Previously both companies, owned by RDL Corporation, operated independently but as from 12^th March 2012, M3 Europe and SEC Pharma will be united under the SEC Pharma brand and under one management team.

The merger will improve the level of service to customers (clients, contractors and candidates), providing a larger, more comprehensive and more specialist service in all sectors of the European pharmaceutical recruitment market.

The combined team of forty recruitment consultants will be able to specialise even further in distinct vertical skill areas and geographic market sectors, providing a more expert, knowledgeable and dedicated service to customers. The team will also be able to flex better to the demands of larger clients, with the establishment of a business wide resource pool to recruit for large volume projects.   SEC will retain the two main offices in London and Woking and all current client relationships will remain with existing recruitment consultant,

The merger will provide a stronger platform for SEC to invest in the pharmaceutical recruitment market, and the business has plans to double the size of its market share within five years.

Key facts on the new enlarged SEC Pharma include:

• A team of more than 40 consultants
• Over 100 active clients throughout Europe
• Dedicated focus on Clinical, Regulatory, Medical Affairs, Biometrics, Drug Safety, Marketing and many other pharmaceutical specialisms
• Two major offices in London and Woking
• Native consultants for France, Spain and Italy plus 12 European languages spoken fluently

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Tim has a proven track record leading successful HR, Resourcing and talent deliverables across a diverse range of industries, most recently as HR Director for pharmaceutical giant Astra Zeneca where, as well as delivering resourcing and talent strategy solutions, he personally oversaw the implementation of a ‘Managed Service Provision’ (MSP) for contract recruitment across all functions in the UK and led the evaluation of global Recruitment Process Outsourcing.

As non-executive director of RDL, Tim will oversee the development of internal talent management throughout the RDL organisation, as well as providing his expertise to RDL clients considering resourcing strategies such as MSP and RPO.

Stuart Britton, CEO of RDL Corporation is delighted with the new addition to the Board: “Tim brings a wealth of experience to our business, and can play a key role both in our internal talent development activity and in assisting our global pharmaceutical clients to identify the best resourcing strategies for their situation. He understands our industry and our culture and will be instrumental in supporting our significant plans for growth over the next five years.”

Prior to AstraZeneca, Tim worked as a senior HR professional in a number of sectors including Retail, (N.Brown Group PLC), Consulting (Andersen Consulting, Baxter Neumann), Defence Electronics, (Plessey), Manufacturing and Engineering (British Steel Corporation, British Aerospace).

During an Apprenticeship event on the London Eye, Britton said: “We were looking for a risk-free model to expand our business and the apprenticeship programme has been a revelation.  Every apprentice that we’ve hired has shown strong values and dedication to the job.  With one million young people unemployed in the UK I urge every employer to hire at least one apprentice – it is the least we can do.”

Jonathan Bouskill, Trainee Recruitment Consultant for SEC, who joined as an apprentice in 2010 and is now one of the most successful junior consultants for SEC said “The best thing about the apprenticeship programme is dispelling the myth that non-graduates are not intelligent or hard-working”.

This follows on the back of winning The National Apprenticeship London Apprentice Employer of the Year Award 2011, as well as receiving Highly Commended in the Medium Employer of the Year category of the UK wide 2011 National Apprenticeship awards, and also being rated a top 100 Apprentice Employer earlier this year.

Innovation forms an intrinsic part of the SEC culture so Stuart Britton, Chief Executive for RDL Corporation (SEC Recruitment’s parent company) and SEC Recruitment Managing Director, Dan Prince, took the strategic decision in 2009 to create a brand new Apprenticeship programme suited to recruitment consultants. This incorporated an employment package with travel costs and upper quartile apprentice salaries complemented by bonuses and specific incentives designed to motivate apprentices within a recruitment industry environment.  Apprentices were selected using phone interviews and assessment days and then a tailored training programme involving e-portfolios, workshops, mentoring and in-house training were mapped into the standard Apprentice Customer Service framework.

