Crew Consulting was launched by Cory Richards and Tom Sweeney in 2015, featuring two desks and a telephone each. In 2021, it was named 26th on the Deloitte Fast 50 index and the fastest-growing services business for Dunedin and the lower South Island.
Mr Sweeney, who recently moved to work from Crew’s Christchurch office, said there were 18 in the Crew team and about 36 in the Potentia team.
Both Potentia and Crew would continue to operate under their established brands, with no changes to their names or leadership teams. It was business as usual for customers and staff.
He and Mr Richards were now on the board of the new Potentiate Group, Mr Sweeney said.
Mr Richards would continue to work from the Dunedin office.
It would have been "massive" for Crew to move to the North Island and it would have also been a big ask for Potentia to come south. A merger of the two was a "no brainer", Mr Sweeney said.
The aim when Crew was established was to have a company they could be proud of and it had all grown from there.
After becoming the largest technology recruitment agency in the South Island, Crew set its sights on the North Island.
After they were introduced to Guy Day, Potentia’s managing director, about three years ago, they realised the two businesses were "very aligned". Potentia was established in 2004 and had offices in both Auckland and Wellington.
While it had been a tough year for the recruitment sector, demand for their services continued to grow, he said.
