It is people who make any recruitment business. And at Purple House, you'll be working with experienced professionals who understand your market and the pressures you face.
Tom Mornement, Director
Tom Launched Purple House with fellow Director Lindsey Newman in July
2002. The aim was to create a recruitment consultancy with quality standards
that both Directors felt were lacking in the industry as a whole. As well
as having his own client base, Tom takes responsibility for the ‘internal’ workings of Purple House such as finance, IT, administration and the management
of suppliers.
Before forming Purple House, Tom enjoyed a wide-ranging career. He graduated
with a BSc in Information Management Systems at Bournemouth University.
Following this, he joined Lee & Allen, a firm of Forensic Accountants
in London, as a Graduate trainee. This was a start-up company splintering
from PWC where he acted as the junior auditor/accountant on a variety
of high profile accountancy based forensic/fraud cases.
After deciding that accountancy was not the career for him, he moved into
recruitment joining Executive Connections, a well-respected Financial
Recruitment Consultancy in London. Here he specialised in the recruitment
of Accountants within the Financial Services sector. A decision to relocate
out of London brought him and his family to Wiltshire in 2000 when he
joined TMP Worldwide HR (now Hudson) managing a range of clients based
along the M4 corridor. He then joined Carr Lyons HR Solutions in January
2001 to establish their Bristol office working with Lindsey.
Lindsey Newman, Director
As the second founding Director or Purple House, Lindsey focuses on the ‘external’ activity for Purple House such as marketing and business
development, forging relationships with new clients and Associates/Partners
as well as managing her own base of clients.
Her career before Purple House provides a firm foundation for her role.
Lindsey read Law at the University of Bristol followed by a year at Law
School. Not wishing to pursue a legal career, she traveled and taught
English in South America before joining VNU Business Publications, a Business
and IT Publisher, on their graduate scheme.
After 2 years with VNU, she joined Price Jamieson, a specialist Media
Recruitment Consultancy, recruiting salespeople for a range of London’s
business and consumer publishing houses.
Lindsey moved to Harrison Willis to help establish the Group’s niche
legal recruitment arm, ‘In-House Legal’, recruiting senior in-house
lawyers for commerce and industry clients. She helped build the brand
and managed a small team of recruiters eventually relocating to Bristol
in 1998 to establish their HR recruitment division for the South West
region. Lindsey was approached in 2000 to establish Carr Lyons Bristol
office working with Tom.
Martyn Melvin, FCIPD, Director
Martyn joined Purple House in July 2007 to provide HR consultancy services, senior HR recruitment capability and HR advice. An experienced and qualified HR Director he is a Fellow of the CIPD and has an MA in Human Resource Management from Oxford Brookes University. He has been an ad hoc lecturer on the International Management course at the University and works closely with their Alumni society. Martyn has held Senior and Board-level HR positions in a variety of industries including, pharmaceutical, drinks, FMCG and electronics both in the UK and internationally.
He is currently Chair of the Swindon and North Wilts CIPD branch and member of the CIPD council. He has written a number of articles on HR Management and has spoken at a variety of HR related conferences and events and won a silver award from the Management Consultancy Association. Martyn is now using his HR knowledge to add considerable value to Purple House in the recruitment of senior HR positions and has undertaken assignments across the UK and Europe since joining.
Martyn is married and lives in Wiltshire, his main interest outside work is walking – he can be spotted most weekends walking the hills and canals with his wife Sue – thankfully he does it fully clothed!! He also supports Cambridge United FC – well, no one’s perfect!!
Fiona Vennbrook, Senior Consultant
Fiona graduated with a BA (Hons) in Business Studies at the University
of Central England, spending a period of time travelling before working
in marketing for Smith & Nephew head office in London. She then starting
her recruitment career in Bristol, winning recruitment consultant of the
year out of 64 others, and rising quickly to Regional Manager of 7 branches
covering the South West. During her extensive recruitment career she has
enhanced her reputation by acting with integrity and providing a professional,
value added service and is a Graduate of the CIPD as well as being member
by examination of the Recruitment and Employers Confederation.
Fiona worked on an interim project to start up the HR function of a Small
services business before joining Purple House in 2005 which has enabled
her to combine her HR and recruitment knowledge.
Lee Burman, Senior Consultant
Lee Burman joined the Purple House team in October 2008 to develop the Public Sector and Not-for-Profit HR sectors. Lee graduated in Business Studies at the University of Plymouth in 2000, and spent a year travelling before moving to London to begin his recruitment career. In 2002 he joined a national recruiter recruiting HR professionals within the Public & Not-for-Profit sectors. In 2005 and in need of a fresh challenge, he moved to a niche Public Sector HR consultancy where he has spent 3 years recruiting HR professionals for a variety of Health Trusts and PCTs, Local Authorities, Housing Associations and Charities across London and the South East. Past clients have included the James Paget NHS Foundation Trust, City & Islington College, Christian Aid, Camden Council and Hertfordshire Contabulary. At Purple House he will work Nationally and on roles at all levels.
Samantha Higgins, Office Manager
Sam joined Purple House in November 2007. She previously worked for an aerospace company in Yeovil, Somerset, where she managed all the admin duties for an office of over 100 people. and has also worked for a bridal company, making, quality controlling, and despatching the dresses. Now at Purple House, Sam is the Office Manager undertaking many duties in the working day including answering the phone, filing, database management and loading jobs onto the internet. Sam graduated from University in 2003 with a BA Hons in fashion and textile design, which she uses in her spare time.
Liza Bennett, Resourcer
Liza joined Purple House in January 2008. She is fully CIPD qualified and after taking some time out of the 'corporate world' to spend time with her young family, Liza decided that being a full-time mum was not for her and is now working at Purple House on a part-time basis as our Candidate Resourcer. It is her job to maintain regular contact with our candidates, to re-establish contact with some candidates we may have lost contact with and to help our consultants source candidates for their vacancies. Liza is also a great fan of Pilates, and in her spare time (!!) teaches Pilates to a variety of clients.
