A NO-COMPROMISE yet empathetic approach to recruitment is paying dividends for

York-based executive search specialist Beresford Kane Associates, which is pitching to win the Evening Press Small Business of the Year category.

Since Steven Matsell and Maura Jones opened the firm's doors at Tower House, York, in June, last year, it has not only placed several key players in internationally-known IT and electronics companies, but also expanded its own workforce from two to five.

Steven, 36, and Maura, 49, met while working for MRI, the largest executive search company in the world, but felt that the demands of big business sometimes compromised the quality of service and relationships.

So they started Beresford Kane, whose mission statement is to have an attitude of "no compromise" in its service.

Future plans include a new website through which behavioural psychometric tests can be conducted online, and expanding the staff by another two by the end of next year. It aims to employ ten staff by 2003.