Passionate about people – and building brighter futures

There’s no doubting Noreen McKechnie’s passion for finding people their perfect job – or her drive to be the best in business.

With more than 25 years’ experience in recruitment, she talks enthusiastically about building strong relationships and finding people new career opportunities.

“I still get that same sense of satisfaction finding the perfect person for a role and being able to deliver the good news they’ve been offered the job,” said Noreen, who is Managing Director of Ashford-based Diamond Search Recruitment.

And it is that tenacity and determination, in even the most difficult of times, that led her to establish the company in 2017.

“The business was set up in really difficult circumstances when I tragically lost my husband,” explained Noreen. “Things were very financially challenging and I had two young boys aged seven and ten who were my priority – and still are.

“I needed to work but also be there for my children, so setting up the recruitment agency – using all I knew and was good at –meant I knew it would be a success and also give me a work-life balance.”

Experience, professionalism and quality have been at the heart of the company since day one with a real focus on customer care.

A corporate member of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC), Diamond Search Recruitment is also a Patron of the Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce, which Noreen says is something she is “really proud of”.

The company’s team of seven has decades of experience, specialising in recruitment across a range of sectors including legal/professional services, sales and marketing, business support, technology, construction engineering as well as health and social care.

“My team is fantastic,” she said, “they’re experienced recruiters with high levels of integrity, honesty and we work incredibly well together. Our business is all about relationship building and making sure our customers have a positive experience.

“Running a small business is incredibly challenging in many ways but I’m very proud of what we’ve achieved. We get a lot of recommendations and referrals which is testament to our great work.”

Challenges for the sector, for some customers, include the increase in the National Living Wage (NLW) and employers’ National Insurance (NI) contributions, presenting several financial and operational challenges for businesses. Additionally, the rapid advancement and integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and automation technologies mean that we are seeing some automation of roles, and technology evolving faster than educational systems and workforce training can keep up. However, recruitment is an exciting, busy market; it is highly competitive and rapidly evolving. Every industry needs great talent... and that’s where Diamond comes in.

In-demand areas for Diamond include legal services, where need accelerated during Covid. “Engineering is also very busy right now,” said Noreen, “according to a recent report, 20 per cent of engineers will retire in five years, so there is a big skills shortage and demand for new talent.”

“We have recently launched our health and social care offering, an area that continues to be busy. AI and cyber security will be future focus areas for us.”

Diamond Search Recruitment predominantly looks after clients in the Kent community.

“There is nothing better than going on site to meet our customers, exploring their business, meeting the team and discovering their company culture firsthand,” said Noreen.

“Recruitment is a competitive sector, but being a small business with strong local knowledge means we can offer real insight of the market. In terms of our talent pool, not only are we aware of candidates who are new to the market and looking for roles, we know about passive talent, people who might not be completely active on the market but are open to hearing about an exciting opportunity.

“For us it’s all about being consultative, working as a trusted advisor and developing long-term relationships. It’s so much more than a person’s skill set, it’s whether they’ll fit in with a company’s culture, its core values and do their goals align. It’s a fully matching process.

“You spend half your life at work, it’s got to be the right job. Which is why it still gives me such a great sense of fulfilment.”

Diamond Search Recruitment has been a Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce member since it was established but became a Patron at the end of 2024.

“The Chamber is great for business networking” said Noreen. “Face-to-face interaction is so important and we get out to as many events as we can. It’s helped us form vital business relationships.

“Being a Patron shows we’re a recognised and trusted expert in the recruitment and employment services industry and it means we can get even closer to businesses and work to support them. We’d love to be working with even more companies who need help or advice with recruitment.”

Noreen is also Co-Founder of Diamond Singles, a Kent based singles events business, launched in 2023.

Noreen says the years since 2017 have been a “real journey” and being a positive role model for her boys – now aged 16 and 19 –is what really matters to her.

“Working for yourself does give you that freedom and flexibility and you are able to concentrate on family as well as business.

“Plus, the reason for what I do is right in front of me. Everything I do is for my boys. They are my absolute motivator, they are what drives me.”

“My eldest son now has the mindset to run his own business and is off to study business and entrepreneurship at university. My youngest will also be studying business and mathematics A-Level’s from September. I couldn’t be more proud of both of them.”

Kent & Medway’s drive to strengthen workforce capabilities and foster economic resilience has reached a new milestone with the launch of the 2025 Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP) Progress Report. Employer-led and impact-driven, the report outlines key strides taken to align training with sector demand and spark long-term change.

Delivering Tangible Sector Outcomes

Building on the legacy of the 2022 trailblazer and the 2023 LSIP, the latest update reveals measurable progress across five priority industries:

• Manufacturing & Engineering

• Construction

• Fresh Food & Horticulture

• Education

• Health & Social Care

Clearer pathways, stronger collaborations, and agile workforce solutions are setting a new standard for local training and development.

Endorsements

from National and Local Leaders

Skills Minister Jacqui Smith praised the LSIP’s direction: “I am pleased to see the progress being made to bring these Local Skills