Meet The Team

Phil is an experienced Recruiter in multiple sectors spanning over 7 years. Having had the experience of running two successful Recruitment businesses.

Phil has a vast knowledge of Multi sector Recruitment across the UK and overseas, with expertise in the Engineering and Consumer sectors. He is specialised with helping Employment growth & development with various size companies ranging from Startups, SMEs and Multi-National Corporations. It has always been within his key interest to make sure the journey between client and candidate is met with the upmost honesty, integrity & professionalism.

In his spare time, Phil’s life will often revolve around his dog Neville who is a Miniature Dachshund and therefore needs attention almost all the time. When Neville can live without his owner for 5 minutes, Phil enjoys Reading, Self-improvement, Sports and family time.

Kate rejoined Shepherd Stubbs after previously working in our Kettering office. Since then, she has built a broad career across both finance and recruitment, bringing a wealth of experience back to the team.

Her background includes working in practice with Moore Stephens as well as working as a financial controller across industries such as civil engineering, utilities, property maintenance, and hospitality. This combination of recruitment knowledge and hands-on finance experience enables Kate to fully understand the needs of businesses while helping candidates secure roles that best match their skills – from entry-level Accounts Assistants through to qualified Accountants and Finance Directors.

Outside of work, Kate enjoys long walks with her Yellow Labrador, gym classes, and problem-solving challenges such as escape games and puzzles. She can also be found pottering in the garden tending to her plants and vegetables – often while trying to stop the dog from digging them up!

Olivia is a business development and recruitment professional with over 15 years in the industry, the last 8 working in-house in the construction sector.

With a keen interest in psychology and wellbeing, Olivia brings a people first approach to the recruitment process – building long-term relationships with both candidates and clients.

Now with Shepherd Stubbs, Olivia is looking forward to leading the charge in expanding the construction recruitment division, drawing on her experience and network to drive growth and connect people.

Outside the office Olivia loves sports and travel, often combining the two to travel the world participating in a variety of athletic adventures.

Having originally set out on a path to be a top performing chef (now a keen home cook and baker instead!), Jonathan went into hotel management, before moving into HR with Forte Hotel Group and then as HR Manager with Cranfield Conference Services Group.

Then moving to the semiconductor/manufacturing sector as HR Manager at Texas Instruments UK, overseeing a management buyout transition from an HR perspective to a new company, Power Innovations.

After completing a post Graduate CIPD Degree, he became the youngest FCIPD Fellow at 30, before meeting Sandra in 1997 and forming ‘Shepherd Stubbs Recruitment’ (from her ‘Sandra Shepherd Recruitment’ business which she started in 1988).

Over the years he has helped the business achieve IIP Investors in People ‘Gold’ status, ISO9000 for its quality management in recruitment processes and for Shepherd Stubbs becoming an accredited centre for national recruitment qualifications.

His focus is now on further developing and expanding the business with a UK wide network of recruitment specialists servicing its widening client base

Sandra started her career as an Apprentice Hairdresser and after having her family she returned to work in various companies in Bedford in a variety of roles including Accounts Assistant (not her forte!) Marketing and Internal Sales.

She saw an advertisement for a Recruitment Consultant for a company opening its 9th office in Luton – they were Select Appointments. On joining the company, she knew from day one she had found ‘her thing’. She spent almost 6 years there, latterly as the Manager. In 1988, she decided she could probably do it herself in Bedford.

A good friend helped put together a Business Plan, she approached the Bank and in exchange for an overdraft gave them a charge on her house (Eeek!). She opened ‘Sandra Shepherd Recruitment’ in Castle Lane and the rest is history!

…and she is still passionate about finding people jobs!!

Starting his recruitment career in 2007, Harrison joined a London trades and labour recruitment agency.

Unfortunately for Harrison, the requirement for bricklayers and the like was hit severely as a result of the 2008 UK financial crisis.

Falling back on his business academic qualifications, he joined Carter Clark Financial Recovery with the long-term ambition of becoming a qualified Insolvency Practitioner. Over 8 years Harrison managed many Bankruptcies, Company Liquidations and Administrations.

At a turning point in his career in 2016 Harrison decided that he no longer wanted to manage the financial difficulties of others but to help people in a different way. Having already had a taste of recruitment, he always had the desire to return.

In 2016, he joined the DPS Group to specialise in recruiting for the engineering sector. Over the following 9 years he has serviced many blue-chip companies across the Pharmaceutical, Manufacturing, Chemical and Energy sectors.

Now as Recruitment Director for Shepherd Stubbs, he is focused on taking the business forward and continuing to help bring people together.

Christianah graduated from Plymouth university, thereafter, she began her journey in sales and recruitment. She has worked in various industries from finance, to property, to the legal Industry.

Having 2 kids herself, she decided to go into childcare recruitment, recruiting for schools and nurseries and grew an absolute love for this sector.

She has since specialised in the childcare industry, working with top nurseries and providing them with quality staff from unqualified nursery nurses through to nursery managers.

Our bi-lingual back office team are rescue dogs from Spain, happy to be spoken to in Spanish or English!

Abbie……a connoisseur of belly rubs and squirrel surveillance, never quite fast enough to catch one, she loves her walks and loves sniffing every blade of grass, she is never far from the kitchen when there’s a possibility of a surreptitious treat.

Maisie, ‘the Mum’ on the other hand is a self proclaimed ‘snoozer’, happy to take things easy although she also enjoys a run round the park letting the wind fan her ears.

In their downtime, Abbie and Maisie can be found snoring in the office dreaming (probably about food) and engaging in synchronised tail wagging!

Imane is a fully qualified secondary school teacher with a strong understanding of safeguarding, child development and the importance of high-quality early years provision. Her background in education allows her to recognise the personal qualities that make an effective nursery practitioner, beyond qualifications alone.

She chose to specialise in early years recruitment to support nurseries in finding reliable, committed staff who are the right fit for both the setting and the children. Imane takes a careful, people-focused approach to recruitment, ensuring candidates are well-screened and aligned with each nursery’s values and standards.