AN EXPANDING Dorset recruitment specialist has opened an office in Chicago to better serve the US.

Oakstone finds executive talent for the software and financial technology industries around the world.

Its Stateside operation is being headed by Arran Campbell, managing consultant for North America, who has moved from the firm’s Poole headquarters to the city, the third biggest in the US.

The move gives Oakstone more US working hours in which to communicate with its clients and candidates, as well as the ability to meet them in person.

Mr Campbell said: “There is a huge opportunity for Oakstone International here, with the amount of software companies which are looking for assistance and candidates who are seeking to change their lives.

“Oakstone having a greater presence in the USA and really cementing our global status as an international company is nothing but a good thing. It gives us visibility in the US, which is a huge market of clients and candidates.”

Chicago is home to more than 6,000 tech companies. Oakstone says the city’s popularity is growing because it has a lower cost of living than California’s Silicon Valley as well las a strong work ethic.

Mr Campbell, who has been with Oakstone International for two years, was previously an award-winning senior manager in the automotive industry for 20 years, with Mercedes and Volkswagen.

He has moved to Chicago with wife Pamela, who was offered the opportunity to work there for her employer, investment bank JP Morgan.

He added: “I’ve transitioned my workload to the US. I had started doing more and more US projects while I was in the UK – dealing with clients and candidates and doing searches – and found myself dealing almost exclusively with American roles.

“Being in the UK made this challenging – time differences meaning only six hours a day of communications was possible – so when the opportunity came up for my wife and I to move to the US, we thought it was perfect timing.

Oakstone, based at Acorn Business Centre in Creekmoor, was founded in 1995 by chief executive Paul Rayner.

He said: “Arran is an experienced operator whose skill sets make him ideal for this position. I had no hesitation in backing this opportunity.

“From a business perspective the benefits for Oakstone having a representative in Chicago is that a lot of the long-term clients he is working with all have their head offices in the city.

“With Arran as a full-time representative we not only have a better chance to communicate with and meet clients and candidates, but we are also better placed to meet existing and future prospects in person.”