Allen & York – 30 Years and Counting

January 23, 2024 /3BL/ - 2023 has been another great year for Allen & York, specialists in Green Executive Search & Recruitment. We’ve celebrated 30 years in business, reached an incredible 30,000 followers on LinkedIn and continued to grow the green economy by placing talent with many valued, existing clients and some fantastic new clients: delivering great hires where they’re needed most.

Our specialist recruitment areas include Environment, Renewable Energy, Sustainability & ESG, Health, Safety and Wellbeing, and Green Tech and Climate Change. We have and continue to place great hires all over the world, helping to create a skilled, diverse workforce.

Our CEO and Founder, Mark Allen has a story or two about Environmental & Sustainability recruitment, but we wanted to ask him why he founded Allen & York and how he was feeling 30 years on.

“I founded Allen & York 30 years ago because I could see there was a need for a specialist recruitment consultancy like ours. The world was just starting to wake up to the realisation that the planet couldn’t continue its current trajectory. I was motivated and passionate to make a difference – I felt like a facilitator of positive change and growth within the fledgling environmental sector. The people and businesses operating in this space at the time; we all felt like pioneers. It was new, exciting, and felt that what we were doing was incredibly important. I wanted to play my part. Allen & York was one of the first, if not the first, environmental recruitment consultancies in the world. And so, a new industry was born. 

Over the years, Allen & York have helped thousands of people find the right roles with purposeful organisations. We will help thousands more in the future. Our client base is global and diverse. Over the years we’ve worked with big-brand corporates, consultancies, not-for-profits, and NGOs. Each role receives our utmost care and attention. Because of this, we’ve built – and continue to build – lifelong relationships with our clients, which I am hugely proud of. 

Thirty years on I feel just as motivated to continue this journey. The challenges remain, maybe even more so now than they did 30 years ago, but with challenge comes opportunity and we will take the opportunity to continue to make a difference.” 

So, what’s been your proudest professional achievement so far? 

“There’s not been a single achievement - the last 30 years have been an absolute pleasure. I would have to say I’m most proud of the people at Allen & York and what we have achieved together. A huge thanks to everyone who has contributed to our story – those who have left their legacy – thank you. You know who you are and how grateful I am. They helped build the foundations on which Allen & York stand today. To the current team and their continued efforts to deliver on what I set out to achieve, and to the new faces yet to join us who will help continue to make a difference. 

Together we’ve created a company which is trusted by a diverse, cross section of organisations, from large, global, world-leading brands who have complex recruitment needs and very specific requirements, to smaller SMEs without the ready access to internal resources to support their hiring. Those ambitious and talented smaller organisations that are on the way up and just starting their journeys. We have worked closely with many such organisations and watched with pride as they have grown and flourished over the years. Indeed, nothing gives us greater satisfaction than to help such organisations when they most need it. 

We are incredibly proud to have supported all these organisations and helped them shape their teams with talented people who are making a difference.” 

Finally, looking to the future, what’s next for Allen & York?

“We’ll continue to strive to improve, learn and adapt and ultimately to be a first –choice recruitment partner and thought leader in our principal sectors, at the forefront of developments within the industry. 

With the momentous steps taken at the recent COP28 and the desire of the nations to transition away from fossil fuels, Allen & York will be there to support, inspire and add value to our client's recruitment strategies. We aim to continue to grow and diversify, meeting the needs of our clients. We’ll continue to champion ethical best practice – working with purpose-led organisations to find purposeful people is what we’ve been doing for 30 years, long may that continue!” 

At Allen & York, we’ve built a vast network of talent, managed by dedicated professionals. Whether you’re a big-brand corporate, a consultancy, non-profit or NGO, we can help you hire and deliver value through your recruitment process. To find out how we can help you find the right person for the right role, contact one of our experienced and knowledgeable consultants for an informal, confidential chat on 01202 888986 or email [email protected] 

www.allen-york.com