Case study
March 2019
17
Winning formula
AEM meets the winner of the Best Leadership of an Association
at the Association Excellence Awards 2018
nn Swain is an extraordinary
leader. Nineteen years after
conceptualising and founding
APSCo, the Association
now employs 26 permanent staff, turns
over £6m per annum and represents an
industry valued at over £18bn. Swain's
energy and determination are legendary
- a 'powerhouse', highly inclusive of her
team and members alike, commanding
respect, liking and engagement at all levels.
With many 'firsts' under her belt - Swain
is a serial innovator, solving challenges
with effective solutions. Her work has
brought together industry heads, broader
associations as well as government in
order to secure winning outcomes. Her
impact has been far-reaching making a real
difference to how the industry is perceived
and recognised today.
About APSCo
Today, APSCo (The Association of
Professional Staffing Companies), is the
UK’s only association devoted solely to the
professional staffing sectors, renowned for
its strategic value in sourcing rare talent
and providing labour market flexibility.
Representing an industry that drives
market value estimated at over £18bn
across permanent and flexible roles within
the UK’s economy, APSCo plays a vital role
representing member’ interests.
Now with operations in UK, Germany,
Singapore and Australia, the association
takes a collaborative approach, driving the
highest standards of sector professionalism,
sharing industry knowledge, publishing
monthly market trends and market winning
insights (providing industry voice), as well
as providing effective and relevant support
to members across the legislative agenda,
operations and training.
APSCo under Ann Swain
Not many people have the creativity and
vision to recognise a gap in the market,
create an association to fill that gap
and take it to become the leading body
representing its members’ interests with
over 1,000 members worldwide. Swain has
done just that….
After reaching the top of her profession
in recruitment and management
consultancy, Ann founded APSCo (The
Association of Professional Staffing
Companies) in 1999. Her vision was to
form a member association that would
give all firms involved in the recruitment
of professional talent – that shared a
common passion for excellence – a trusted
badge of quality that would deliver the
specialist support and distinctive voice that
members needed to be successful and gain
competitive edge.
Nineteen years later, Swain’s vision has
not only been realised - it has exceeded all
expectation. APSCo is a thriving, pro-
active association with 800 members in the
UK which has further developed across
three continents to enjoy membership
of over 1,000 world-wide – the only
recruitment association to have broken
through the global barrier.
APSCo members are all recruitment
firms who excel and promise best practice
across all professional staffing sectors,
working with hiring businesses in the
recruitment of professional placements and
flexible assignments. Feedback through
its member satisfaction survey shows an
enviable 94% satisfaction level reflecting
the hands-on approach that Swain and
APSCo are renowned for.
APSCo has a highly motivated team of
26 permanent employees, as well as Sector
Specialist Groups representing individual
needs across different skill paths and talent
placements. The APSCo Representative
Committee sits close to Government
and associated Select Committees and
Advisory Boards, provide vital insights
and lobby for action and guidelines that
maintain the standards of recruitment and
represent members’ best interest.
An experienced research team delivers
APSCo Market Intelligence, providing
valuable monthly market trends reports
alongside market winning insights, annual
reports and regional markets, which all
deliver valued information to members.
Swain has become one of the most
respected voices in the professional staffing
industry. A ‘powerhouse’ and ‘innovator’
with extraordinary energy, who commands
respect and liking both within APSCo and
across APSCo’s external stakeholders, Ann
is a charismatic and vibrant leader who has
vision, forethought and a determination
to succeed. Problems are simply
“challenges to be overcome” as far as Ann
is concerned, and are tackled in the same
way that she approaches her role - with
empathy, listening to other viewpoints and
responding with a pragmatic, fair solution.
Far from being a mere figurehead, Swain
is hands on, high touch and 100% visible
as a leader.