Meet Victoria Naylor-Leyland and Charlotte Howard-Jones, the Founder and Commercial Director of Kosmos Recruitment, a boutique, family-run recruitment consultancy focused on the supply of high-caliber candidates.
Victoria and Charlotte are the dream team behind Kosmos Recruitment, helping both businesses and candidates find their right fit. Despite their 7 years age gap and different interests ever since they were kids, they have embarked on an entrepreneurial journey together and are thriving. Kosmos was Victoria’s brainchild and was founded in 2014. After graduating from Edinburgh University, she started out in an administrative position and moved on to launch a business. Initially, Charlotte helped her in a support and advisory capacity at the company before getting on board full time. Prior to this, she worked as a photographer’s assistant and also in startups.
Victoria wanted to jump into the entrepreneurial world for a long time. She got immense support from the family and Charlotte in it. As she had a background in recruitment, a business in the same industry was the obvious and right step. Talking about their venture, they say, “We specialize in recruiting support staff such as Executive Assistant to the CEO, Partners and extended C-Suite, Chief of Staff, Business Manager, Business Assistant, Office Manager, Operations Manager, various HR titles, Facilities Manager, Project Manager, Personal Assistant, Team Assistant and titles such as Executive Business Partner and Special Advisor to the Founding Partner, etc.
Kosmos is a boutique, family-run recruitment consultancy focused on the supply of high-caliber candidates. We founded Kosmos Recruitment with the view to providing outstanding, bespoke service to our clients and the highest quality representation for our candidates. Our aim is to effectively search and place talented and motivated candidates in interesting and suitable opportunities on either a permanent or temporary basis.”
Their challenges when Victoria started out and now are more and less the same like finding clients, sourcing candidates, and making a living. Now even though they have good clients, they are still always looking for new leads and candidates. Charlotte has become a transformational coach, and it “has revolutionized the way I work and speak to people when talking about their careers and their future. The next challenge is to start to bring that more prominently into the business,” she says.
Their hard work paid off when recently they were awarded the title of Best Corporate and Investment Firm Recruitment Consultancy for the South East. They have received several testimonials from the clients, and candidates appreciate their way of working and thank them for the helpful advice and time. As a family-run business, its core values include integrity, loyalty, transparency, and inclusivity. They try to remain as transparent as possible with the clients and candidates both.
Victoria and Charlotte thrive on doing a great job and ensuring they match the right candidate, their skills with the right company. Like many other businesses out there, the pandemic was difficult for Kosmos too, but they stuck together. And now they have successfully made it to the other side stronger, closer, and more determined to make a difference.
Candidates struggle to find jobs, and companies to find good talent. The Kosmos sisters are trying to make the process easier with their expertise in the field. It helps both parties save time and rather be productive and work towards their greater goals. Leaving a short but inspiring message for her readers, they say, Look after each other, together we can achieve great things.