A recruitment company that has consistently featured in the UK's best performing business charts has changed

its name and opened a new division.

Capital Software, of Burgess Hill, which for 18 years has provided information technology contractors to the aerospace, telecoms and defence industries, is now Capital International HR Solutions.

The firm, which has a staff of 43, has appointed human resources expert Julie Lord to head its new executive recruitment division.

Chief executive Karen Silk, a former Sussex Business Woman of the Year, who founded the firm in room above a shop in Hurstpierpoint in 1983, said the new division was in response to customer demand.

She said: "Reacting to customer demand and satisfying the needs of clients and contractors alike has enabled us to grow. When we started, we were a niche player, supplying information technology contract staff to clients in the UK.

"Today we are a multi-

million pound organisation with and enviable reputation in the UK and abroad. Over the years, the company ethos of giving the clients what they need has stayed the same. Years of expertise and success with this fundamental principle are the key factors behind our success."

Last year, the company enjoyed its most successful trading period since it was founded but a slight slowdown since November has given it time to look at the market.

Research among leading Sussex employers showed the company was on the right track and clients wanted to use Capital for all their recruitment needs, not only information technology.

Mrs Silk said the executive recruitment division would concentrate on the South-East initially and be rolled out nationwide later this year.

She said: "We have opened the door to a new era at Capital."