Built by practitioners. Trusted by the market.
Blue Recruiting was founded in 2014 by a CA(SA) and a senior recruitment specialist. We started by placing CA(SA)s coming out of KPMG, and we have grown into one of South Africa's leading specialist recruitment agencies across finance, data, technology, and executive search.
How Blue Recruiting began.
Where it started
Blue Recruiting was founded in 2014 by Graeme Marais, a Chartered Accountant who completed his articles at KPMG, and James Hobson, a recruitment specialist with a proven track record at one of the world's leading international recruitment firms.
The business grew out of a genuine gap in the market. KPMG trainees completing their articles needed a trusted partner to help them find the right next role, and KPMG clients needed a recruiter who truly understood the calibre and profile of a CA(SA). Blue Recruiting was built to fill that gap, and the relationships and credibility built in those early years gave the business a strong foundation.
Where we are today
Today, Blue Recruiting is fully independent and has expanded well beyond its CA(SA) roots. We recruit across finance, data and technology, business services, executive search, pan-African placements, and remote international roles for clients in the UK, Europe, and Australia.
Every expansion has followed the same principle that guided the founding: hire consultants who come from the sector, build a genuine network in it, and only then take mandates in it. That discipline is why our retention rate is 96% and why the majority of our clients come back to us for every subsequent hire.
Graeme Marais
Executive Director & Co-Founder | CA(SA)
Graeme is a registered Chartered Accountant who completed his articles at KPMG. He co-founded Blue Recruiting in 2014 and has grown it from a CA(SA) placement specialist into one of South Africa's leading multi-division recruitment agencies. He is also the co-founder and trustee of the Bokamoso Education Trust, which provides financial support for the education of underprivileged children. His greatest passion is building long-term relationships with people.
James Hobson
Executive Director & Co-Founder | Recruitment Specialist
James is a recruitment specialist with over a decade of experience and a proven track record at one of the world's leading international recruitment firms before co-founding Blue Recruiting. He joined Graeme in the very first weeks of identifying the gap in the market, bringing his deep network, exceptional memory for people, and a commitment to raising the standard of professionalism in the industry.
A process that is built around the brief, not the database.
Most recruitment agencies start with their database. We start with the brief. The database is a tool, but it is not the answer to every search.
We spend more time on the brief than most agencies spend on the entire search.
We search for candidates who are not actively looking, because the best ones rarely are.
We assess candidates at a technical level before presenting them.
We present a shortlist with written assessments and pre-recorded video introductions, not a stack of CVs.
We manage the process through to start date and beyond.
We measure our success by retention, not placement volume.
We are transparent about what we can and cannot do, and we never take a mandate we cannot execute well.
“Relationship-centred recruitment, enabled by technology.”
This is not a tagline; it describes how we operate. Technology, including our CRM, our search tools and our assessment frameworks, enables us to work more efficiently. But every placement is built on a relationship: with the client who trusted us with the mandate, and with the candidate who trusted us with their career.
Words from the people we work with.
“I consider you and your team as the benchmark for recruitment. It is always a pleasure dealing with you and your team.”
Director, Renewable Energy Company, South Africa
“The role required sourcing candidates with a very specific and scarce skill set within a highly competitive market. You approached the search with persistence, strategic thinking, and a strong commitment to quality. Your ability to navigate a difficult search while maintaining a high standard of delivery reflects both your work ethic and your strong understanding of the financial services talent market.”
Senior Hiring Manager, Major South African Bank
The principles we operate by.
Always pursue excellence
We hold ourselves to a high standard in everything we do, from the quality of our shortlists to the clarity of our communication. We do not cut corners, and we do not send candidates we would not hire ourselves.
Be a trusted advisor
We tell clients when a mandate is outside our network, when a timeline is unrealistic, or when a salary expectation will not attract the right candidates. We would rather lose a mandate than take one we cannot execute well.
Be likeable and trustworthy
Recruitment is a relationship business. We invest in being the kind of partner that clients and candidates want to work with: honest, responsive, and genuinely invested in their success.
Give-and-take
We believe in long-term relationships built on mutual value. We give our clients our best work, our candidates our honest counsel, and our colleagues our full support, and we expect the same in return.
Be a racehorse, not a wheelbarrow
We move with energy and purpose. We do not wait to be pushed; we take initiative, drive mandates forward, and hold ourselves accountable for outcomes, not just effort.
Work hard
There are no shortcuts in specialist recruitment. The best placements come from thorough briefs, rigorous searches, and honest assessments. We put in the work that most agencies skip.
Enabled by technology. Not replaced by it.
We use technology to make our consultants faster and more thorough, but we do not use it to replace the judgment that only an experienced consultant can apply. Every CV that reaches a client has been personally reviewed and assessed by a consultant who understands the brief.
Technology-assisted search and screening
We use technology to search broader, screen faster, and surface candidates who would not appear in a standard database search. This means our consultants spend less time on administration and more time on the work that requires human judgment.
Every CV personally reviewed
Technology surfaces the candidates; our consultants decide. Every CV that reaches your inbox has been read, assessed, and approved by a consultant who has spoken to the candidate and understands what you are looking for. We do not forward profiles we have not personally evaluated.
Pre-recorded video introductions
On request, we can provide short pre-recorded video introductions from shortlisted candidates. A brief video tells you more about cultural fit, communication style, and presence than a CV ever can, and it saves you time in first-round interviews with candidates who are not the right fit.
The result: a shortlist that has been meticulously pre-screened.
By the time a candidate reaches you, they have been personally reviewed and assessed by a consultant who understands your brief. You are not sifting through a pile of CVs; you are choosing from a curated group of professionals who have already been evaluated against your specific requirements.
Ready to work with a recruitment partner who understands your industry?
Tell us about the role you need to fill. We will tell you honestly whether we can help.