Steve Taggart arrived into the world on the 27th August 1967; his earliest memories include long hot summers (“1976 was a scorcher”), playing football, The Jam, Diadora, Bjorn Borg and Pringle Jumpers. On a more serious note, Steve’s school career included Alderley Edge County Primary and then Harefield County High School in Wilmslow.

At the ripe old age of 12 years, Steve was sent off to work as a paper boy with a round that had its fair share of vicious dogs and a route that went up a steep road one and a half miles long, which only the most hardened cyclist could ride without stopping, and this was all for £2.50 per week!

Upon leaving school, Steve’s first experience of ‘real’ work was a Youth Training Scheme at ICI; where he spent a year within the Building Services Department learning and working with various trades. This was an experience that he still looks back on as being valuable and that stood him in good stead for appreciating the skills associated with Kinetic. On reflection the stint at ICI also made him a little wiser, after bearing the brunt of pranks such as being sent to the stores for a “long stand” or being asked to find the “glass hammer”!

On completion of his training scheme Steve found himself in the same position as so many in the early eighties - one of ‘Maggie’s Millions’! So, as suggested by ‘Norman Tebbit’, he got on his bike and found employment with Aquaduct; a company that specialised in the installation and manufacture of machinery that produced seamless guttering. The role was interesting and although Steve acquired new skills, life was uninspiring and so a desire for a real change was sparked into life.

In 1985 he made that change and literally took the plunge. Plunging into the water no less, Steve signed up to Her Majesty’s Service in the Royal Navy. After a number of tests and a cough he found himself at HMS Raleigh, where polishing boots, ironing kit and being bawled and shouted at became second nature. After eight months of basic and trade training, Steve joined his ship, HMS Manchester and within weeks embarked on his first deployment; a nine month cruise around the globe, taking in ports of call in Hawaii, Sydney and Shanghai to name but a few. During the four years spent on the ‘Manch’ he took in a number of deployments with periods in the Gulf and the Med.

In 1990 Steve was promoted and spent further time in trade and leadership training before joining HMS Ark Royal later that year. Travel and work was the theme, with three deployments in the States and a stint patrolling the eastern Med during the Gulf War in 1991 along with the Adriatic during the Bosnian crisis. Ever eager to embrace personal development, in 1992 Steve passed his qualifications for a Petty Officer role. This prompted him to survey his long term career and consider a long 22 years in the service, or leave whilst still young enough to develop a new career in civvie street. The latter was chosen and he submitted his 18 month’s notice and set about planning the next chapter in life.

Steve learnt a lot from his time in the Navy; in terms of being able to both work under pressure and as part of a team. His leadership skills were enhanced within key trades and he acquired robust experience in working with and supervising people. Additionally, he was also competent at managing and operating technical processes. So with these skills it tow, Steve took the leap of faith and ended up working in recruitment at Kinetic. A million miles away from life at sea, working at Kinetic was not only a complete change in culture, but a broad awakening; every day was and still is different with quick un-programmed decisions that affected workers, clients and thus Kinetic’s success, either in a negative or positive way. From day one Steve found like minded people who were hungry to achieve, be successful and enjoy their job.

Steve started out working at Kinetic’s Middleton office with one other consultant. This was followed by a move over to the company’s flagship office in Manchester, where he worked alongside consultants such as Jo Heseltine, (now Kinetic’s Operations Director). And so Steve learnt his trade in recruitment; a trade which he had natural flair for, as in a short space of time he was promoted to Operations Manager (Senior Consultant) in Warrington for a short period. This was followed by a move to the Stockport office, where he spent a further two great years. Steve moved back to his beloved Manchester branch and again worked as the Operations Manager. Within six months the role developed into a full time sales and account management role, with responsibilities for business and client development; Steve clearly remembers cold calling on chilly rainy days and enjoying friendly banter with colleagues over phoned-in opportunities, thoughts that remind Steve of what it takes to be committed, persistent and competitive.

In all of Steve’s early roles with Kinetic, he worked with a great number of people, including colleagues, clients and workers. Steve wholeheartedly believes that it is from their knowledge and skills that he developed his own, thus enabling him to understand the difficulties and needs of each stakeholder within the recruitment relationship.


Throughout his working career and to further boost his offering to Kinetic and their customers, Steve has been committed to personal development, whereby he has completed a number of in house and external courses included an HND in Business & Management, Dale Carnegie and a Diploma in Recruitment Practice. Through his recruitment experience, knowledge of specialist business sectors and general corporate acumen, Steve has been strategically involved with developing some key areas of the company, including Customer Relationship Management, Balanced Scorecard and more recently, the formation of new specialist brands.

In addition to having an integral role in advancing Kinetic as a company, at this juncture in his life, Steve also has direct management responsibility for various Regional teams of consultants, including Kinetic’s Industrial and Skilled & Trades divisions in Gtr Manchester, alongside the Search & Selection and Contract Professionals divisions in the North West. An accolade to Steve’s commitment, drive and more so, his success at Kinetic is the recognition and award he received for ‘Kinetic Manager of the Year 2008’. To truly top off a triumphant year, Steve also gained ‘Fellow status’ within the Recruitment and Employment Confederation.

Steve resides in his youth spent community of Alderley Edge and is married with two children. Away from work, he is a keen runner and an avid Man City fan. Interestingly, from his Navy days, Steve boasts a claim to fame for appearing on the ‘Price is Right’ with Leslie Crowther!