Peter James

My Story From a young age, I had one goal and that was to be the combined Olympic and World Champion in my chosen sport, Judo. I come from a long line of sports men and women, my parents had both competed on the world stage and won titles such as the Commonwealth Championships, the European Championships and the World Championships in Boxing (Father) and Judo (Mother). So, I had something to live up to.   I became the No1 in the country and British Champion in my early teens and have fought for GB all over the world. Countries such as Russia, China, USA, Belgium, Brazil, Spain and France to name a few. I had committed my whole life to the sport and can’t express how much I enjoyed my time, experiences and how much it taught me. At the age of 21, it was time to hang up my belt and commit to the next chapter. When leaving secondary school, I was lucky enough to obtain an apprenticeship in HVAC and went on to become an engineer within my field. One thing you need to know about me, I don’t like to be cold or hot and working with Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning… its always very hot or very cold and you are the one who needs to fix that.   So, I aspired to find a career that would fulfil my ambitions and somewhere that I could also be a positive force in people’s lives. This is what I do now, I help people find the best role and help companies find the best people. A win win for me on a day to day basis.   Originally starting my recruiting career in the Manufacturing sector, I specialised within Operations, Engineering, Design and Quality. I would say my experience is now very diverse, as here at Handley James we work with varying sizes of companies from such varied sectors and industries, that every day is different.   My Handley James As a co-founder of Handley James, a company which was set up to provide an unrivalled service and support the growth of the UK market. I am involved in the strategic direction and day to day running of the business, working closely with colleagues and business partner ‘best pal’ Natalie. I am still a very active recruiter, working with the fantastic Handley James clients and candidates on a day to day basis. This is my happy place.   Our Handley James As a company, we at Handley James want to create an environment where people enjoy their work life and are a part of something where they feel valued and will ultimately succeed. We are a close team at HJC and if we aren’t too hungry, have milk in for a brew, all have a good binge series that we can recommend to each other or talking about what we are having for dinner the moment we get in, we are happy. You generally spend more time in work than you do with your own family, so the environment and culture needs to be a great one. Something not everyone knows about me: Since being very young, I was always late and behind schedule. So for as long as I can remember, I have set my watch 7 minutes fast and I still do it to this day... so I’m never late. Hopefully!!   Use 3 words to describe the culture of Handley James Honest, Passionate, Down to earth