Glos family recruitment firm Class People announces management buyout

Cheltenham

Gloucestershire headquartered education recruitment specialist Class People has completed a management buyout led by daughter and Managing Director, Naomi Howells, for an undisclosed sum.

Naomi has acquired the majority share of the £5million turnover company, as CEO and former supply teacher Lynis Bassett has announced her plans to step back from her role after more than 20 years’ service at Class People. She established the business in 2002 from her living room in Gloucester, steadily growing it to become the leading education recruiter in the South West region.

Naomi has been working in the family business since 2011, starting initially as a recruitment consultant and establishing the first regional branch in Bristol. Leaving Class People for a short while to gain wider experience in a corporate setting, Naomi returned in 2014 bringing with her new skills and ideas, and a keen appetite to be part of the family succession planning.

Naomi was made MD in September 2019, just prior to the business being challenged by COVID-19. As the company emerged, it did so with a evolved purpose of being educations recruitment partners. Going forward, Lynis will remain on the board and continue in her role as Trustee of the company’s charitable arm, Class People Foundation, as part of its wider vision of purpose beyond profit, enriching the lives of young people in the local community and focusing on the role education plays for the future. The transition will also allow the introduction of an EMI share scheme, supporting the Class People team to acquire shares and part ownership of the business.

Lynis commented: “Handing over the reins of the 21-year-old family business to Naomi is a natural progression for the business. It was never the plan to be a family business, but it is certainly very rewarding to pass it on in this way. The transition heralds an exciting new phase for Class People, as it continues its work for the greater good of employment and recruitment in the education sector.

Naomi said, “I am delighted to take the lead for this next chapter in Class People’s business development and relish the many exciting opportunities ahead. Alongside our talented and experienced team, we’ll continue to build on the strong foundations that Lynis has worked so hard to establish for the business over the past two decades. With a growing client and candidate base, I could not be more positive about the future for Class People.

“Lynis and I will continue to work closely together to ensure the success of Class People, which in turn provides the funding for the Class People Foundation, whose purpose is to provide funding to support the welfare, wellbeing and aspirations of children and young people in early foundation stage, primary and secondary education.”

Naomi has an entrepreneurial nature and a strong track record in working on key client projects to improve business performance. She is now turning her focus to identifying other talent pools within society that have been previously overlooked for working in education in the UK. Starting with a pilot with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), which involves retraining people from sectors outside education who share the same attitude and aptitude as teaching professionals, including the Army and the care sector.
 

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