Midlands recruiter marks decade with Leeds office launch

A Nottingham-headquartered recruitment agency has entered its 10th year in business with the opening of a new office in Leeds, its first location in the North of England.

Distinct, founded in 2016, now employs more than 50 people across offices in Nottingham, London and Leeds. Specialising in Finance, HR, Marketing, Office Support and Procurement, the business has built its reputation on long-term, relationship-led recruitment rather than transactional hiring.

The Leeds office, based on New Station Street, coincides with the company’s 10-year anniversary. Its opening was shaped not by geography alone, but by having the right people in place at the right time – consistent with Distinct’s measured, people-led approach to growth.

James Calder, Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Distinct, said, “Most companies decide where they want to grow and then go looking for people. We’ve always done the opposite. The Leeds expansion started with people, not a location.

“Meeting Andy Craven was the catalyst – I knew immediately he was the right fit. From there, it was about creating the right opportunity. At Distinct, we’ve learned that if you get the people right, everything else tends to fall into place.”

The Leeds team is six-strong, headed up by Dale Cawley, bringing in-depth experience across finance – including tax and treasury & risk – alongside office support recruitment. The intention isn’t rapid growth, Calder explains, but to take a considered approach: building strong local relationships and adding value before scale.

That focus on people over pace has shaped Distinct’s culture. In an industry often associated with high turnover, eight members of the team have been with the business since the beginning, while 21 have stayed for more than five years.

Co-founder and USA Director Arran Jaiswal said: “From the beginning, the ambition wasn’t to build the biggest agency – it was to build one where people genuinely wanted to come to work. Ten years on, having people who walked through the door at the start still with us tells you more than any growth metric ever could. Growth only works if it gives people room to develop and thrive and that principle still guides every decision we make.”

The Leeds office will allow Distinct to work more closely with businesses and professionals across the North, strengthening regional relationships while staying true to a people-first philosophy as the company enters its second decade.