International Forum: Going international in 2024

Nick Barton

Founder and CEO , The Barton Partnership

Nicholas Barton is an Investor, Founder and CEO with 30 years of recruitment experience. Since 2007, he has built The Barton Partnership into a world-class specialist executive recruitment firm, expanding across multiple locations and service lines whilst maintaining a niche and specialist focus. He now leads a team of over 100 professionals across offices in London, New York, Paris, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Sydney.

At the core of his philosophy is a commitment to cultivating a unique company culture that fosters community engagement and social responsibility. Through his leadership, The Barton Partnership has donated over £100,000 to charitable organisations and has achieved notable recognition for its sustainability practices, earning B-Corp certification in 2023. Additionally, The Barton Partnership has been awarded for its dedication to outstanding client service, exceptional profitability and as a Best Companies ‘Outstanding’ organisation.  

Nicholas was shortlisted an Entrepreneur of the Year at the Recruiter Awards for three consecutive years and sits on the board of BritishAmericanBusiness, the leading transatlantic business organisation dedicated to helping companies build their business on both sides of the Atlantic.  

Paul Kirby

CEO and Founder, Darwin Recruitment

Paul began his recruitment career in 1997 with one of the fastest-growing IT Recruitment organisations in the UK. He founded Darwin recruitment in 2001 because he believed he could change the way companies and job-seekers interact with recruitment companies. He has steered the organisation through over 20 years of consecutive growth and expansion throughout Europe and the USA.

Today, they stand at the forefront of STEM recruitment, specializing in connecting top talent with opportunities in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. Recognising the paramount importance of diversity in the modern workplace - not only for enhancing business agility and driving innovation but also for fostering a culture of inclusivity and well-being - they remain steadfast in their commitment to advancing these principles. Paul's global teams of specialist consultants are dedicated to helping businesses hire smartly, efficiently, and with a keen eye on promoting diversity.

John Nurthen

Executive Director, Staffing Industry Analysis

John Nurthen manages the team that delivers Staffing Industry Analysts' international research content. He has over 25 years' experience in the staffing industry, having previously worked in senior managerial roles for three of the world's largest staffing companies: Select Appointments, Vedior and Randstad. He played an active role in major equity offerings and mergers.
 
Nurthen was a founder of the International Review of Employment, published in four languages, and DOVA, one of the largest global databases of online vacancies. He played a leading role in the development of common data standards with the creation of HR-XML SIDES.
 
He has held responsibility for internal and external communications, e-Business, technology matters, marketing, research, procurement and corporate social responsibility. Nurthen's experience makes him an authority on global recruitment and contingent workforce issues.

Stephen Shorter

CEO, Cobalt Recruitment

Stephen is the CEO of Cobalt, an award-winning international recruitment group. Through its three brands, Cobalt provides a comprehensive service offering, including contingent, temporary staffing and executive search, across the Built Environment. Founded in 2001, Cobalt has long had an international outlook, with operations established in Berlin in 2008 leading to a wider international expansion. The group now operates from 11 offices across the UK, Germany and the US.

 

Stephen has been at Cobalt for 10 years, during which time the business has grown significantly, with the majority of this growth occurring outside of the UK. Key to this success has been the ability to combine Cobalt’s commitment to excellence for clients, candidates and colleagues with an understanding of cultural differences between different markets. This approach has also achieved external recognition with Cobalt recently shortlisted for the International Recruiter of the year at the APSCo UK awards and winning the Enterprise Recruiter of the year at the APSCo Germany awards.

 

Prior to joining Cobalt, Stephen gained diverse commercial experience in both b2b and b2c organisations. He is a chartered accountant (FCA), a member of the Bank of England Decision Maker Panel, and co-chair of the APSCo International Forum.