Our People Are Your People

Jessica Marchant

Founding Partner

Jessica founded Sidekicks in 2015 after spotting a gap in the market for a high quality, ethical, ambitious and results-driven talent consultancy.

After leaving school at 18, Jessica began work as a Receptionist in a City firm, where she learned the ropes from the ground up. A career-defining obsession with immaculate operational support was ignited, and over the next decade, Jessica acquired her reputation as one of London’s most in-demand Personal Assistants. During this period of her career, Jessica became the go-to support person for several prominent employers within investment banking, hedge funds, real estate and private family offices, in both the UK and Asia.

Jessica passionately believes that superb operational support has the capacity to transform a business’s bottom line, and is dedicated to helping British business by revolutionising the support talent market.

Jessica is a Corporate Director of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation, and the founder of Work to Recover, the mental health not-for-profit. She is also the author of ‘How To Get A Job’, and has been featured by the BBC, the Financial Times, the Guardian, and London Live. Jessica now focuses on advising the UK’s top SMEs on achieving operational efficiency, and explaining how businesses can consistently attract and retain great talent.

Julia Aaltonen

Head of Permanent Talent, Partner

An outstanding recruiter with an impressive track record filling roles across a breadth of industries in both the creative and corporate worlds, Julia holds a Masters degree in Real Estate and Law from Cass Business School and is passionate about secretarial recruitment done properly, with integrity.

Having started her career in 2005, Julia cut her teeth in secretarial agency, establishing herself as a top performer and trusted ally to both employers and talent, whilst getting results. Julia knows her market inside out and is experienced at working at Chairman and CEO level, possessing a thorough understanding of the day to day demands placed upon senior management and how an effective PA can transform working lives.

Izzy Basson

Talent Manager

With over four years experience working as an Investment Assistant for HNW clients prior to joining Sidekicks, Izzy has a wealth of knowledge in the Financial Services Industry. Her diligence and positivity coupled with her passion for excellence combine to make her a natural recruiter.

Izzy accomplishes success for both her clients and candidates with her enthusiasm, natural ability to form personal relationships and an impeccable attention to detail – all key factors in delivering a bespoke approach for every individual.

Izzy’s determination to align her candidates’ desires with her clients’ needs ensures that she creates a lasting impact with everyone she works with.

Salud Villalobos

Head of Temporary Talent

Highly entrepreneurially minded and a real plate-spinner, Salud started her own business whilst at university, juggling her degree in Business and Economics alongside growing her events company. It was during this time that she had her first taste of temporary staffing, having to source and coordinate her own temps for each of her events.

After moving to London, Salud built on her existing skill set by joining a temporary recruitment start-up, growing the business from the ground up and working with clients across a range of industries, sizes and roles. Salud is confident in working at the pace temporary staffing often requires whilst never wavering from her exceptional commitment to quality and the seamlessness of her service.

With a strong sense of integrity, Salud firmly believes in trust and honesty as the fundamental base of true success in business. A trusted advisor, she works alongside clients to ensure that they are meeting their temporary staffing requirements strategically and effectively and coaches candidates to ensure that they are best placed in the market to secure the roles they are looking for. Salud is excited to lead the Sidekicks temporary desk in making real difference in the industry.

Ellie Hollier

Operations Manager

After graduating with a Masters in English Literature from Nottingham in 2014, Ellie spent two years working within operational support in London before joining Sidekicks in January 2017. After spending eighteen very successful months honing her skills within recruitment, Ellie was promoted to Operations Manager in March 2018.

Ellie is the true lynchpin of the Sidekicks team, and her unwavering dedication to quality and unmatched problem-solving skills make her a hugely valuable asset; not only to the Sidekicks team, but to all Sidekicks employers and talent.

Rowena Osborne

Talent Manager

Rowena’s impressive career in PR prior to moving into Recruitment has imparted an enviable network of contacts within several key industries. A graduate of the University of Newcastle, Rowena spent five years within PR before moving on to found the Macaroon Cooks domestic staffing agency, where she was responsible for providing cooks and assistant cooks to private clients both in the UK and abroad.

Rowena is empathetic, reliable and highly intelligent with a keen eye for detail and a natural flair for building strong, long-lasting relationships. A true perfectionist, she will leave no stone unturned to ensure that she gets it right first time.

Harneet Bhogal

Marketing Assistant

Harneet is a natural born entrepreneur, and came to Sidekicks after running her own freelance makeup business, which she set up in 2017.

Her time running her own business sparked Harneet’s interest in digital media, and after gaining excellent self-taught experience across a variety of platforms she decided to undergo a Digital Marketing Apprenticeship to cement her skills.

Harneet now balances her studies alongside her work at Sidekicks. Highly organised and proactive with a can-do attitude, Harneet is an integral part to the smooth running of the Sidekicks team.