Hydrogen Group appoints chief operating officer to drive business development

Tim Smeaton has been appointed Chief Operating Officer of Hydrogen Group to drive the growth and development of the overall business.

Tim has been instrumental in the formation and growth of Hydrogen Group through his role as co-founder and Managing Director of Partners Group. Partners Group joined forces with recruitment specialist PRO in 2005 to form Hydrogen Group, which is now the fastest organically growing listed recruitment business in the UK.

Tim demonstrated his capabilities early on in his career, when he was appointed Sales Director of Computer Team Group at the age of 28. In 2000, Tim went on to set up Project Partners, which specialises in placing business technologists into the financial markets and which is now the largest business in Hydrogen Group. Over the following four years, Tim went on to set up a further three consultancies, thus establishing the Partners Group.

Commenting on his appointment, Tim says, Hydrogen has demonstrated its ability, not only to successfully grow eight specialist recruitment brands, but also to develop and empower its staff to run them. Our future success will be driven by the continued entrepreneurial culture we have fostered, complimented by our continued focus on the provision of scarce talent to our client base. I am greatly looking forward to being part of the team responsible for this.

Listed on AIM in 2006, Hydrogen Group has a turnover of 80 million and is widely recognised for its market beating growth - being placed three times in the Sunday Times Fast Track 100 and three times in Europeís 500. It has won numerous awards for its investment in its people including being named Britainís Top Employer 2007 by the Guardian, being awarded Three Star Status as an Extraordinary Employer by Best Companies, and being placed in The Sunday Times Best Companies to Work for league for the past three consecutive years.