Compass Recruitment Solutions is thrilled to announce the news that the company has been recognised at the leading healthcare industry ceremony, the HealthInvestor Awards, as Recruitment and Executive Search Firm of the Year 2026.

The CRS nomination incorporated supporting evidence from all operating brands in the group, Compass Associates, Compass Carter Osborne, Carrot Recruitment, and – following September 2025’s most recent acquisition – Consult Search & Medexec.

Judges were looking for evidence of the group’s commitment to customer excellence, the clear ability to demonstrate the group’s granular sector knowledge, and show outstanding group-wide delivery across the investor-backed and privately owned health, care, specialist education, medical device, and life sciences markets. This ranged from senior C-suite and executive leadership hires on a retained basis through executive search brand, CCO, through to volume, ad hoc, RPO and embedded solutions through contingent recruitment brands.

Sam Leighton-Smith, Group MD at CRS has commented:

“This award belongs to our brilliant teams across all our brands who continuously go above and beyond to deliver value to our client partners. We are incredibly proud to work with so many health, care and life science businesses that contribute to making people’s lives better and are genuinely excited for the future as we grow our international footprint.”

Some of the feedback included:

“Judges were impressed by the scale and volume of senior placements across the sector, with an impressive track record and focus on diversity. Congratulations to the whole team.”

The HealthInvestor Awards is widely acknowledged as the preeminent awards ceremony of the year for the health, care, and specialist education markets, bringing together investors, operators, intermediaries, suppliers, and leaders in the sector for an evening of celebration. To have been recognised with this award is a super reflection of the hard work and commitment to delivering nothing but an outstanding service to our valued clients and candidates by all members of the group, at all times.

This has culminated in more than 1,200 placements being made by all brands in the group in the last year, supporting in excess of 450 clients on a range of hires from Chair and Non-Executive Directors, through to registered managers and corporate services appointments in our core markets. Along the way, Google Review feedback averages above 4.9 out of 5; and our NPS scores are a world-class 88 – reflecting the satisfaction of those who are using our services.

The speed of change being witnessed in both the recruitment industry, and the healthcare, medical device, and life sciences markets we support, has meant our leaders are constantly reviewing the wide-range of technology, tools, and innovations available to ensure we are at the forefront of delivering the best service at all times.

Looking to join a company that puts focus on rewarding teams and celebrating success?

With multiple brands across several offices, CRS are able to offer a broad range of opportunities across a variety of markets. You can view our current opportunities and find out more about what we offer, via our job search.

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