NES Group has just posted its latest set of outstanding results for the 2010 financial year. Profits were up over 5 per cent, with sales also up to nearly £285 million. But this is just another year of growth for the Cheshire-based recruitment giant, led by experienced CEO Neil Tregarthen.
We look at the company’s strategies in an endeavour to find out just how NES has defied the recession, whilst many of its competitors have been suffering badly for the last two years.
Several years ago, Tregarthen made a revealing comment about the direction the firm would take, and the firm adherence to this approach has proved him right, with steady growth in sales and profits since 2004.
“We foresee substantial organic growth in all our key markets. Nearly half our contractors are already working on assignments of nine months or more and we plan to increase that percentage along with the proportion of permanent placements. We are also looking to expand the number of overseas offices, leverage our relationships with existing clients and develop further our accredited training programmes.”
All of the markets in which the group operates are expected to expand. The increase in the price of oil has already stimulated long-term projects in upstream oil and gas activity. The International Energy Agency forecasts investment of some $8 trillion to meet the energy needs of developing and middle income countries in the next 25 years. At the same time, UN-sponsored initiatives on clean drinking water and reconstruction and development projects will drive growth in the infrastructure market globally. In the UK, both Network Rail and London Underground have substantial five-year investment programmes spurred, in part, by the 2012 Olympics.
Tregarthen keeps a steady eye on the progress of his international divisions. He clocks up 100,000 miles a year visiting each NES office overseas every quarter
"I find it tiring but it's important, you can't just be an emailer - it doesn't work. I'm not a meddling CEO though - if you have talented people, you should let them run the business. I create the vision for people to follow.
In a recent interview with the Times newspaper, Tregarthen was asked what he looked for in hiring senior staff.
“I see a lot of people rather than look at CVs. I am a big fan of emotional intelligence.”
And his best career advice?
“John Napier, then group chief executive of Hays, was a tough guy to work for. A scary guy. He said: ‘As long as you work hard there’s never any reason to be scared of me.’ That work ethic was so important.”
NES Group Overview
The NES Group is a global technical, engineering, rail & IT staffing services provider. We offer a broad range of staffing services including contract and permanent personnel on an international basis; local orientation and legislative assistance; ad-hoc and complete turnkey solutions for entire projects; and other employment-related services.
With 27 offices worldwide, the Group is ideally placed to service client needs anywhere throughout the globe. The Group provides staffing services from 27 worldwide offices. Core sectors that include: oil and gas, construction, infrastructure, rail, power generation, and IT and has staff working in over 40 different countries.
The primary disciplines that it focuses on are:
Food & Drink, Infrastructure, IT, Life Sciences, General Chemicals, Oil & Gas, Power, Rail, Water & Wastewater Treatment.
Business Overview
The four businesses that comprise the Group provide permanent and contract staff for both ad-hoc and entire projects and whatever the requirement, NES is well positioned to provide a complete solution. The Group currently has over 3,500 contract personnel on assignment across the world and fills in excess of 600 permanent vacancies on an annual basis. With over 30 years of history, that vital client prerequisite of stability and continuity of service is well supported.
Group Vision
Our vision is that by 2012, The NES Group will have become the "800 pound gorilla" in its chosen, global market sectors and disciplines.
In other words, we will seek to dominate our chosen sectors and disciplines and hold a market position ahead of our competitors in these areas.
Group Mission
Our mission is to deliver shareholder value to our investors and employees and commercial value to our customers. We will focus on accurately matching our client's requirements on every occasion and via the most tailored and specific solutions available in the marketplace. Confidence in our service and adherence to the above deliverables will allow us to work with clients who are happy to give us fair reward for the value we add to their business.
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