Global recruitment firm Hays has announced that Mark Dearnley will take over as its permanent chief executive with immediate effect. Mr Dearnley, who has served as interim boss since February, will now lead the company on a permanent basis.
Appointment follows predecessor's departure
The appointment comes after Dirk Hahn stepped down for “personal reasons” earlier this year, ending a 28-year tenure at the firm. His departure occurred as the group’s profits tumbled by a quarter following a slump in hiring fees.
Hays is among recruitment firms currently navigating a challenging jobs market, where employers are taking longer to hire candidates. Last month, the group reported it had cut its worldwide consultancy staff numbers by 14% and its non-consultancy employee base by 7% in the year to the end of March, as part of cost-cutting measures in response to the difficult market backdrop.
Chairman's confidence in new CEO
Michael Findlay, chair of Hays, expressed confidence in Mr Dearnley’s ability to lead the company through current challenges. He said: “The Board is delighted to appoint Mark as chief executive. Following a comprehensive external and internal search, the board unanimously felt that Mark has the outstanding leadership skills and experience to lead the business forward. As group chief digital and technology officer, and more recently as interim chief executive, he has developed a strong understanding of our business and the needs of our clients.”
Findlay added that Mr Dearnley’s experience in leading transformation across large organisations will be “hugely valuable” as the group navigates “fundamental changes and macroeconomic uncertainty”.
New CEO's vision
Mr Dearnley said: “I am very excited to be taking on this role. I feel really energised by what we can achieve together at Hays, and confident in the direction we will be taking as a business. Serving as interim chief executive over the past few months has only reinforced what I already knew, this is a brilliant business with great people, a huge amount of purpose and massive potential.”
