Dale Williams: ‘At the middle of everything that works in recruitment is a person doing right by another’ Dale Williams: ‘At the middle of everything that works in recruitment is a person doing right by another’ advertorial Subscribe to the Businessin Wales daily newsletter for FREE here.  Few careers in recruitment begin with a grand plan, and Dale Williams’ was no exception. “My start in recruitment really was an accident, like a lot of people in our industry,” the CEO of Recolution Group said. Williams left school at 16, bypassed university and entered the world of sales, working across gas and electricity, telecoms, and IT hardware and software. Recruitment came into view only after he used an agency himself. “I used a recruitment agency to find a job as a candidate and I thought, ‘that seems to sit at the intersection of what I’m interested in’. People, business, problem solving.” That intersection would become the foundation of a 17-year, and counting, career and the creation of what is now Recolution Group. Today, Recolution Group is one of the UK’s fastest-growing independently owned recruitment companies and is well known both within the UK and across its wider European markets. Its brands include Yolk Recruitment, City Executive Search, Conexus DX and Meritus Talent. The group recruits middle management and executive hires across commercial, financial services, legal, SAP, defence, technology and engineering sectors, with a global customer base across the private and public sectors. Founded by Williams in 2009, the group has grown year on year to a £20 million turnover company. According to the group’s website, its growth has accelerated within its European contract arm, which has created the foundations to reach £50 million in revenues by 2029. Recolution Group’s head office is based in Cardiff, with offices also in Barcelona and the Netherlands. The ‘Three Cs’ In 2009, aged just 23, Williams founded Yolk Recruitment, the first business in what would later become Recolution Group. Williams said: “The name Yolk had a really unscientific meaning. We were looking for a single-syllable word and liked the colour orange. My then business partner and I had a cooked breakfast in my flat and there was an egg in front of us, and the word yolk got mentioned, and the rest is history.” What began with minimal branding theory evolved into a respected professional recruitment name across South Wales and the South West. Over time, Williams recognised that scale didn’t mean dilution. Williams said: “I think it’s important to do what you’re known for and do it well. To do less really well [is more important than doing] more poorly.” Rather than stretching Yolk into multiple disciplines, Recolution Group emerged as a multi-brand operator, creating specialist recruitment businesses aligned to specific sectors, geographies and skill sets. “The starting point for all of our brands is the ‘three Cs’. Building a culture where everyone wins: our colleagues, our clients and our candidates.” Recruiting in a changing world Williams has witnessed seismic change since entering recruitment. “When I started in recruitment 17 years ago, LinkedIn wasn’t even a thing. The primary change is that the sector has become far more data-driven.” Technology, transparency and speed are now baseline expectations. But as artificial intelligence accelerates, Williams is clear-eyed about both opportunity and risk. “Technology, and more recently AI, has and will continue to transform our sector. But at the same time, it’s a relationship business. “I’ve got fundamental faith in the human element of recruitment being a people-first organisation. “All of the tools that are available to us will aid us to do a better job for our clients and provide a better service for our candidates. “At the middle of everything that works in recruitment is a person doing right by another. “That’s the fundamental glue that sticks the industry together and has ensured that, in every year that I’ve been in the industry, the size, the scale and the revenue generated has grown and shows no signs of slowing down.” Advice for candidates in 2026: Don’t rush The festive period is often one of reflection for many, and for some that includes their career ambitions. In the three months leading up to October 2025, unemployment rose to 5.1%, which could lead to a more challenging market for those in work looking for a new opportunity. For individuals considering change in a volatile market, Williams’ advice is grounded and human. Williams said: “The best piece of advice that I can give anybody… is to accept that they’re not alone.” “Having uncertainty in what you’re doing and knowing if you’re doing the right thing is the most common feeling in the workplace. “At any given time, a larger percentage of people are unhappy in work, unsatisfied in work, and disengaged than are the opposite. And that’s just the nature of work. “People say, ‘do something you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life.’ But that’s fundamentally more difficult to put into practice. “Is it the organisation or is it the work? And if it’s the organisation, double down on the work.” A recruitment partner for what comes next The recruitment sector sits at the crossroads of automation, skills scarcity and economic uncertainty. Recolution Group’s proposition is built for that reality: specialist brands, long-term thinking and a people-first core. In Williams’ words: “At the middle of everything that works in recruitment is a person doing right by another.” In an industry defined by change, that may be the most future-proof strategy of all. Want more from Businessin Wales? Why not follow us on our socials Linkedin X Instagram TikTok Listen to the Businessin Wales podcast YouTube Spotify Apple Podcasts No Posts Found!