The Recruitment Junction: Who Is Beverley Brooks (CEO)?

Introduction

Beverley Brooks is a prominent figure in the North East charity sector. With a career that spans corporate recruitment, faith based employability initiatives, and offender rehabilitation, she presents herself as a leader shaped by Christian values of compassion, collaboration, and second chances. As founder and CEO of The Recruitment Junction, Brooks leads an organisation that claims to support ex offenders to rebuild their lives through work. Recent actions taken under her leadership raise questions about whether those values are applied when disabled service users assert their rights.

From Brussels to the Bible Belt

Brooks began in the commercial world. Between 1994 and 2010 she held managerial roles in UK and European recruitment firms including Office Angels and IDPP, and co founded two Brussels based consultancies, Configure and ClearSource. Her shift toward faith led work started in 2008 at Working Chance, followed by the William Wilberforce Foundation. From 2015 she was an Area Manager at Junction 42, a Christian prison ministry and employability charity. In 2020 she founded The Recruitment Junction with a stated mission to provide second chances through work.

Notably, her move away from private recruitment coincided with the rise of cloud and mobile driven tech. Rather than scale her firms into that competitive era, she stepped away. That decision may reflect a discomfort with competition. In the private sector, survival demands speed, innovation, and accountability to clients. In grant funded charity spaces, reputational control and relationships often matter more. There are fewer competitors, no product market pressure, and less external scrutiny of delivery. It is an environment where gatekeepers can thrive.

The Recruitment Junction: Vision vs Reality

On paper, TRJ looks admirable. It speaks of dignity, purpose, and community. It champions second chances for people with convictions, often using language rooted in restoration and hope. The charity has attracted public funding, employer partnerships, and media attention. For at least one disabled service user, the experience was different.

In June 2025, Kieron Holmes – an autistic ex offender with documented access needs – was cut off from TRJ support after raising respectful concerns about the use of a standardised CV template. Holmes had highlighted the importance of retaining his own narrative and showcasing accomplishments relevant to high level digital and strategic work. Less than an hour later, Beverley Brooks personally withdrew support.

• Holmes was blocked from further email communication, including from multiple lawful addresses. See: Blocked, Silenced, Ignored – unlawful email blocking.
• Their anticipatory duty for reasonable adjustments was disregarded. See: The 20 Minute Decision That Exposed Safeguarding Failures and TRJ background and context.
• A Subject Access Request was ignored until challenged, then TRJ claimed all data had been deleted after a prior erasure request despite no confirmed scope. See: When a “Casefile” is a Threat – SAR Failures at The Recruitment Junction.
• When pressed on Equality Act compliance, TRJ declined to share policy. See: TRJ, Christian values, and the gap between words and deeds.

Further reading and evidence:

• Public funding contradictions: Caught in 4K – CEO denies public funding, records say otherwise.
• Safeguarding failures after a 20 minute withdrawal: Article.
• Unlawful email blocking timeline: Article.
• SAR non compliance and “casefile” threat: Article.
• Pre action handling and trustee delivery route: Nigel Wright Group drawn into trustee accountability.
• Consolidated background and context: Background page.

“Speak to Junction 42” – A Closed Loop?

Rather than resolve the dispute, Beverley Brooks repeatedly redirected Holmes to Junction 42 – an organisation where TRJ trustee Mark Simpson holds significant influence. Simpson is the founder of Junction 42 and was appointed as a TRJ trustee in 2024. This dual role raises concerns about circular referrals, institutional capture, and the lack of independent oversight in faith linked rehabilitation networks.

While Junction 42 may offer genuine support to many, the optics of being redirected there by someone who shares governance ties with both organisations are troubling. It suggests a self contained ecosystem where criticism is unwelcome, escalation is deflected, and vulnerable service users are passed from one gatekeeper to another.

Other roles and affiliations

• Jobs Foundation – North East Business Council Steering Group: Beverley Brooks is presented as a member of the Jobs Foundation’s NE Business Council steering group. Source.
• The Recruitment Junction: Listed as Director in the charity’s latest published accounts, year ended 30 June 2023. Accounts PDF.

When Values Are Conditional

• Compassion – Was it shown when communication was blocked instead of adapted
• Collaboration – Was it present when support was withdrawn without process or safeguarding
• Second chances – Do they apply only to those who conform, not those who think critically

Conclusion: A Public Role Demands Public Accountability

None of this is personal. It is structural. When a CEO invokes Christian values while blocking access to support for a disabled individual asserting legal rights, it becomes a matter of public interest. When data is deleted without clarity and emails are ignored in response to lawful requests, the issue shifts from preference to governance.

Beverley Brooks may continue to lead TRJ, speak at conferences, and partner with employers. But unless actions are brought into alignment with the values she professes, the trust placed in her by funders, trustees, and the public deserves closer scrutiny.

Whether that gap closes is up to the organisations that continue to endorse her.