Dorset recruitment firm flies top achievers to Italy on luxury holiday

By Nicky Godding

3 October 2023

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SPA DAY: Oakstone International high achievers enjoying the facilities at the luxurious Adler Spa Resort Dolomiti in the stunning Dolomite mountains in northern Italy during their all-paid holiday courtesy of their firm

An expanding Dorset-based SaaS and FinTech executive search firm has flown its top-performing staff to Italy for a relaxing, luxury, all-paid holiday to reward achievement.

Eight members of the team at global software and fintech recruitment consultancy Oakstone International and their partners spent four days in the Dolomite mountains, part of the Alps.

They stayed with partners at the Adler Spa Resort Dolomiti in the South Tyrol town of Ortiesi and enjoyed the hotel’s spa facilities, mountain biking, and hiking.

Oakstone International Chief Executive Officer Paul Rayner, who founded the firm in 1995, explained that recruitment consultants needed to qualify for the trip to northern Italy's towering peaks and lush landscapes by overachieving on their given annual target.

“I genuinely believe that those who go above and beyond and who achieve greatness should be rewarded – and the Dolomites offer a breathtaking backdrop to honour their incredible dedication.

“This is why Oakstone gives people the opportunity and the platform to succeed and achieve what they want personally and professionally. The annual achiever’s trip is simply a thank-you and congratulations.

“Oakstone is a company that cares about its people, and being able to gift our superstars with a culturally enriching trip to another country is a delightful feeling.

“The food, wine and company are always exceptional and it is particularly rewarding for me to see so many of the team making the trip.

“It’s unfortunate that not everyone makes the achievers’ trip, however, at Oakstone, we’re big on celebrating small achievements together, too.”

The firm also offers weekly incentive rewards, such as cash prizes and champagne, hosts an annual beach barbecue, provides an overnight hotel stay at the Christmas party and stages regular team activities.

Oakstone, based in Poole, with another office in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, where the business was first established, reported a 135 per cent increase in new clients last year.

The 22-strong consultancy continues to grow with recent new hires in SaaS (software as a service) and FinTech (financial technology) recruitment roles.

The consultancy opened an office in Chicago in 2022, headed by Arran Campbell, Managing Consultant North America, to better serve its many clients and candidates in the USA.

Oakstone also supports the charity One Tree Planted to help reforestation efforts worldwide with 1,330 trees planted, linked to placements, since July 2022.

By Nicky Godding

Nicky Godding is editor of The Business Magazine. Before her journalism career, she worked mainly in public relations moving into writing when she was invited to launch Retail Watch, a publication covering retail and real estate across Europe.

After some years of constant travelling, she tucked away her passport and concentrated on business writing, co-founding a successful regional business magazine. She has interviewed some of the UK’s most successful entrepreneurs who have built multi-million-pound businesses and reported on many science and technology firsts.

She reports on the region’s thriving business economy from start-ups, family businesses and multi-million-pound corporations, to the professionals that support their growth and the institutions that educate the next generation of business leaders.