Forwards Recruitment

What Forwards Recruitment does

Forwards Talent is a privately held boutique recruitment consultancy headquartered in Brisbane, Australia, founded in 2019 by Kristy Ward. The firm delivers permanent, executive, contract, and project recruitment services across five horizontal specialities — Technology & Digital, Executive, Marketing & Communications, Accounting & Finance, and Sales — serving Australian and New Zealand clients. Its go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven: consultants work directly with hiring managers, establish long-term business partnerships, and recruit under the client's brand rather than their own, positioning the firm as an embedded extension of the client's HR function.

The service portfolio spans seven core offerings: Permanent Recruitment, Executive Search, Shortlisting, Talent Mapping & Benchmarking, Contract Recruitment, Payroll Services, and Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO). The only proprietary technology disclosed is a leading-edge online payroll and timesheet management system used to support contract placements, handling onboarding, timesheets, payments, superannuation, and insurances for contractors. There is no platform, mobile app, or software product sold to third parties; the firm operates as a services-led consultancy rather than a technology business.

Revenue is generated through five streams: permanent placement fees (fixed fee per role, not percentage-based), monthly subscriptions tied to active job count, managed-services payroll for contractors, shortlisting on an hourly or per-service basis, and professional services for talent mapping and benchmarking. Pricing is flexible across hourly, fixed-fee-per-role, and monthly subscription models, with cost-predictability positioned as a differentiator against percentage-based recruiter commissions. The team consists of three full-time consultants — Founder & Talent Partner Kristy Ward, Director & Talent Partner Justin Ward, and Talent Acquisition Partner Stacey Russon — drawing on more than 20 years of combined recruitment experience. Marketing is concentrated on LinkedIn thought-leadership content; distribution is direct, with no channel partners, resellers, or technology integrations disclosed.

Name

Forwards Recruitment

Legal name

Forwards Talent PTY LTD

Website

https://forwardsapp.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Forwards Talent is a Brisbane-based boutique recruitment consultancy founded in 2019, providing permanent, executive, contract, and project hiring services across technology, executive, marketing, finance, and sales roles in Australia and New Zealand.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Recruitment and Talent Acquisition Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

General Permanent Placement (Multi-Industry) (BPACAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Talent Acquisition (Recruiting) & Applicant Tracking (ATS) (BPACAPAD), Recruitment Marketing & Employer Branding for RPO (BPACABAL), Recruiting Administration Outsourcing (Recruitment Support, Scheduling, Onboarding Ops) (BPACAKAG), Sales, Marketing & Customer Success Direct Hire (BPACAFAD)

Keywords

• Permanent recruitment services
• Executive search consulting
• Contract recruitment solutions
• Talent mapping benchmarking
• Recruitment process outsourcing

Headquarters

HQ city

Brisbane

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Permanent Recruitment Fees: Fixed fee per role or hourly rate recruitment services for permanent placements. Provides agreed fixed fee not a percentage, offering cost predictability for clients.
2. Monthly Subscription: Fixed monthly fee for the term of engagement linked to number of jobs, enabling ongoing recruitment support for scaling businesses.
3. Payroll Management Services: Outsourced payroll management solution handling onboarding, timesheet recording, payroll payments, superannuation, and insurances.
4. Shortlisting Services: Hourly rate or fee per service for managing candidate shortlisting during peak hiring campaigns.
5. Talent Mapping and Benchmarking: Market intelligence services identifying best talent in market and salary ranges for various roles.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Forwards Recruitment is a boutique recruitment consultancy that sources and places permanent, executive, contract, and project talent for businesses, with specializations in Technology & Digital, Executive, Marketing & Communications, Accounting & Finance, and Sales roles. Engagements are delivered as an extension of the client's brand, supplemented by shortlisting, talent mapping, contractor payroll management, and full Recruitment Process Outsourcing for scaling teams.

Product overview

Forwards Talent is a boutique recruitment consultancy offering a suite of talent acquisition and management services. The portfolio includes core recruitment services (Permanent Recruitment, Executive Search, Contract Recruitment, Shortlisting, Talent Mapping & Benchmarking) supplemented by Payroll Services and Recruitment Process Outsourcing. The services are offered through flexible engagement models and operate as an integrated consultancy rather than a software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Permanent Recruitment High-touch permanent recruitment service for businesses, offered through flexible engagement models including hourly rate, fixed fee per role, and monthly subscription options for ongoing or scaling hiring needs.
• Executive Search Specialist executive search service identifying and engaging passive senior talent not actively in the job market, leveraging Forwards' established networks and brand ambassador capabilities.
• Shortlisting Candidate screening and shortlisting service for peak hiring campaigns or high-volume candidate processing, enabling hiring managers to focus on interviewing. Offered at hourly rate or fee per service.
• Talent Mapping & Benchmarking Market intelligence service providing analysis of available talent pools, salary ranges, and experience levels to inform hiring strategies.
• Contract Recruitment On-demand talent solution for short and mid-term engagements, supported by an online payroll and timesheet management system for contractor engagements.
• Payroll Services Outsourced payroll management covering end-to-end automation including onboarding, timesheet management, payments, superannuation, and insurances for contractor engagements.
• Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) Partnership-based recruitment solution where Forwards becomes an extension of the client's business, advertising and recruiting under the client's own brand.

Quantifiable outcome

• Post-placement support ensuring candidate and partner satisfaction long after placement is made

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators2 records

Broad incumbents

• Robert Half Australia: Established staffing and recruitment firm in Australia specialising in finance, accounting, technology, and office support, competing directly with Forwards' permanent placement and contract recruitment offerings in the Brisbane and broader ANZ market.
• Hudson Global (Australia): Global recruitment and talent solutions provider with Australian offices offering permanent, contract, and RPO services across technology, finance, sales, and marketing — overlapping Forwards' end-to-end service mix and target segments.
• Adecco Australia: Global staffing leader with a sizeable Australian operation providing permanent, contract, and workforce solutions across multiple sectors — a broad incumbent competing with Forwards for both client mandates and contractor placements.
• Chandler Macleod: One of Australia's largest recruitment brands offering permanent, contract, and RPO services across multiple industries, representing a scaled incumbent competitor to Forwards' emerging RPO and multi-segment offering.
• Michael Page Australia: Large multinational recruiter with strong ANZ presence covering permanent and contract placements across technology, finance, marketing, and executive roles — a direct competitor to Forwards' multi-segment, multi-service model.
• Robert Walters Australia: International recruitment firm with ANZ offices placing professionals across technology, finance, sales, and marketing, overlapping Forwards' target segments and offering similar permanent, contract, and executive search services.
• Hays: Global recruitment firm with a substantial Australian operation offering permanent, contract, and executive hiring across technology, accounting, sales, and marketing — directly overlapping Forwards' multi-segment service portfolio at much larger scale.

Direct peers

• Davidson Recruitment: Australian recruitment consultancy covering technology, finance, executive, and marketing roles with permanent and contract offerings, comparable to Forwards in scope, segment coverage, and ANZ-based boutique-to-mid-market positioning.
• Peoplebank Australia: Specialist IT and digital transformation recruitment firm operating across ANZ, providing permanent and contract technology placements — a close direct competitor on the same technology-focused niche that Forwards highlights as a primary segment.
• Talent International: Australia-based IT and digital recruitment specialist offering permanent and contract placements, closely aligned with Forwards' IT and digital technology specialisation and ANZ geographic focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/forwardsapp

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 Forwards Recruitment