Addington Ball

What Addington Ball does

Addington Ball Recruitment Limited, trading as Addington Ball, is a privately-held UK specialist recruitment consultancy founded in 2012 and headquartered in Kenilworth, Warwickshire. The firm operates exclusively in the Finance and Accountancy sector, delivering permanent and contract placements across three core verticals — Finance (FD, FC, FP&A, management and part-qualified accountants across SMEs through to FTSE 350), Accountancy Practice (audit, accounts, tax at all levels from top-tier firms to regional practices) and Tax (private client, corporate, indirect and direct) — alongside an executive retained search sub-brand called Addington Search covering C-Suite, Director and Partner-level appointments. Customer logos span Healthcare, Medical Devices, F&B, Retail, Professional Services (including Grant Thornton), Manufacturing, Engineering and Nonprofit, with engagements running from single placements to multi-country, multi-vacancy campaigns (e.g., 13 placements across the UK, France, Germany and Spain for a NASDAQ-listed US healthcare client over 18 months).

The underlying operating model is human-centric rather than technology-led: the firm relies on its three named fee-earners — Directors Ashley Ball and Richard Davies, and Recruitment Consultant Luke Scale — together with standard CRM, job boards, LinkedIn and a published Knowledge Hub of career, salary and market content. There is no proprietary software, AI tooling or platform disclosed in the source material; technology is treated as enabling infrastructure rather than a differentiated product. Engagement is delivered through three commercial models: Contingency Recruitment (no upfront fee, pay on successful placement), Project / Dedicated Campaign (bespoke multi-vacancy mandates), and Executive Retained Search via Addington Search.

Revenue is generated entirely through transaction-based placement fees, with no subscription, SaaS or retained-management-fee lines disclosed. Distribution is direct — in-person, phone, email and a self-serve website portal — across a Midlands core (Warwickshire, West/East Midlands, Northamptonshire, Leicestershire, Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Shropshire, Worcestershire) with selective EMEA reach for multinational clients. There are no funding rounds, acquisitions, parent companies, partnerships or public-company affiliations disclosed; the firm is owner-operated with Cyber Essentials and GDPR compliance as its only formally documented certifications.

Name

Addington Ball

Legal name

Addington Ball Recruitment Limited

Website

https://addingtonball.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Finance & Accountancy Recruitment Services

NAICS

Employment Placement Agencies (561311), Executive Search Services (561312)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Professional & Technical Direct Hire (IT, Engineering, Finance, Healthcare) (BPACAFAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Banking, Risk, Compliance & Quantitative Staffing (BPACADAN)

Keywords

• Finance recruitment
• Accountancy recruitment
• Executive search
• Tax recruitment
• Career placement services

Headquarters

HQ city

Kenilworth

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Recruitment Placement Fees: Addington Ball operates as a recruitment agency placing candidates in permanent and contract roles within Finance and Accountancy. They earn fees upon successful placement of candidates. They offer contingency recruitment (no upfront fee, pay on success) and retained search services for senior appointments.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Addington Ball is a specialist recruitment consultancy placing finance and accountancy professionals into permanent and contract roles across the UK Midlands and beyond. The firm recruits at all levels from entry-level accountants to Finance Directors, CFOs, and Partners, serving accountancy practices (top-tier global firms to regional practices) and industry & commerce clients (SMEs to FTSE 350 / blue-chip companies). Engagement models include contingency recruitment (pay on success), retained executive search (Addington Search), and bespoke project/dedicated campaigns for multiple vacancies.

Product overview

Addington Ball is a professional services provider specialising in recruitment within the Finance and Accountancy sector. The company operates a portfolio of integrated recruitment services structured around four core offerings: Finance Recruitment, Accountancy Recruitment, Tax Recruitment, and Addington Search (executive search). For employers, these core services are delivered through three engagement models: Contingency Recruitment (no upfront fee, pay on placement), Project/Dedicated Campaign (tailored multi-vacancy solutions), and Executive Retained Search (specialised senior-level search). The portfolio is supported by ancillary services including Job Alerts for candidates and Salary Benchmarking for employers. A Knowledge Hub provides content resources including articles on interview preparation, employer branding, and market trends. The company serves clients ranging from SMEs to FTSE 350 organisations and blue-chip businesses, and candidates from entry-level to CFO and Partner level.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Addington Search: Executive Search service for senior appointments including C-Suite, Director, and Partner level positions.

