Recruitment specialists, TMS Asia-Pacific has been sold to a joint consortium, which includes the company’s current chief executive Helene Taylor and Asia-based entrepreneur, Steve Hamblin.

As part of the purchase, Mr Hamblin said the company will maintain its current branding, but he hoped to re-open the TMS offices in Bangkok and Auckland as well as launch into other markets including China.

TMS founder Gary Marshall said the decision to sell the company he established 18 years ago was “hard” but knew it was “time to move on”.

“The reality is I have been standing very much on the sidelines for the last five years, becoming more of an inactive shareholder rather than having a day to day hands-on management role in the business,” he said.

Mr Hamblin has strong experience in the recruitment sector, launching The Parker Bridge Group in 1988 as well as working with UK-based online training company, Recruitment Training Productions.