Newcastle's Samuel Knight announces new investment and recruitment strategy for 2019

Newcastle-headquartered Samuel Knight International, a global recruitment and project man-power specialist, has announced Gresham House Ventures investment and will be recruiting for 40 new staff members in 2019.

Samuel Knight, which was established in 2014 and has offices in London and Bristol, provides skills and energy solutions to the energy and rail sectors.

In 2018, it achieved £13m turnover and secured new client contracts in more than 30 countries, boosting headcount and expanding the business to accommodate business growth.

Steven Rawlingson, CEO at Samuel Knight said: “We have a clear vision of what we want to achieve with the investment, and how this will help us to support commercial goals.

“We are delighted to have secured the funding from Gresham House Ventures, who share in our ambition and vision to grow the business. The investment will enable us to strengthen our global offer, expansion plans and team growth.”

The growth capital investment from Gresham House Ventures, using funds from the Baronsmead Venture Capital Trusts, will fund Samuel Knight’s near-term growth plans.

These include increasing headcount at the offices in Bristol and London and adding local talent to the Newcastle team, from entry level graduates to experienced consultants.

The company is also planning international expansion with the potential acquisition of two sites abroad.

Paul Kaiser, Katy Lamb and Michael McCulloch from UNW LLP provided financial advice to Samuel Knight International.

Katy Lamb, senior corporate finance manager at UNW, added: “Having worked with the business since late 2017, helping management prepare for the investment, we were delighted to advise on the finance raise and have enjoyed working with such a dynamic, fast-growing business. It’s also great to see investment into the North East.”

The Gresham House Ventures team invests equity of up to £5m in growth businesses.

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