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Cobalt Recruitment appoints James Wakefield as CEO

James Wakefield

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The Founders of Cobalt Recruitment, Timothy Rowe and Adam Walker have appointed James Wakefield as Chief Executive Officer.

Wakefield joined Cobalt in 2007 coming from the Management team of the City Division at Michael Page in London. Prior to this he served as an Officer in the British Army for 6 years during which time he was deployed on multiple operational tours and gained a Queen’s Commendation. At the start of 2009, he relocated to the UAE to establish Cobalt’s presence in the region and in 2014 he was further promoted to International Managing Director, adding the Asia and New Zealand businesses to his remit.

James Wakefield (pictured), CEO comments:

"I am incredibly excited to have been given this opportunity and I am relishing the challenge. Having joined when Cobalt was just 70 strong and solely based in the UK, it has been both rewarding and fascinating to play a role in building the company into the truly global force that we are today. Cobalt is a fantastic business with great people but there are always ways in which we can be better. I have a clear vision to tackle every challenge, invest in our people, embrace technology and the ways in which the industry is evolving and ensure that Cobalt really can consider itself to be the very best recruitment company in every single jurisdiction in which we operate."

Adam Walker, Co-Founder comments:

“James has a strong track record and reputation for the creation and delivery of strategy, having successfully led our nascent international businesses through to market-leading positions. Over the last decade, he has gained a broad understanding of our global business, spearheading a number of Group level initiatives and drawing together our senior talent across the world. His expertise as a highly experienced leader, senior client relationship manager and seasoned recruiter, made our decision to appoint him as CEO, an obvious one." 

This structural change for the Group will ensure that the next phase of our global growth is achieved. It is important for the company to now have a single point of accountability as our geographic reach and services increase; James's knowledge of the business as a whole will be invaluable in this regard. Tim and I are delighted to appoint him as CEO.”

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