Happy 25 years Eleven!

In July 1998, not long married and with our first child due within a few months, I took a plunge and placed a small advert in Fuel Oil News to launch what was then known as Oil Recruitment. I’d like to say that it was all part of a detailed business plan that would see us still in operation after 25 years. But, in reality, it was more of a test marketing exercise, based on ideas from my late father, who was obsessed with setting up a dating agency at the time (!) and some wise insights over a pint from my oldest friend, who was already something of a recruitment veteran.

Surprisingly, we had a pretty good response from that first advert and continued recruiting in the fuel distribution market for many years. I remain in gratitude to Margaret Boydell who was in at the start and went on to establish our lubricants activities. 

We quickly moved into the world of energy trading and were lucky to be in action at the tail end of the heady days before the market crash, when people thought that Enron was the best run company in the world. I very much appreciate the foundational role played by Sarah Stott in building this business, and of course, over the last decade, by the inimitable Peter Morgan. Over most of these 25 years we’ve all continued to value and rely upon Fiona Hammond for her calm co-ordination in all things.

Our parent company started life selling coal and coke to the people of Manchester from horse drawn carts and it’s always been a drive for me to do what I can to push forward the energy transition. We’ve been on the path away from oil for a while, I'm delighted that our current sector footprint is dominated by renewable energy and climate tech - my thanks go to Dominic Kendal and Jason Tolley for their leadership in these sectors.

With our current team it requires no exaggeration to say that we have the brightest prospects we’ve ever had.