CastleBell Ltd

What CastleBell Ltd does

CastleBell Ltd is a UK-based specialist recruitment agency founded in 2014 by Emma Castle and joined by Andrew Bell as partner in 2017. The company connects event agencies, integrated communications agencies, and experiential agencies with talent across creative, account management, event production, technical production, and senior management roles. CastleBell operates with a mobile, no-office model, conducting meetings in coffee shops, via Zoom, and at Soho House Group locations, and services a client base concentrated in London and the wider UK.

The company's service portfolio spans executive search for senior positions (MD, CEO, CSO, COO, ECD with salaries £80-95k), end-to-end contracting with full payroll and IR35 compliance management, a 72-hour contractor payroll turnaround, a video interview platform, and a 24/7 candidate portal. CastleBell also offers strategic partnership services covering talent attraction, onboarding, talent development, and outplacement, delivered in conjunction with career coach Zoe Tuffs. Underlying technology is limited to Firefish Recruitment Software, a third-party SaaS platform used for candidate management and job posting, with no proprietary technology platform disclosed.

CastleBell monetizes through professional services fees on permanent and contract placements, supplemented by managed-services revenue from contractor payroll processing. Pricing is quote-based, negotiated directly between clients and the co-founders, with no publicly disclosed rate cards. The go-to-market motion is sales-led and entirely relationship-driven, with marketing limited to the company website, LinkedIn, specialist job boards (CampaignJobs, Eventjobsearch, Elevate, EMA), and referrals from the founders' personal networks.

Name

CastleBell Ltd

Legal name

CastleBell Recruitment Ltd

Website

https://castlebell.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CastleBell Ltd is a UK-based specialist recruitment agency connecting event, integrated communications, and experiential agencies with creative, production, and senior management talent across London and the UK.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Recruitment Services

NAICS

Employment Placement Agencies (561311)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Agent of Record (AOR) / Contractor Engagement Services (BPACAGAB)

Keywords

• Creative industry recruitment
• Event agency staffing
• Executive search services
• Talent acquisition consultancy
• Contractor payroll management

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Recruitment and Placement Services: Executive search and placement fees for placing candidates in permanent and contract positions within event and creative agencies. Services include end-to-end contracting with full payroll and IR35 compliance management.
2. Contractor Payroll Services: Contract payroll payments processed within 72 hours for contractors, providing back-office support alongside recruitment services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

CastleBell is a specialist recruitment agency that connects event and creative industry businesses with talent across marketing and communications. The company places candidates in permanent and contract roles within event agencies, integrated communications agencies, and experiential agencies, with end-to-end contracting services covering payroll and IR35 compliance. Additional offerings include a video interview platform, contractor payroll processing within 72 hours, and a 24/7 candidate portal.

Product overview

CastleBell Ltd operates as a specialist recruitment agency focused on the events, experiential, and integrated communications sectors. The company offers a unified recruitment platform complemented by a suite of professional services including executive search for senior management roles, end-to-end contracting with full payroll and IR35 compliance, and a video interview platform. Additional services include contractor payroll with 72-hour turnaround, a candidate portal for 24/7 profile management, and strategic partnership consulting for employee engagement. Founded in 2014 by Emma Castle and expanded with Andrew Bell in 2017, the company covers disciplines spanning creative (design, art direction, copywriting), event production, client services, strategy, project management, technical production, business development, and senior management. The platform also powers job placements across account management, events production, technical production, design, and business development roles.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Executive Search Services High-level recruitment service for senior management positions including MD, CEO, CSO, COO, and ECD roles within event and creative agencies.
• End-to-End Contracting Services Complete contracting solution for placing candidates, including full payroll services and IR35 compliance management for contractors within event and creative agencies.
• Contractor Payroll Services Payroll payments processed within 72 hours for contractors placed through CastleBell, providing financial flexibility for candidates and back-office support for clients.
• Recruitment Services Platform A specialist recruitment platform connecting candidates with employers in the events, experiential, and integrated communications sectors. Features include job posting management, candidate registration, CV submission, and application tracking powered by Firefish Recruitment Software.
• Strategic Partnership Services Employee engagement consulting covering talent attraction, recruitment, onboarding, talent development, and outplacement services, delivered through a strategic partnership combining career coaching with specialist recruitment expertise.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Zoe TuffscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Zoe Tuffs, a Career Coach with over two decades of Event & Communication experience, has joined forces with Emma Castle. Together they deliver both B2B and B2C events expertise. Their strategic partnership combines career coaching with specialist recruitment to support organizations with Talent Attraction and Recruitment, Onboarding, Talent Development, and Outplacement services. The partnership targets forward-thinking business leaders seeking positive and progressive employee experiences.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Aspire: Aspire is a UK recruitment firm with dedicated marketing, events, and communications practices. Comparable to CastleBell given overlap in events/communications verticals and contractor/permanent placement services.
• Stopgap: Stopgap is a London-based recruitment agency focused on the marketing and creative industries, with strong contractor placement capability. Comparable to CastleBell for shared creative/marketing vertical and similar UK agency client base.
• Better Placed: Better Placed is a UK-based specialist recruitment agency focused on marketing, digital, and creative industries. Directly comparable to CastleBell given the shared vertical (creative/marketing), UK focus, and similar placement-led service model.
• Frazer Jones: Frazer Jones is a UK specialist recruiter covering marketing, communications, and creative agency functions. Comparable to CastleBell for shared sector focus and senior-level placement capability within creative agencies.
• Major Players: Major Players is a specialist UK recruiter for the marketing, creative, and communications sectors, including events and experiential. Comparable to CastleBell in target customer base (agencies and brand-side teams) and senior-level executive search positioning.
• DNA Recruit: DNA Recruit is a specialist recruitment agency focused on the marketing, creative, and communications industry in the UK. Comparable to CastleBell for shared creative/communications vertical focus, candidate network dynamics, and SMB-to-mid-market client profile.
• The Candidate: The Candidate is a UK recruitment agency covering marketing, digital, and creative sectors. Comparable to CastleBell for similar vertical focus, target clients (agencies), and SMB/mid-market positioning.

Emerging players

• Salt: Salt is a UK-based specialist recruitment agency focused on digital, marketing, technology, and creative sectors. Comparable to CastleBell for shared creative/communications vertical focus and similar UK SMB/mid-market client profile.

Broad incumbents

• Michael Page Marketing: Michael Page is a large UK-based recruitment firm with a marketing, creative, and communications practice. Comparable to CastleBell as a broad incumbent serving the same client base with overlapping permanent and contract placement services, but operating at much larger scale.
• Hays UK Marketing & Creative: Hays is a global recruitment firm with a dedicated UK marketing and creative practice. Comparable as a broad incumbent offering overlapping services (permanent and contract placement) across the same creative/communications verticals as CastleBell, but at significantly greater scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/castlebell-ltd

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 CastleBell Ltd