Female co-founder’s company awarded The King’s Award for International Trade amid praise from UK Government minister

One participating organization and its business partner, who were denied support because the company did not have ‘high-scale potential’, saw their company awarded the 2023 King’s Prize for International Trade.

Join Talent, a fast-growing embedded recruitment solutions company based in Scotland, part of the first ever King’s Awards for organisations.

Announced today, Join Talent is one of only 148 organizations nationwide to be honored with the prestigious King’s Award for Enterprise.

Katrina Hutchinson O’Neill, CEO and Co-Founder, said: “We are delighted to win this prestigious award, particularly due to the growth we have experienced over the past few years and our international expansion. Being still a young company, this was a particularly extraordinary feat – Join Talent was an idea that was developed and built on the kitchen table, kick in at every stage. I guess you could say, by necessity, we had to
Build it the hard way.

“This award is a testament to the hard work and incredible skill of our brilliant team members all over the world.”

Join Talent’s focus on international trade in recent months and years, including participation in The Entrepreneurial Nation 2.0, an initiative launched by the UAE government in 2022.

The company achieved annual growth in overseas sales over three years at a sharp level, with total overseas sales growing by a remarkable 2.701% during this period. Overseas sales now account for 42.8% of the total business. After the UK, the company’s next five markets are the USA, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany and Ireland.

UK Government Minister for Scotland John Lamont said: “It is fantastic to see Scottish companies recognized at the first ever King’s Awards. These are among the most prestigious business awards in the UK and each should be rightly proud to be named among The winners.

“Join Talent have done a tremendous job in increasing their international sales, and their growth abroad is an example for all other companies considering exporting. It just goes to show some of the fantastic organizations we work for in Scotland, and I hope this award will inspire them to greater achievements in the future.”

It wasn’t always easy for Katrina and work. Katrina added, “When we initially set up the company, I was denied support from a support group focused on women entrepreneurs because they did not consider us to have ‘wide-ranging potential’.”

“We have challenged these expectations, but I would like to use the platform we have now to support other women entrepreneurs and minority entrepreneurs.”

Employing more than 250 professionals in 21 countries, Join Talent was established in late 2018, and now has a list of clients from startups to Unicorns and even FTSE 30 household names.