Looking for a job

Luis Martins

@luismartins

C+E professional driver and former recruitment MD with 20+ years in UK staffing and logistics. Portuguese, English, Spanish. Based in Portugal.

Portugal

Message

What I'm looking for

I'm looking to lead a recruitment business where I can drive growth, build lasting client partnerships, develop teams, improve operations, and deliver compliant, high-quality staffing solutions.

I'm a multilingual professional with two complementary sides: over 20 years leading recruitment and client-service operations in the UK, and a Category C+E professional driving licence held since January 2026. I'm now based in Rio Maior, Portugal.

On the recruitment side, I co-founded Core Staff Services Ltd (later The Recruitment Co) and ran it as Managing Director from 2012 to 2025, then led the Spalding branch of Blue Arrow as Managing Director. I built and managed client relationships, led business development and recruitment delivery, handled payroll and cash flow, and delivered tenders across multiple sectors. Most of it was high-volume blue-collar hiring — temporary, temp-to-perm and permanent — for clients in logistics, food production and industrial operations.

On the logistics side, I qualified for Category C+E in January 2026 and have been driving articulated vehicles for Freshlinc, a UK haulage operator, working to tight delivery windows in chilled and time-critical distribution. Between running staffing operations for logistics clients and driving the routes myself, I understand transport from both the planning desk and the cab: scheduling, depot turnaround, drivers' hours, compliance and the realities that make a shift run or fall apart.

I'm currently exchanging my UK driving licence for a Portuguese one and completing CAM certification, the Portuguese professional driver qualification, so I can drive commercially here.

I speak Portuguese (native), English (fluent) and Spanish (fluent), with basic Italian and French. I'm open to roles in logistics and transport operations, customer support and customer success, and recruitment and talent acquisition — remote, hybrid, or driving work once my CAM is in place.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Current

Managing Director

Current

Bluearrow

Jun 2025 - Present (1 year 4 months)

Lead the Spalding branch, focusing on strategic growth, operational excellence, and team development. Achieved 90% paperless operations and implemented new systems.

Strategic Leadership Operations Management team development Client Relations Business Growth Compliance Digital Transformation JobScience Salesforce

Current

Market Research Interviewer

Current

Kantar Public (Verian Group)

Sep 2022 - Present (4 years 1 month)

Conducted door-to-door Crime Surveys, building rapport with respondents and collecting high-quality data. Provided support in multiple languages.

Interviewing Data Collection Communication Skills Interpersonal Skills Multilingual

Managing Director

Core Staff Services Ltd

Apr 2012 - Jun 2025 (13 years 2 months)

Co-founded and led a recruitment business, growing turnover from £500K to over £5M in three years. Oversaw operations, client relationships, and strategic growth.

Strategic Leadership Business Development Operations Management Recruitment Client Relations Financial Management Compliance

Customer Service Representative

Access Prepaid Worldwide, Mastercard

Sep 2012 - Dec 2012 (3 months)

Provided multilingual customer service in English, Portuguese, and Spanish, resolving queries and managing high call volumes.

Customer Service Multilingual Problem Solving Call Handling Account Management

Operations Manager

Agora Recruitment Ltd

Jun 2010 - May 2012 (1 year 11 months)

Oversaw branch operations, managed a growing team, controlled costs, and produced profit and loss reports. Collaborated on tenders for new business.

Operations Management Team Leadership Budget Management Payroll Account Management Business Development

Office Manager

Agora Recruitment Ltd

Aug 2005 - Jun 2010 (4 years 10 months)

Managed office operations, staff recruitment and training, payroll, and client accounts. Implemented filing systems and policies to streamline operations.

Office Management Staff Management Recruitment Payroll Sage Payroll Client Relations Compliance

Administrative Assistant

Agora Recruitment Ltd

Jan 2004 - Aug 2005 (1 year 7 months)

Provided administrative support to managing directors, including scheduling, client account management, and payroll processing. Successfully recruited over 50 workers through cold-calling.

Administration Scheduling Customer Service Payroll Sage Payroll Cold Calling Recruitment

Line Operative

Agora (UK) Ltd

Nov 2003 - Jan 2004 (2 months)

Worked in factories on end-of-line tasks including counting, packing, and quality checking of products.

Production Line Packing Quality Control Health and Safety

Grounds Maintenance Operative

Desmor

Oct 2002 - Nov 2003 (1 year 1 month)

Maintained college grounds and sports facilities, including grass mowing, turf care, and equipment upkeep.

Grounds Maintenance Turf Maintenance Equipment Maintenance Sports Field Management

Cashier

Agip

Jul 2002 - Sep 2002 (2 months)

Processed customer payments, provided service to travellers, and performed inventory and bookkeeping tasks.

Cash Handling Customer Service Inventory Bookkeeping

Stock Controller / Replenishment Assistant

Intermarche

Jun 2001 - Jun 2002 (1 year)

Managed stock replenishment, shelf stacking, and rotation, ensuring products were correctly displayed and within sell-by dates.

Inventory Management Stock Rotation Stocking shelves HHT Customer Service

Military Police

Forca Aerea Portuguesa

Oct 1999 - Feb 2000 (4 months)

Volunteer recruit training as military police, gaining skills in teamwork, discipline, and equipment maintenance before leaving due to personal circumstances.

Teamwork Discipline Punctuality Equipment Maintenance Survival Training