A fast-expanding recruitment company focused on senior finance posts in high-growth and private equity and venture capital-backed businesses has moved into new headquarters in Manchester city centre.
Perran Cooke launched Sowena Group last summer after more than a decade in the recruitment industry, including roles as regional managing director for the north at executive search company PSD Group and as a director at Axon Moore.
From a standing start, Sowena now has a team of five and has taken office space at The Tootal Buildings on Oxford Street. Perran said he expects to deliver more than £650,000 in revenue this year.
Senior recruitment consultants Dave Kreitz and Mackenzie Harrop have joined Sowena in recent weeks along with Leah Allen as head of marketing and Megan Buckley as marketing executive.
Perran said he expects the team to grow to 10 by the end of this year, creating roles for recruitment consultants, back office and support staff, market research specialists and a non-executive director.
Sowena currently recruits for chief financial officer, finance director, financial controller, head of finance and newly-qualified roles across the north west and beyond, with salaries ranging from £45,000 to £180,000.
It places candidates across numerous sectors, including retailing, technology, sports nutrition, manufacturing, logistics, healthcare, fast-moving consumer goods, ecommerce, facilities management, professional services and wholesaling.
Sowena is looking to expand its offering beyond finance to add recruitment for specialist roles in operations, technology and HR positions.
Perran said: “The rapid growth of the business has resulted in us now becoming a team of five. The expertise that Dave, Mackenzie, Leah and Megan bring to Sowena will support and drive further expansion as we continue to lay strong foundations for the future, with more appointments planned in the coming weeks and months.”
He added: “I quickly recognised the need for a functional space which would enable us to bring everyone together under one roof where we could be central to many of our clients and candidates.
“The Tootal Buildings is an excellent location – it’s a modern building with great shared spaces, has the flexibility we need for our growth and is close to transport links. Another plus is that it’s steeped in heritage. The building still showcases a lot of its history as a textile warehouse, which resonated with me as a business owner proudly based in Manchester.
“Our focus currently is on building a strong and reputable finance offering, from newly-qualified to executive level, with an emphasis on quality rather than speed and numbers.
“We work closely with corporate finance advisers, banks, investors, private equity houses, venture capital firms and leadership teams to ensure the candidates we place bring the expertise, capability and resilience to help businesses on their journey towards an exit or their merger and acquisition strategies.”
Sowena has developed a data-driven, interactive dashboard which gives candidates visibility before their interview about the role, including key details on the company such as EBITDA, investment opportunities, management structure, objectives, plans and its culture.
Perran said: “It ensures candidates have full transparency about the business and can make well-informed decisions regarding job offers and their career aspirations. It fosters trust and confidence in the recruitment process for everyone, as it matches the ideal candidate to the goals and culture of the business.
“At the heart of our strategy is putting the candidate first. We recognise that finance professionals deserve a comprehensive understanding of their prospective employer, which is why we are investing to develop the platform further,” said Perran.
“We are leveraging stand-out technology to enhance the customer experience and break the mould in the recruitment industry, with a 90 per cent CV-to-interview success rate, which demonstrates how effective the platform is proving to be for clients and candidates.”
Perran said the recruitment market in Sowena’s north west heartland has gathered pace since January, despite wider economic uncertainty.
“The market has picked up speed since the start of the year, with a strong number of new assignments starting. With another solid year of potential private equity transactions set for business in the north west, we are in constant dialogue with the corporate finance and PE community,” he said.
