The SThree group consists of a family of ten niche recruitment brands focusing on STEM industries (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics).
To date all of our brands are home-grown, created within SThree’s entrepreneurial culture in response to clear market opportunities. This means that all our brands benefit from a single unified global database of clients and candidates. Customers – both client companies and individual candidates – are served through systems which are common across all of our brands and sectors.
Our candidates and clients engage with SThree primarily through our four largest recruitment brands: Computer Futures, Progressive, Huxley and Real. Within the STEM industries we provide Permanent and Contract staff to sectors including Information and Communication Technology (‘ICT’), Banking & Finance, Life Sciences, Engineering and Energy.
To learn more about each of our brands, click below.
Our first business, Computer Futures, opened its first office in London in 1986 with just four members of staff. Today, we are one of the largest IT recruiters in Europe.
Our second specialist brand Progressive opened its doors in London in 1990. Today, Progressive operates globally focusing on IT, Engineering, Pharma, Telecoms, Healthcare and Oil & Gas.
As part of SThree's expansion our third business, Huxley Associates, was established in London in 1995. Huxley is now one of the world’s leading recruitment consultancies, specialising in providing staffing and talent solutions to the banking and financial services industry.
In 1998 SThree launched its first European office in Brussels and began its international expansion. We started in the UK but we now generate around two thirds of our business internationally.
In the same year, our fourth main brand Real opened in London and we expanded our business to Ireland. Today, Real is an international staffing company specialising in the Healthcare, IT, Public Sector and Life Sciences sector.
2002 was the start of our expansion to Germany with our first offices being opened in Frankfurt and Munich followed by four further locations across Germany.
SThree officially floated on the London Stock Exchange.
Our first North American office opened in New York in 2006. We now have a large presence in the US, trading as Specialist Staffing Group, with offices in Austin, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Minneapolis, New York, San Diego and San Francisco.
Shortly after our expansion to the US we opened our first Middle Eastern office in Dubai and our first Asian office in Hong Kong.
Gary Elden was appointed to the board in July 2008, having been with the group since 1990. Gary has held a number of senior positions including that of founding Managing Director of Huxley Associates. He was appointed as Chief Executive Officer on 1 January 2013.
In 2011, we SThree founded Identity, our own Diversity and Inclusion Programme focused on providing a strategic approach to managing diversity and increasing the awareness of gender diversity and inclusion. Since then we have won a number of diversity awards, including the The Times Top 50 Employers for Women and the APSCo Award for Excellence for Diversity & Inclusion.
In 2016, our CEO Gary Elden was awarded an OBE for his achievement and service to Diversity in Business. Just a few months later our commitment to creating a positive and inclusive work environment was yet again recognised by winning the APSCo Award for Excellence for Diversity and Inclusion.
Our strong emphasis on creating a diverse and inclusive working environment allows us to find and retain skilled people and to bring a breadth of thinking to solve workplace challenges for our customers.
Our operating principles, which are based on research with our clients and candidates, guide the way we work:
Build trust
Care then act
Be clear then aim high