Start Group

Start Group is a recruitment to recruitment consultancy based in Sydney, founded in 2018 and led by founder John Bourke, with James Dolan as director. It places recruiters into recruitment agencies, from first desks and consultants through to team leads, managers and general managers, across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth. It says it operates across Australia and New Zealand. It is an RCSA member and says it won NSW Rec2Rec Agency of the Year at the Sourcr Awards in 2022, 2023 and 2024.

The business runs under one brand with four focuses. Start In Recruitment places career-changers, graduates and others new to the industry in first desks. Start In Australia moves recruiters from the UK and Ireland to Australian agencies, with a migration lawyer associated with the business handling visas. Start Training is a six or twelve month retainer for agency owners, covering their hiring without success fees and training their teams. A fourth focus, Start Automation & AI, is an AI and automation consultancy for agency owners, due to launch in the second half of 2026.

Its recruiter desks cover technology, finance and banking, legal, executive search, construction and property, healthcare and life sciences, and government.