GLOBAL software and fintech executive search consultancy Oakstone International has opened an office in Chicago to better serve its many clients and candidates in the USA.

The Stateside operation is being headed by Arran Campbell, Managing Consultant North America, who has moved from the firm’s Poole headquarters to the Illinois city, the third biggest in the US.

The move gives Oakstone more US working hours in which to communicate with its fast-growing database of clients and candidates, as well as the ability to meet them in person.

Arran said: “There is a huge opportunity for Oakstone International here, with the amount of software companies which are looking for assistance and candidates who are seeking to change their lives.

“Oakstone having a greater presence in the USA and really cementing our global status as an international company is nothing but a good thing. It gives us visibility in the US, which is a huge market of clients and candidates.”

Chicago is home to more than 6,000 tech companies, growing as the popularity of Silicon Valley in California wanes, which is attributed a lower cost of living than the west coast and a strong work ethic.

Arran, who has been with Oakstone International for two years, was previously an award-winning senior manager in the automotive industry for 20 years, with Mercedes and Volkswagen.

He has moved to Chicago with wife Pamela, who was offered the opportunity to work for her employer, investment bank JP Morgan in the Windy City, and their dog Pica. He is currently working from home with a view to possibly setting up office space.

He added: “I’ve transitioned my workload to the US. I had started doing more and more US projects while I was in the UK – dealing with clients and candidates and doing searches – and found myself dealing almost exclusively with American roles.

“Being in the UK made this challenging – time differences meaning only six hours a day of communications was possible – so when the opportunity came up for my wife and I to move to the US we thought it was perfect timing.

Chief Executive Officer Paul Rayner, who founded Oakstone in 1995, said: “Arran is an experienced operator whose skill sets make him ideal for this position. I had no hesitation in backing this opportunity

“From a business perspective the benefits for Oakstone having a representative in Chicago is that a lot of the long-term clients he is working with all have their head offices in the city.

“With Arran as a full-time representative we not only have a better chance to communicate with and meet clients and candidates, but we are also better placed to meet existing and future prospects in person.

Arran, whose recruitment career began after he sold a Mercedes to Paul, said the shortage of talent in the US replicated that of the UK.

He added: “The clients who are flexible in terms of salary and remote working are the ones who are succeeding in winning the talent. Software companies which are stuck in their ways are no longer getting the best people.

“One thing I have noticed here in the States, which I have tried to relay to my client managers, is the speed of hiring. People are now going through processes in two weeks. Gone are the days when you might have up to 10 interviews

“People are being hired for high-paid jobs on one or two Zoom interviews. Here, it is generally a two-week notice period, a bit more fluid than much of the rest of the world

Oakstone International is an executive search firm delivering recruitment solutions to software, technology and fintech sectors globally.

The consultancy reported record 61 per cent growth in revenue year-on-year in 2021, increased global hires for clients by 41 per cent and saw its financial technology (FinTech) software division grow by 50 per cent in six months.

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