RECRUITMENT specialist MCS Group, which employs 75 people in Belfast, has opened its first international branch in Boston, Massachusetts.
The firm, which specialises in placing people in sectors including technology, finance, manufacturing, marketing and professional services, says the decision to expand across the Atlantic was based on client demand and the similarities between Belfast and Boston.
“As well as being home to the world-renowned Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and many of the world’s leading technology companies, Boston is a market we already have a clear insight into,” says MCS managing director Barry Smyth, who co-founded the company with Louise Smyth in 2008.
“Belfast’s links with Boston are strong in the technology sector, with many firms from Massachusetts and the wider New England area operating in Northern Ireland today, while the cities also have a shared culture and history in a wider sense.
“Our US clients have seen the benefit of working with MCS locally and many now want us to support their businesses in the US, not just NI, so this expansion is really built on client demand.”
He added: “Our mission has been to raise the bar, set the standard, and be the benchmark for specialist recruitment in today’s world. It is this desire to provide exceptional service levels to clients regardless of where they are based, which has led us to this point and the opening of our new office in Boston.”
The new office will be led by Ryan Quinn, who takes up the position of regional vice president, and is currently being supported by a small team of staff, with further recruitment ongoing.
Having joined from US firm Eliassen Group, where he was practice director of recruiting, Ryan will be responsible for emulating the MCS standard for clients, consultants and candidates alike.
Focusing initially on the New England and wider east coast market, MCS is partnering with and supporting clients in the fintech, health-tech and cleantech industries.
“The US, and Boston specifically, are home to many recruiting firms,” says Mr Quinn.
“We are aiming to raise the sector’s game by applying new levels of service quality.?MCS and the team in Belfast have dedicated their work to a quality, consultative approach to truly help their clients build out the best possible teams and that type of dedication and service level is exactly what we aim to bring to Boston.”
The firm says it will use its considerable knowledge and skill developed in building and scaling technology teams over the past 14 years to assist New England’s technology companies to continue to flourish.