Products and services

• Finance Recruitment Recruitment services covering all roles within a Finance function - from Finance Director to part-qualified accountants - for SME, Private Equity backed, Private and Listed businesses. Roles include FD, Head of Finance, Group Accountants, Financial Controllers, Management Accountants, Financial Accountants, Commercial Finance Managers, Finance Business Partners, Financial Analysts, FP&A, Project Accountants, Cost Accountants, and Assistant Accountants.
• Accountancy Recruitment Recruitment for audit and accounts professionals at all levels across Public Practice, from top-tier global firms to leading local and regional practices. Roles include Partners, Directors, Associate Directors, Senior Managers, Managers, Client Managers, Practice Accountants, Audit, Assurance, Accounts Preparation, Bookkeeping, Payroll, Forensic Accounting, and Corporate Finance.
• Tax Recruitment Recruitment services covering all levels of tax advisory and compliance, including Private Client, Personal, Corporate Tax, Indirect and Direct, and in-house positions. Roles include Tax Advisory Manager, Tax Assistant Manager, Senior Tax Associate, and similar tax specialisms.
• Addington Search (Executive Search) Executive retained search service for senior appointments including C-Suite, Director, and Partner-level positions across Finance and Accountancy. Specialised method contracted to find highly qualified executive-level candidates with hard-to-find skills, including CEO placements.

Quantifiable outcome

• Every placement made (8/8) for one finance transformation campaign accepted offers and started in role.
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Goodman Masson: Specialist UK finance and accountancy recruitment firm focused on mid-to-senior level placements, with strong presence in practice and industry/commerce. Mirrors Addington Ball's vertical specialisation and engagement models, with a broader but more London-centric geographic reach.
• Morgan McKinley: Specialist finance and accountancy recruitment firm with strong UK presence, placing professionals from part-qualified to CFO level. Highly comparable to Addington Ball on vertical specialisation, candidate levels served, and contingency/retained model, though with larger national footprint.
• Marks Sattin: UK specialist finance and accountancy recruitment firm placing across practice, commerce, and financial services. Direct competitor to Addington Ball in the same finance/accountancy niche with similar service tiers (contingency, retained, executive search) and client base.
• Investigo: UK specialist recruitment firm with dedicated finance, accountancy, and tax divisions serving SME to FTSE clients. Direct competitor to Addington Ball on vertical focus, service mix (contingency, retained, executive search), and target client segments.

Broad incumbents

• Robert Half: Global staffing firm with a dedicated finance and accounting division placing temporary and permanent finance professionals. Compares to Addington Ball on the same vertical specialisation and client types (SMEs to enterprise), but operates at vastly larger scale across multiple geographies.
• Michael Page: Global recruitment firm with a strong UK finance and accounting practice placing professionals from entry-level to FD/CFO. Direct overlap with Addington Ball in permanent finance and accountancy recruitment, but operates at national/international scale with broader sector coverage.
• Hays: Global FTSE-listed recruitment firm with a major UK finance and accountancy division serving SMEs through to enterprise clients. Comparable to Addington Ball on finance/accountancy specialisation and the same mix of contingency and retained search, but at significantly larger scale.
• Reed Finance: Dedicated finance division of Reed, the UK's largest privately-owned recruitment firm. Comparable to Addington Ball on finance/accountancy permanent placement and executive search, but operating as part of broader Reed network with national infrastructure.

Emerging players

• Pure Resourcing Solutions: Boutique UK finance and accountancy recruitment firm with a regional and national reach. Comparable to Addington Ball on niche specialisation and SME/mid-market client focus, with a similarly small team structure.
• Hoop Finance: UK-based specialist finance and accountancy recruitment firm focusing on mid-to-senior finance placements. Direct competitor in the same finance vertical with similar target customers, though more digitally-led sourcing approach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/addingtonball
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/addington-ball-recruitment

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Addington Ball