Consult Joins Compass Recruitment Solutions

Consult and Medexec Join Compass Recruitment Solutions with Investment from Cow Corner

Consult and Medexec have officially joined Compass Recruitment Solutions (CRS), following new investment from Brighton Based private equity group Cow Corner.

The move marks a significant milestone in the growth journey of both of our companies, strengthening our ability to deliver high-quality recruitment solutions across the Health, MedTech, Life Sciences, and Executive Search markets.

As part of CRS, Consult and Medexec will benefit from a larger, well-resourced platform, while continuing to operate as specialist brands with a strong focus on our respective sectors.

This partnership will open up greater opportunities for our clients and candidates by broadening our market reach and supporting long-term growth, backed by a team of more than 150 consultants, researchers, marketers, and operations specialists worldwide.

“We are delighted to welcome the Consult / MedExec teams to CRS as we continue to broaden our specialisms and geographies in which we operate. Michelle has built a fantastic brand within the international medical technologies sector and her businesses have a terrific reputation for delivering quality and stakeholder value to the clients they work with. This aligns perfectly with our investment thesis of strengthening our niches and expanding our reach at both an executive and middle management level.

We very much look forward to working closely with the team as they continue to grow and evolve across this next exciting chapter in both our histories.”

- Sam Leighton-Smith, Group Managing Director at CRS

"I am pleased to share the news of Cow Corner’s investment and our integration into Compass Recruitment Solutions. This partnership provides a strong platform for our team, enhances our ability to deliver exceptional results for clients, and supports our long-term growth ambitions. With the combined strength of Compass and the backing of Cow Corner, we are well positioned to build on our success and create significant opportunities for the future.”

- Michelle Lally, CEO of Consult & Medexec

About Compass Recruitment Solutions (CRS)

CRS was founded in 2010 by Mike Jeffreys, Chris Russell and Sam Leighton-Smith and is headquartered in Portsmouth, with offices in London, Manchester and Raleigh (US), employing 130 people.

Today it is an award-winning recruitment solutions business focussed on companies and investors across the health, care, education, and life sciences markets in the UK and increasingly internationally. In March 2024, CRS announced an investment from Cow Corner, a private equity firm investing in UK based services and software businesses, to accelerate organic and inorganic growth to build scale in the health, life sciences, and social care sectors.

CRS operates through the Compass Carter Osborne, Compass Associates, and Carrot Recruitment brands to provide a full, integrated service offering from retained executive search through to the contingent recruitment of skilled managers and head office appointments. In the last fifteen years, the group has facilitated more than 10,000 placements and has built a reputation in the sector for exceptional knowledge, delivery which adds immediate and long-term value to the businesses they join.

CRS and its operating brands are proud to have been recognised at a number of the most revered industry awards as winners of the recruitment, and executive search categories, on multiple occasions.

About Cow Corner:

Cow Corner is a Brighton-based private equity investor established in 2018. The firm focuses on building long-term partnerships with growing UK businesses, primarily in the software, services, and specialist sectors.

Unlike traditional private equity models, Cow Corner invests with a founder-friendly, growth-oriented approach, combining its own capital with that of its fund investors. Its strategy centres on supporting management teams to scale sustainably, prioritising organic growth and long-term value creation over short-term gains.

By providing both capital and strategic support, Cow Corner helps businesses strengthen their platforms, expand market presence, and achieve their full potential.