John Richards interviewed for The Sunday Times

Mentor IMC Group CEO John Richards was recently approached for interview by the Sunday Times newspaper as part of a unique supplement entitled “Recruitment Outsourcing”. He was interviewed by journalist Steve Hemsley, who was exploring how companies that operate on a global scale have to deal with legal and cultural complications when employing staff around the world.

As Mentor IMC Group specialises in managing the complex process of bringing together leading oil and gas industry professionals with some of the world’s biggest energy operating companies, the Sunday Times was keen to interview John Richards to gain his professional insight into the crucial role of recruitment outsourcing experts. Steve’s article, entitled “In for the long haul”, appeared as a full page spread on page 10 of the Recruitment Outsourcing supplement, published 28th March 2010.

In the article, Steve wrote with reference to Mentor IMC Group:

“There is a particular fierce competition for high-level global candidates in the engineering, not-for-profit and renewable energy industries, with employers also demanding individuals with commercial skills. In the oil and gas sector, projects can last many years but the talent pool for key skills such as project management and engineering design is relatively small.

Former project engineer John Richards started energy industry consultancy Mentor IMC Group 23 years ago to help clients such as Exxon Mobil and Chevron recruit top-level industry professionals quickly across international borders when they need to execute different phases of often complex energy projects. His company handles about 200 experts around the world at any one time, but he says the total global talent pool of high-level experts numbers only a few thousand, of whom about 65% are British.

“Energy companies ask us to sort out visas, employ translators, ensure workers go through the necessary medicals, provide cultural and language support, and even help them open bank accounts and find schools for their children,” says Richards.

Mentor IMC Group also retains the services of accountancy firm Price Waterhouse Coopers to ensure compliance on immigration issues so that bureaucratic delays are minimised.”

“In for the long haul”, appeared as a full page spread on page 10 of the Recruitment Outsourcing supplement, the UK Sunday Times, published 28th March 2010
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