Ashley Stirland on the Hard, Honest Lessons of Recruitment Leadership

When you spend time with Ashley Stirland, the founder of Active Personnel, you quickly sense the kind of leader he is. Calm, grounded and incredibly genuine. He has built his business on principles that run deeper than strategy or profit. Principles shaped from personal experience and carried with him through every chapter of his career.

At the centre of Ashley’s approach are three simple rules. Never overspend. Never underestimate another man’s greed. And always remember that your word is the most valuable thing you have. He has held onto these rules for years, and they guide the way he leads, hires, supports and grows his business. They are woven quietly into the culture of Active Personnel.

A Leader Who Builds People Up

Ask his team how they would describe him, and the word they use is empowering. Ashley believes leadership is about lifting people, not controlling them. He gives his consultants the space to shine and the support to push themselves. He trusts them. Backs them. And encourages them to reach their potential.

It fits perfectly with his view of what makes a great recruiter. The word he returns to is resilience. Recruitment is full of highs and lows, good days and harder ones. The people who succeed are the ones who stay present, stay consistent and keep going. He believes resilience is not just a skill but a mindset. The ability to move forward even when the day feels heavy.

What Active Personnel Stands For

When Ashley talks about Active Personnel, you can hear the pride in his voice. He describes it as an honest and integral business that genuinely empowers its consultants to be their best. He never wanted to build a recruitment agency that felt transactional or cold. He wanted something human. Something supportive. Something that made people feel valued.

This is what sets Active Personnel apart in such a competitive market. It is the people. The consultants who show up for clients every day. The team who support each other through every busy season. The relationships they build and the care they give. In recruitment, authenticity is rare. At Active Personnel, it is expected.

Growing Through Challenge and Change

Active Personnel specialises in industrial, logistics, engineering and commercial recruitment. Their clients span manufacturing, industry and distribution across the UK. While they sometimes work outside those areas, these core sectors have shaped their identity and expertise.

Launching the business in 2022 could have been daunting. The world was still settling after Covid, and many businesses were struggling to regain balance. Yet Ashley remembers those early days with real fondness. They were fun. Challenging, yes, but filled with energy. They competed with other agencies born during Covid and decided to return to what worked before the pandemic. A traditional, relationship-led approach. That simple decision helped set Active Personnel apart and carry them to where they are today.

Since then, the business has changed enormously. The roles have evolved with market demands, and Ashley’s own position has shifted. Where he once sat front office handling day to day operations, he now works in a more supportive, strategic back office space. It is the natural progression of a founder guiding a business into maturity, and he embraces it.

What Clients and Candidates Love Most

Clients and candidates tell Ashley that what they appreciate most is how they are treated. They feel supported not only on a professional level but a personal one too. The team listens. They care. They stay connected. In a fast-moving industry, that human touch makes all the difference.

Finding Support in the Key Selection Group

Before joining Key Selection, Ashley was not entirely sure what support he needed until the moment he needed it. Even three years in, new challenges still appear unexpectedly. What he values most about being part of the group is having support at the other end of the phone whenever something comes up. For a business owner, that reassurance is priceless.

Key Selection has played a huge role in helping Active Personnel scale. Whether it was sales support, back office help or practical guidance, the support was always there. Ashley describes it as one of the foundations that helped them grow with confidence.

Behind the scenes, everything from credit control to HR guidance has been vital. He could not choose a single area that mattered most because each piece has helped him at the moment he needed it. Business rarely moves in a straight line, and having access to so many supportive avenues has been invaluable.

In the early days, this support allowed the team to concentrate on operations without needing to hire large internal teams. Now, in a more established stage, it gives Ashley flexibility. He can select what he needs without unnecessary pressure, allowing him to put his energy where it truly matters.

His Honest Advice for Future Founders

When asked what he would say to recruiters thinking about starting their own business, Ashley does not sugar-coat it. It is tough. It is lonely. And if he were to do it again, he would do it within a supportive group from day one. He knows now how vital help is the moment you face a challenge you have never seen before. Doing it alone does not make you stronger. Being supported does.

One of the biggest lessons he learned last year was to never become complacent. Complacency can hit quickly and hard. Staying humble and keeping your attention firmly on the game is essential.

Looking Toward the Future

What excites Ashley most is where Active Personnel can go next. The business is maturing and moving into a new chapter, and he is looking forward to working closely with Melonie Debendham, Operations Director, and Mike Stinson, Onboarding Specialist, to plan their next stage within the Key Selection group. There is a genuine sense of momentum and optimism.

When asked what traits a recruitment leader needs to succeed in today’s crowded market, his answer reflects everything he stands for. Resilience. Understanding clients deeply.

Navigating market changes with calm. Staying integral. And above all, keeping your word. If you say something, follow through.

Watch the Full Conversation

For the full conversation with Ashley, and to see this story unfold in his own words, you can watch the full video above or find it on our YouTube channel!!

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