Our Story

We all came to HR recruitment via different routes, and found ourselves working together in 2005.

By the end of the decade, we felt there was a gap in the market for a truly niche HR recruiter who could personalise each assignment for every client, and work in a truly collaborative way.

We took the brave step of starting our new business in 2011 and nearly ten years on, we’ve placed 400 senior HR candidates with over 150 clients.

We’ve recruited in a range of locations, such as Manchester to Michigan, Warrington to Warsaw, Cardiff to Cleveleys and London to Lausanne.

Our passion is placing HR people. It always has been and always will.

Who ever you need, we know “what good looks like” and can find you the best HR people to help your business succeed.

Sarah Barwell

Director

Sarah has worked on “both sides of the fence” during her 30 years in HR and recruitment and running her own business has always been a long-term ambition.

She achieved that long term goal, when she, Linda and Kate set up The Three Partnership in 2011 – and more than a decade later, still loves what she does.

Outside work, Sarah has a keen interest in adventurous travel (when Covid restrictions permit) community volunteering and has recently started playing netball again after a 30 year break!

Kate Corfield

Director

Kate’s recruitment career started in the research space and she heads up the executive search function of the Three Partnership.

Having specialised in HR recruitment for over 20 years, she has an extensive national network and a strong reputation in recruiting senior HR candidates. She has a reputation for never giving up; even on the trickiest search!

To unwind, Kate enjoys interior design and is currently studying culinary medicine

Linda Pogson

Director

Linda’s early career gave her the opportunity to hold a number of senior management positions with FTSE 100 organisations. 2003 her passion for HR recruitment evolved and hasn’t stopped since……..

Since then she has developed a reputation for being one of the best connected HR recruiters North of Watford (although she’s equally comfortable managing searches elsewhere in the world)!

Outside work, you’re likely to find Linda walking her beloved Daschunds, Willow and Otto or unwinding; either on a yoga mat or a with a glass of wine in hand!

What people say about us

“The Three Partnership did a great job helping us find our new HR Director. What really distinguished them from the other headhunters I’ve worked with is the quality of the shortlist they produced from a single briefing meeting. All of the candidates could have been appointed, and they clearly met our requirements from the brief. Hopefully I won’t be recruiting for another head of HR soon, but if I was, I’d definitely recommend Linda!!”

Andy Mielczarek

“It has been a pleasure working with Sarah. From the point of first contact she dug deep into the appointment so as to create an accurate role description and match our needs with her clients. The process was smooth, pain free and undertaken at a pace set by us. Well done and thanks”

Dr Adrian Williams

“I have worked with Kate and Linda from The Three Partnership as both a candidate and a client over the past 10 years. Their expertise in the senior HR recruitment space means they are fast to market, produce relevant well briefed candidates and consistently get the culture fit spot on. We have worked with them on both interim and permanent appointments across the UK and London so although they are based in the North West, their network is nationwide/global. In particular they are credible, down to earth and easy to work with.”

Kate Woodhouse

“Kate and The Three Partnership supported me on a key senior HR hire to my team recently. This was a specialist role and I knew exactly the kind of person I needed in my team was going to be hard to find. Kate got the brief quickly and her and the team, with their strong network and knowledge of the HR market, were able to identify credible candidates and find the one! I liked their tenacity, dedication and passion. They put their customers at the height of what they do. ”

Elaine Bergin

“Three Partnership are in my view the best networked HR recruitment specialists, certainly in the North and in recent years across the South too. The calibre of candidates is outstanding and their approach is personal and professional. I’ve known the team for many years and they have always delivered fantastic results. They’re candid can-do approach is refreshing. I look forward to working with Three again, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend their services. I have worked with Kate and Linda from The Three Partnership as both a candidate and a client over the past 10 years. Their expertise in the senior HR recruitment space means they are fast to market, produce relevant well briefed candidates and consistently get the culture fit spot on. We have worked with them on both interim and permanent appointments across the UK and London so although they are based in the North West, their network is nationwide/global. In particular they are credible, down to earth and easy to work with.”

Jilly Atherton

“I met Sarah from the Three Partnership when I was personally looking as a candidate and was so impressed with the service she gave me. In my new CPO role, we had demand from the business for a HRD to run the Bybox operation in Coventry, so I didn’t hesitate to call them about it. What I like about the Three Partnership is their personal service and felt they were listening and knew what the organisation needed and didn’t take a templated approach. Kate and Sarah worked on the role – I had very short timescales around hiring and they were great with that. They were flexible and all the shortlisted candidates could have done the job ;you don’t often get that. They took the time to understand the brief, I can’t fault them! I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them, you get a really superior service.”

Jeanette Rooms

“Another head-hunter recommended The Three Partnership to me when I was hiring a Head of Learning and Leadership at Leeds Building Society. I wanted the support of a non-Leeds based specialist HR recruiter, who would challenge my thinking and give me a slightly different view of the West Yorkshire market . What did I like about them? They did what they said they would, and at pace. They accommodated our detailed selection process which provided us with a really good and diverse range of candidates – I could have hired any of the final shortlist. I’d have no hesitation in recommending them to recruit senior HR positions anywhere in the UK.”

Becky Hewitt

“I commissioned The Three Partnership to support us in the recruitment of an HR Director at a very challenging time for us and the country. I was considering a London Head-hunter however due to their expertise and knowledge of the North West HR market I was keen to progress with them. The process was seamless, bespoke and the shortlist of candidates presented were of an extremely high standard which indicated a strong knowledge of our requirements and market knowledge. I would highly recommended The Three Partnership, Linda’s approach is professional, refreshingly candid, enjoyable and they added great value throughout.”

Charlie Shiels

“The Three Partnership were recommended to me by our Remco Chair, who had worked with them previously. The business having listed in early 2020 I wanted to appoint an experienced CPO to work with me and the leadership team as we grew and developed the business. I needed a rigorous executive search of the North West HR market, and to find someone who had the FTSE experience, along with the cultural fit. We went into ‘full lockdown’, soon after commencing the search. Linda and Sarah adapted swiftly and were able to present a thorough and relevant shortlist for us to interview. They had great knowledge of the North West HR market and I was extremely impressed with the quality of the candidates presented and the service they delivered as an organisation.”

Bert Pijls

“The Three Partnership were attentive and proactive , Kate and the team delivered an excellent range of candidates, and understood how important cultural fit was for me, my leadership team and the overall business. They managed a well-structured and slick process given my desire for pace. I’d have no hesitation in recommending them for handling similar searches, I was impressed.”

Steve Hughes