Parents & Careers launches in partnership with James Caan CBE and Recruitment Entrepreneur under REflex
Parents & Careers is a unique recruitment firm placing top candidates in family-friendly, forward thinking companies and the latest business to partner with Recruitment Entrepreneur’s REflex group.
REflex is a support platform specifically tailored to recruitment businesses, launched by James Caan CBE’s recruitment investor, Recruitment Entrepreneur. REflex offers founders best-in-class infrastructure, back-office support, recruitment tools, and strategic advice and mentoring from their leadership team.
Parents & Careers was founded by Anette B van Blokland in October this year. Anette has more than 10 years of experience working in the City of London. Anette started her career in various commercial and operational roles in the shipping industry (Maersk Broker, Allocean). She then embarked on a Government relations career, first at the Royal Norwegian Embassy and then in financial services with public affairs and advocacy roles for the Association for Financial Markets in Europe, Nationwide and Standard Chartered Bank.
Between 2017 and 2021, Anette ran a job board called Mothers & Careers on which companies advertised flexible job roles. The business worked with leading businesses and growing start-ups that value gender diversity and that have excellent family-friendly work policies. Following on from the success of Mothers & Careers, Anette decided to launch Parents & Careers, a full recruitment service for busy London parents.
On why she decided to set up her own business, Anette explains; “When on maternity leave back in 2017, I noticed a lack of websites providing career development information to pregnant women and new mothers in the City of London. I started Mothers & Careers as a blog which included a job board promoting flexible job opportunities. Launching a proper recruitment service felt like a natural progression from running the original jobsite. My mission is to match candidates with jobs they will love and find meaningful, in a company that is forward thinking and family friendly. Happy, thriving employees mean everyone benefits and businesses grow.
“I’ve spent the last four years establishing my network through Mothers & Careers and I’m excited to get closer to my clients and my candidates. Running a job board is more detached and tech-focused but when running a recruitment business, you get so much closer to the action and the people. I love helping a company build up a team and I really enjoy speaking to candidates about their careers.”, says Anette.
When setting up her recruitment business Anette decided to partner with Recruitment Entrepreneur under REflex. Anette says of the partnership, “It is great to get proper processes and structures in place and get help with the CRM, accounting, IT, marketing, and legal side of things. It really takes the stress away and I can focus on my clients and candidates instead. Being part of a group also provides advice and mentoring and a network that I can go to for potential collaboration on roles and clients. I am thrilled to be part of the group.”
Abid Hamid, CEO of Recruitment Entrepreneur, adds, “It’s fantastic to welcome Anette and Parents & Careers to our rapidly growing group of REflex partners. Diversity and flexibility are both fast becoming a cornerstone of recruitment strategy for many businesses. Anette’s networks within this niche candidate pool which she has developed over the last four years, as well as her insights into clients and candidates’ needs alike, will no doubt serve her well. I look forward to working with her to establish and grow Parents & Careers.”
