Passion for people,
Science and compliance.

The story of Novo begins with our Director, James Smethurst. When he ventured into the recruitment industry, driven by his desire to learn how the most successful businesses were ran & developed, and passion for helping both people and businesses, he . invested time & effort into learning what really motivates people, what the best candidates look for, and also investigating a number of niche industry specialisms to focus on areas where people were inherently important & a driver of performance, which were impacted by science & quality, and where there was a natural need for better recruitment services. Starting with the TIC market & the Life Science markets, we realised that most organisations in these sectors found it hard to find & attract good talent, and most candidates didn’t have the right support to be able to connect them to the right people within their markets. James recognised an opportunity to make a meaningful impact by connecting people.

In 2017, James co-founded the business with a number of former colleagues.  which then propelled Novo into where it is today.

It all began with the recruitment of Joe, Jessica, and Dom, who laid the solid foundations of our team. What united this diverse group was a shared passion for the markets we serve, especially the people we work with.

Fast forward to today, our team has seen remarkable expansion into other science verticals. We now boast an exceptional team of 11 recruiters, each with a deep expertise in the science and compliance sector.

Now in 2023, recognizing our unique position in the industry, we made a strategic decision to rebrand ourselves from Kevin Edward to Novo. Why Novo, you ask? Because, in our world, there's simply "No Other Viable Option!"

We believe our distinctiveness stems not only from being pioneers in this market but also from the extensive relationships we've cultivated and the trust and credibility we've earned over the past decade.