The JHR Team

Jo Holdsworth

Managing Director

After working for both national and independent agencies in the Leeds area; Jo established Jo Holdsworth Recruitment in January 2005 after identifying an ever growing gap in the market for a recruitment agency to offer a more consultative and personal approach to better support both clients and candidates by offering a tailored service which was backed up by her local expertise.

From the word go Jo has been determined to ensure that her consultancy firm offers a premium level of service and has grown a team with the same mentality.

An ongoing key to the success at JHR has been recruiting talented, intelligent, service lead individuals who share the same passions and long-term aspirations as JHR and Jo herself.

In her now 15+ years of successful trading; Jo has taken JHR from strength to strength, establishing a very strong client base on the commercial permanent division with many repeat clients; establishing a commercial temporaries division which increased in turnover by more than 200% in its first year of trading; Jo is also always working closely with her management team to identify new business opportunities and areas of growth for JHR.

A large proportion of the clients at JHR still know Jo personally which has been down to her continued level of involvement with the day to day running of her business and ongoing success with each individual client.

Jo lives in Barwick in Elmet, Leeds with her daughter who both enjoy travelling and experiencing new cultures.

Trivia fact: Jo has tiny fee – a shoe size of just 2 ½ !

Back to the team

What our clients and candidates say about us:

  • Jo Holdsworth was an incredibly hands-on, supportive Managing Director and I learned so much from her extensive knowledge and expertise. Solutions orientated, Jo, always made herself available to offer advice and suggest new ideas.

    Employee satisfaction was of the utmost importance at JHR and it was clear that Jo genuinely cared about the happiness of her team. By offering one of the best reward packages in the industry, Jo ensured that a success for the company resulted in personal success for the consultant.

    Lydia Robinson says

  • Jo's manages her staff (no matter what level) with respect. She is there for support if needed, but as an employee you know what is expected of you and providing you are delivering; you will be left to get on with building your desk.
    I found JHR's commission and pay structure to be higher than the industry average in the area and the complimentary nights out and wine were always appreciated! Due to their long-standing presence in the local market, JHR has the privilege of key clients relationships with pinnacle businesses in the area.

    Katie Davies says

  • Jo was always supportive and offered great advice in ways to approach certain tasks or to overcome obstacles. Jo created the right environment that enabled the team to focus on their work and be successful.

    Emma Woods says

  • I have had the pleasure of working with Jo both as an employee and a supplier. I hold the greatest of respect for Jo, she taught me so much during the time I worked with her at JHR and this has helped me grow and develop into the role I am now in.

    Without Jo I wouldn’t be where I am today and I will be eternally grateful to her for that. I wish Jo and JHR the best for the future and would recommend her (and them) to anyone.