors Yorkshire, was established 35 years ago and has grown significantly in recent years, expanding its client and contractor base which consists of a wide range of UK SMEs, mainly based in Yorkshire, including PureGym, Mamas & Papas and Tile Giant. Alongside placing permanent and interim finance staff, Headstar also provides a range of consultancy services, designed and delivered by experienced finance directors, including turnaround support and part-time finance directors.
