SAXTON Bampfylde, the employee-owned recruitment company, has been handed the task of finding the next permanent secretary of the Scottish Government.

The search for Scotland's next top civil servant, who will replace Sir Peter Housden, is the latest in a series of high-profile commissions the firm has won since it launched an office in Edinburgh at the end of last year.

The office, which is the firm's first in Scotland, has already recruited former FirstGroup chief executive Sir Moir Lockhead to chair the National Trust for Scotland, succeeding Sir Kenneth Calman, and embarked on a search for a new chief executive for the body to replace Kate Mavor.

It has lined up a chief operating officer for the V&A museum planned for Dundee, is recruiting for a new head for the new oil and gas industry regulator, and is involved in efforts to place more females in Scotland into non-executive boardroom roles. It is also involved in the search for a new chancellor for Napier University.

Peta Hay, the former Tesco and Asda recruitment expert brought in to head the operation in Scotland, said Saxton Bampfylde has got off to a flying start north of the Border.

She said: "In terms of the firm, it's all going well. We've got some good, really interesting clients and [we are] cracking on."

Saxton Bampfylde has cultivated a reputation for placing leaders in UK cultural institutions. In addition to its commissions in Scotland, its operation in England has placed executives in high-profile organisations such as the Tate Modern, National Galleries and The Barbican in London.

"Our track record nationally in arts, culture and heritage is extremely strong," Ms Hay said.

Asked whether finding leaders for arts and cultural bodies is different to identifying executives for other sectors, Ms Hay replied: "Whenever you are looking for somebody in a senior leadership role, you should always start with a proven track record of, or potential of, clear leadership skills. That goes without saying and that's common across every sector. But equally you need to be clear about the differences these sectors present.

"Regulatory is very much about being brilliant at stakeholders management, being clear on government agendas both north and south of the Border, and also international government agendas.

"When you are in arts, you are often talking about people who have to be very knowledgeable about fundraising, who have to be able to lead organisations that have both permanent employees and volunteers, almost in equal measure. And leading a volunteer is very different from leading somebody who is on the payroll.

"There are definitely differences, and knowledge of what those differences are is critical, but the core principles of great leadership transcend everything."

Asked to comment on potential growth areas for Saxton Bampfylde in Scotland, Ms Hay said the firm is aiming to capitalise on its employee-owned status.

To that end, it has joined a network of similar organisations in Scotland and across the UK.

Saxton Bampfylde became an employee benefit trust in October, making it the first only executive search firm in the UK to be owned under that model.

Ms Hay said: "There is a theme that that type of ownership structure is very interesting and attractive. Because we are also that type of ownership structure, it makes sense for those companies to come to us to find their executives, because we know what it is like to work in that environment.

"Now that doesn't mean it precludes us from different ownership structures, but is interesting in Scotland that because of the heritage of family firms [and] smaller organisations, employee benefit trusts is very relevant, possibly more so than the number of organisations in England."

Ms Bampfylde said the Scottish Government is promoting the employee ownership model because firms perform better under that structure because of the ownership staff feel.

She said: "There's a definite emphasis on that as organisations, particularly founder-led organisations, think about what they want to look like in the future."

Asked whether its employee-owned status was a selling point for Saxton Bampfylde, Ms Hay said: "We definitely talk about it. What it also means is that we work in a different way because we are all working for the collective good of the firm, so you get a great collegiate culture.

"In search, that might not be something that people would immediately associate with head hunters."

Saxton Bampfylde currently employs five at its office in Edinburgh, and has aspirations to double that this year.