Some say never mix business with pleasure, while others believe personal and professional pursuits can blend successfully. Ken Morrice is definitely in the latter category.

A sports enthusiast from a young age, the co-founder of executive recruitment firm MM Search has through the years competed in hockey, rugby, and athletics, as well as on the ski slopes. It was in his mid-30s, soon after his sons were born and his new business was getting off the ground, that he got "seriously hooked" on triathlons and subsequently earned a place on the GB seniors team.

"Because I was running a busy business, I didn't have time with that and the kids to turn up for team events and team training and commit to doing that," he said. "I really liked the idea of being able to train at multiple disciplines just whenever I wanted to, so first thing in the morning or late at night, or at lunch time or whenever.”

Mr Morrice has competed at European and World Championship level numerous times over the past few years, some with top 10 finishes. The 43-year-old is currently putting in 13 sessions per week across cycling, swimming and running as he prepares for major events in Ibiza, Germany, Belgium and Spain in the coming months.

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At the same time, he and MM Search co-founder Derek MacFeate are looking to expand further afield from their Glasgow headquarters, which employs 22 people. Mr Morrice said this comes on top of being the "fastest-growing search firm in Scotland" for senior executives for the past four years, with revenues currently in seven figures.

The company works across all sectors but has been particularly busy of late finding recruits within the supply chain, procurement, technology, and food and drink sectors. Mr Morrice said the intention is to draft in additional staff at director level to establish specialist divisions within these sectors.

“The other thing that we might look to do as well, depending on the talent that we have, is we have got aspirations to branch out further from our office here in Glasgow," he said.

"We have a satellite office in Aberdeen, but we would like to look at branching out further than that, so we might end up with an office overseas depending on how we go, or maybe other office locations within the UK."

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Aiming to offer a professional service with "a bit of cheeky personality", Mr Morrice is more than willing to conduct business outside the established office setting.

“Cycling is a big attraction, a big sport [among] a lot of our clientele, so I have been known to meet candidates or clients for a cycle," he said.

"When we present a shortlist of candidates, traditionally that is done in an office and you talk through all the candidates – I’ve done that going for a run with a client through the park in Glasgow at lunchtime."

Having also taken part in other competitions such as Ironman France, Mr Morrice is sponsored by MM Search on his GB team kit. He believes that the endurance, momentum and strength required in physical competition is "totally intertwined" with his professional life.

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“It’s amazing the number of clients that resonates with," he said. "One of the chief executives I have worked with has done an Ironman as well, and while I was pitching to him and the board to do two senior appointments for them and I said, ‘One of the things is, we don’t give up, we keep going to make sure that we get the right candidates for you’.

"If we get [your candidate] the first time around, brilliant, but if it takes us a few times to get the right person, we keep going – we are resilient.

“He said: ‘Yeah, I know that. From one Ironman to another, I know what that takes'. So it really spills over into business for me on a daily basis.”

Raised to the west of Glasgow, Mr Morrice finished his schooling at St Columba's in Kilmacolm before going on to study facilities management at Glasgow Caledonian University.

His first job was as a graduate trainee at nightclub operator CPL Entertainment, now known as Hold Fast Entertainment. From there he advanced to general manager of "a number" of the group's venues, which include The Garage and the Cathouse Rock Club in Glasgow.

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From there he joined family-owned executive transport provider Little's as operations manager, then in 2007 moved to fresh meat supplier ABR Quality Foods as commercial and operations director.

He made the move into recruitment in 2013 when he went to headhunters Michael Page in search of his job. Rather than placing him elsewhere, they offered him a job within their executive division.

“I was almost a bit – embarrassed is maybe not the right word – about ‘recruitment’, but I really liked the executive search piece," he said. "There is something quite, almost espionage about it – the NDAs, 'confidential', 'exclusive' – I really liked all of that kind of side of it.”

By 2018 he and fellow Michael Page director Mr MacFeate decided the time was right to set up on their own.

“It’s lots of hard work, and lots of graft," Mr Morrice said.

"I think that we are first up and best-dressed every day. We are always at the opening of an envelope or a crisp packet – we like to be there, we like to be networking and to meet people.”