Dan Prince said: “Traditionally, SEC has hired recruitment consultants with expertise within the recruitment industry or from within their areas of industry.  During 2009, the consultants we were hiring did not match up to the standard of previous years or to our current staff – they had not been well trained nor did they seem to have the right work ethic for our organisation. In addition, where we had looked to the graduate market to recruit for our entry level consultant roles, there was a big shortfall in graduates with the right skills for recruitment and personality fit for SEC. This was when we decided to implement the Apprenticeship programme which would have a dual objective – firstly source and onboard talented new recruits for our business and secondly to give something back by providing an opportunity to talented and hard-working young Londoners who were struggling to find their first job.”

As a result of developing the Apprenticeship Programme more than 50 recruitment companies have copied the SEC Recruitment model and several hundred recruitment companies will be using apprenticeships during 2012, introducing thousands of new recruits into the industry. Without this innovation, which was used in extensive publicity by the National Apprenticeship Service, the industry may not have as readily adopted this strategy which not only provides cost savings for the recruitment companies, it provides opportunities for keen young people to join a vibrant industry.

Stuart Britton added: “ Since launching the programme in January 2010, we have trained 12 apprentices and seven have graduated to full recruitment consultant status, finding jobs for more than 50 IT, business intelligence and analytics professionals. To date our apprentices have generated £900,000 worth of business. The Apprenticeship programme has enabled SEC to grow during tough economic times and will be responsible for 30% of company growth during 2011.  It has also enabled us to diversify into new sectors of business and open up opportunities to trade with large established global brands. “

APSCo’s statement on the SEC Recruitment win: As the first company in recruitment to recognise the opportunity presented by the Government Apprenticeship scheme, SEC Recruitment has managed to combine Corporate Social Responsibility with a real bottom line benefit to their organisation. They have led the way in the development of young talent to enhance their own business and the recruitment profession as a whole.

The campaign, supported by Mayor of London, focuses on press advertising in the London Evening Standard as well as 4 daily regional newspapers plus 60 weekly titles throughout the South East. This is in addition to promotion to over 40,000 London businesses and the support of radio advertising. The campaign is designed to promote how today’s Apprenticeships can benefit businesses by increasing productivity, improve competitiveness and create a more committed and competent workforce. This campaign forms part of the activity of the NAS, whose vision is that by 2020 every employer will value an Apprenticeship as the key route to equipping them with the skills they need for their business.

Stuart Britton, Chief Executive of RDL, is a member of the Apprenticeship Ambassador Network and was delighted to be asked to be involved in the campaign. He first became involved with this Network in 2009, joining fellow senior executives who are committed to providing apprenticeships within their organisations. RDL were one of the first recruitment businesses in the UK to launch a formal apprenticeship scheme in 2010.

Britton commented, “At the end of 2009 we were struggling to recruit good consultants for our business. We trialled the Apprenticeship programme in January 2010 and we were really impressed by the quality, attitude, and performance of the individuals that we recruited as apprentices. I have become an active advocate of apprenticeships and the competitive advantage they bring to the recruitment industry. Our Apprenticeship programme is now an integral part of our business and aims to give young people the skills and qualifications needed to succeed in this vibrant industry, earning as they learn. Since launching the programme, we have trained 12 apprentices and seven have graduated to full recruitment consultant status, finding jobs for more than 50 IT, business intelligence and analytics professionals in the last year. To date our apprentices have generated £900,000 worth of business. We’re so pleased with them, we have just employed three more.”

Justin brings with him a wealth of experience with over 16 years in the recruitment industry, specialising in IT, Pharmaceutical and Customer Relationship Marketing. His recruitment career began in 1995 in the IT contract market followed by a change of focus to permanent services in the same marketplace. He then started his own consultancy dealing in permanent and contract recruitment for both IT and Customer Relationship Marketing as well as focusing on delivery of recruitment training to the IT, Pharmaceutical and Secretarial sectors. Most recently Justin was Managing Director within the Animal Health sector, working closely with some of the major Pharmaceutical companies in the UK and Europe.

Justin says: “The market space that RDL occupies provides excellent opportunity for growth, this coupled with a very talented pool of employees, the experience and financial backing of Matrix, and an ambitious CEO, made it an easy decision for me to make when offered the opportunity.”

Stuart Britton, CEO of RDL Corporation is delighted with the new addition to the Board: “Justin brings a wealth of experience to our business, is a great fit with our culture and will be instrumental in supporting our significant plans for growth over the next five years.”

