We are beyond proud to share that Thompson & Terry Recruitment has been named Oxfordshire’s SME of the Year 2025 by the prestigious Oxfordshire Business Awards.

This recognition means the world to us, not just as a business, but as a dedicated team that has set out to achieve our mission statement and provide a transparent, honest and ethical recruitment solution to candidates, clients and our own staff, which we truly live and breathe every single day.

It goes without saying but we are so grateful to our clients, candidates, wider community and our team here at Thompson & Terry Recruitment for making this award achievable. Thank you.

Our History

Thompson & Terry Recruitment was set up by our MD, Ben Thompson in 2014 who identified a real gap in the market for a headhunting approach to recruitment agency-level vacancies and this model has delivered exceptional results since. As part of our mission, we vow to only submit candidates to our clients who we would personally employ ourselves. This ethos enabled 86.4% of the first CV we submitted in 2024 to get the job; compared to the national average of just 5%.

What makes us different?

Typically, traditional agencies prioritise volume-based CV databases, but our entire business is built on our headhunting model, which delivers exceptional results and a far better experience for both candidates and clients, who receive fewer, better-qualified candidates and an honest, transparent service from the very start.

We differentiate through transparency, innovation and care. With the help of cutting-edge technology, all clients receive detailed weekly reports tracking every action, down to the minute, providing unmatched visibility into our process and time investment. This approach is extremely rare in recruitment, but allows us to build enormous trust with our clients.

Our Impact and Future

I personally joined Thompson & Terry Recruitment as the 2nd inductee on our graduate programme in 2019, which was founded and self-funded by Ben. Since then, we have rolled this out across Oxfordshire SME’s which includes 110 inductees and 6 within our own business. Following 4 promotions, I am now Candidate Experience Manager with the devotion to ensuring every single candidate that we speak to (whether we place them into a job or not) is given a first-class, memorable and outstanding service and experience, which is showcased by our 100x 5* Google Reviews.

Our MD, Ben is instrumental to our success and has been committed to amplifying our brand and community presence. Ben hosts ‘The Business Brunch with Ben Thompson’ on Get Radio and has interviewed nearly 500 Oxfordshire business leaders, showcasing the brilliant minds driving the local economy and opening doors to meaningful conversations, collaborations and opportunities.

We have entered a really exciting chapter for Thompson & Terry Recruitment and have recently launched two new specialist divisions; Biotech and Executive Search. This allows us to extend our expertise into new areas and drive future growth.

Winning SME of the Year

Winning this award highlights that you don’t have to be the largest business to make an impact. Living by our mission statement, being values-led, implementing an ethical approach to recruitment and challenging the industry to do better has allowed us to standout and make a real impact on our clients, candidates and the wider community in general.

If you are an employer struggling to recruit or retain the very best talent in the industry, then please get in touch with our award-winning team today. Our MD, Ben, would love to offer a complimentary consultation.

E: ben@thompsonandterry.co.uk

T: 01235 797 177