Global tech company doubles workforce in Orkney

Kyloe Partners was awarded £191,000 investment from HIE to help the firm move to a larger premises in Kirkwall in 2018, when it employed 19 people. The business now has 38 employees based in the town and is continuing to grow.

The company provides expertise and software development to the recruitment industry, with more than 800 clients all over the world. Kyloe outgrew its previous base following rapid expansion and was keen to remain in Orkney. It moved to Custom House on Albert Street, which has the capacity for 50 employees.

The company has remained resilient during the pandemic and has expanded job opportunities in the technology sector in Orkney. A recent recruitment drive searched for software development staff and it also filled marketing, finance and human resources roles.

Kyloe has three UK-based directors – Stewart Morgan in Orkney, and Raymond and Simone Pennie in Gloucestershire.

Simone Pennie, finance and HR director at Kyloe, said:

“We’ve worked very closely with HIE and are really grateful for the investment received and support in helping us achieve our goals. The support from HIE and GlobalScot is really helping to raise our business profile. As we grow and our reputation grows, then the more people hear about us.

“The office space that we now have has allowed us to grow in line with our business objectives and offers our employees a positive and collaborative working environment.

“Whilst we haven’t been able to have the full team in the office during the pandemic, it has provided a safe environment for those who weren’t able to work from home during the lockdown.

“The nature of our business means that the impact from the COVID-19 has been minimal, and we look forward to continuing to work towards our vision and growing the Orkney based business further.”

Ruth Kirkpatrick, head of business growth for HIE in Orkney said:

“Kyloe is an ambitious young company, which is making a significant contribution to the economy by employing a growing number of skilled people locally to service a marketplace that stretches across the world. We are really pleased to see the goals for this development being achieved and look forward to working with Kyloe in the future.”

Fiona Morgan, Kyloe’s company secretary, said:

“The transformation of this former retail space into Kyloe’s office in such a prominent space in the town centre has been great not only for the business, but for the increased footfall it brings to the main streets. It fits well with the BID’s aims of promoting and enhancing the town centre.

“We are looking forward to welcoming everyone back into the office when it’s safe to do so and continuing to play our role in keeping Kirkwall’s award-winning town centre vibrant.”

At the core of Kyloe’s business is leading recruitment software Bullhorn, used by more than 10,000 recruitment agencies around the globe. As an official Bullhorn marketplace partner, Kyloe supports companies who are adopting the technology, as well as offering their own range of Software as a Service (SaaS) products.

With 10 new hires in 2021 so far (50% of which are in Orkney), Kyloe’s team extends to a total of 60 employees across the globe. Its focus now is on growing the product side of the business and it plans to continue recruiting both locally and further afield to help support this.