Beilby restructure puts focus on training and development

WA-BASED recruitment firm Beilby has dismantled its intricate corporate structure, consolidating its various holdings into one company to position itself for expansion.

The 27-year old group, which was founded by the late Ron Beilby and is one of the biggest privately owned recruitment firms in Australia, has spent two years unravelling a series of companies and trusts to form Beilby Corporation Pty Ltd.

Beilby WA chief executive Rob Smith said Ralph reforms, which allowed scrip for scrip exchanges without capital gains tax implications, had allowed the business to restructure for the future.

An existing shareholder, Mr Smith said the move paved the way for staff to take equity as well as provide a better base to raise capital for expansion, both geographically and into new sectors.

“The immediate likelihood is to offer senior members of staff an equity position in the organisation,” he said.

The business is majority owned by the Beilby family. NSW general manager David Beilby is the only family member working in the business.

“We don’t need external capital to take us to the next level of the business. We are obviously in a much better position to do that if we want to downstream,” Mr Beilby said.

Mr Smith said the possibility of the family exiting the business had not been a factor in the decision to change the structure.

Among a raft of initiatives for Beilby are:

p opening an office in Melbourne;

p going into online recruitment;

p plans to compete in white collar contracting;

p human resources development, including training; and

p growing its international business.

Beilby WA general manager Rick Dunn believes the training market is set for a revival, be it Government or private sector led.

“The signs in the marketplace are not good, that is within companies.”

“The ‘getting more from less’ which has been going on for the past 10 years is starting to see some serious stress in the workplace,” Mr Dunn said.

“You have to look after your people. Companies have been too profit driven, the amount of money spent on training and development has been an absolute pittance.”

p See the eight-page Human Resources Liftout, pages 15-22.