The duo worked together on the board of EAT between 2007 and 2017 as director of operations and people director respectively.
HTUK supports employers in obtaining a skilled worker sponsorship licence and candidates with obtaining a visa through their partnership with London law firm Quastels. Employers play a flat fee per role, which does not increase with salary.
The new business draws upon a network of recruitment partners across seven countries, with more partners and countries being added all the time. Any role that qualifies for the skilled worker visa can be recruited through HTUK, including all levels of management, chefs, bakers and patisserie chefs.
Ed Grimes said: “Having been involved in several hospitality startups since Brexit, I have first-hand experience of how difficult it is to recruit skilled hospitality professionals. Employers are having to pay over market rates to recruit staff, particularly chefs, and then having to increase the wages of their existing team to maintain morale or risk losing staff to competitors. It is simply not sustainable.
“HTUK is resolving this issue for hospitality employers by creating access to a global network of skilled talent who are ready to work in the UK. We’ve given considerable thought to the hurdles faced by those recruiting and by partnering with expert lawyers have created an accessible, cost-effective and sustainable solution.”