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: “I would like to congratulate all of those who have triumphed at the regional stage of the National Apprenticeship Awards and wish everyone the best of luck for the national finals next month. Creating more Apprenticeships across London is a top priority here at City Hall and through your sterling efforts you have shown just what can be achieved.”

Organised by the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) the awards are designed to celebrate the achievements of apprentices and the businesses that employ them.

Stuart Britton, Chief Executive of SEC Recruitment says, “Our Apprenticeship programme is an integral part of our business and aims to give young people the skills and qualifications needed to succeed in this vibrant industry, earning as they learn. Since we launched our apprenticeship programme in January 2010, we have trained 12 apprentices and seven have graduated to full recruitment consultant status, finding jobs for more than fifty IT, business intelligence and analytics professionals in the last year.”

SEC Recruitment will now represent London and automatically go through to a judging panel for the National Apprenticeship Awards held on the 29 June 2011.

Vic Grimes, Regional Director of Apprenticeships in London said: “This year’s awards were a terrific showcase of the outstanding wealth of Apprenticeship talent that we have across London. Given the volume and high calibre of entries we received, I’d like to take this opportunity to congratulate SEC Recruitment for this superb achievement and for its ongoing commitment to Apprenticeships.

“It’s been a tough year for businesses and the economy, but the awards have given Apprenticeships the chance to shine – showing that they are key to growth during the economic upturn. All the finalists demonstrated what makes Apprenticeships so successful, not only in the capital but throughout England. The winners are now ambassadors for Apprenticeships and for the region’s dedication to this programme.”

Apprenticeships offer young people a training route which combines work-based learning with theory and a recognised qualification, whilst employers experience a range of benefits when hiring an apprentice, including motivated, skilled staff and increased productivity. More than 20,350 people started Apprenticeships in London last year.

The National Apprenticeship Awards 2011 received a record number of applications with over 1,600 entries – an increase of over 25% on last year’s awards, with over 200 of those from London

Cathy Jarrett-Jones, Talent acquisition manager for SEC said “We have designed activities and exercises which will both challenge the candidates and ensure those with the right skills shine through. Unlike the television series we won’t be firing people as we go along, but Group Chief Executive, Stuart Britton, will be present to conduct a boardroom style interview at the end of the day.”

Britton, who started his recruitment career as a trainee in the 1990s, is a passionate supporter of apprentices, promoting the benefits of the programme to REC and ATSCo audiences and has been appointed to the Apprenticeship Ambassador Network.  Britton said “I’m looking forward to welcoming four new recruits to our organisation. Since we launched our apprenticeship programme in January 2010, we have trained 12 apprentices and seven have graduated to full recruitment consultant status, finding jobs for more than fifty IT, business intelligence and analytics professional in the last year.”

The London Apprenticeship awards will take place at County Hall on 16th May and the winner will go through to the National Apprenticeship awards ceremony in June.

Britton commented “At the end of 2009 we were struggling to recruit good recruitment consultants to our business.  We trialed the Apprenticeship program in January 2010 and we were really impressed by the quality, attitude, and performance of the individuals that we recruited as apprentices.  I have become an active advocate of Apprenticeships and the competitive advantage they bring to the recruitment industry.”

As an ambassador, Britton will increase his involvement in providing advice and guidance to other recruitment businesses looking to establish apprenticeship programs.   Britton has already provided input to an event hosted by the GLA and he has also been invited by the IT forum of the REC to sit on their panel to discuss youth employment.

Stuart Britton, Chief Executive of RDL commented “We are delighted that SEC has been shortlisted for this prestiguous award.  We have always received good feedback from clients and candidates about our service so I decided we needed to start shouting about our abilities a bit more.  I’d like to thank the clients and candidates that provided wonderful testimonials for SEC and the consultants that are providing a great service every day.”

Following the MBO in November 2010, Britton is investing in the RDL Group’s marketing strategy and has enisted the help of Mike Ellingham, a recruitment industry marketing specialist, to lead specific activities such as writing award entries and redeveloping all the group’s websites.

The award ceremony is taking place on the 10th May 2011 where Britton will be entertaining the SEC staff who received the best testimonials from clients and candidates.