TESSA MEADOWS-SMITH

Founding Partner & Financial Director
A History of Design graduate, Tessa has a deep appreciation for culture and organisation. She believes that the effectiveness of any team is based on the personal chemistry of its members. Early in her career Tessa thrived as PA to a senior director. It is this understanding that provides the guiding philosophy to the RMS brand of recruiting. In Tessa’s opinion the reason for the success of RMS, and the extraordinary client loyalty it enjoys, is the particular care taken to match client and candidate. As a young recruiter Tessa worked for one of the market leading London consultancies and was exposed to a wide spectrum of responsibilities that prepared her for a senior management role. Once given commercial responsibility, initially for a failing division, Tessa proved her business development credentials by turning the practise to profit within her first few months of operation. This success led to further professional development and qualification with additional responsibility for staff training in the disciplines of: Recruitment Law, Financial Targeting and Sales.

A short spell outside the recruitment industry followed as Tessa joined a US based, high growth, consultancy, where she was responsible for finance and company secretarial matters including HR and senior consultant recruitment. The operation grew from a satellite office to a mid-sized leader in its field within two years.

In 2000 Tessa partnered with former colleague Kate Rawlings to form RMS Recruitment where her business acumen balanced well with Kate’s business development and client relations credentials.

KATE RAWLINGS

Founding Partner & Consultancy Director
Kate launced her career in France working for Moët, the exclusive champagne house, which she followed with a spell at a top West End fashion house. Great charm and highly developed social skills have propelled Kate to becoming an exceptional networker and client account director.

In her first recruitment role at a leading secretarial consultancy she became the top fee earner. She progressed to manage a team of six consultants and develop an exclusive and enviable client base.

As an experienced recruiter, Kate took up the opportunity to live and work in Budapest. At a major search and selection company she used her ‘English charm’ to successfully recruit and place middle management despite a significant language barrier in a fiercely tough recruitment market.

On returning to the UK, Kate worked as a senior consultant recruiting for the recruitment industry. After two successful years Kate decided to apply her skill and contacts to strike out on her own. It was then that Kate caught up with and partnered Tessa, whom she had worked with for four years previously. The combination of her exceptional success with client relationships for recruitment and Tessa’s operational expertise has proved to be a winning formula.