Pointer Strategy vs Hudson: Sales Recruitment Compared (2026)
Hudson (formerly Morgan & Banks) has been recruiting in Australia for 40 years. Pointer Strategy is a specialist GTM recruiter built by operators. Both place salespeople, but the models, tools, and post-placement support look very different.
If you're deciding between these two agencies for a sales hire, this comparison breaks down what matters: fees, process, assessment quality, and what happens after the offer letter is signed.
For a broader overview of Australia's sales recruitment landscape, see our full agency comparison guide.
Quick Comparison
| Pointer Strategy | Hudson | |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | By operators who've carried quota | 1985 (as Morgan & Banks) |
| Ownership | Private, Australian | Private, Australian (since 2018 MBO) |
| Type | Specialist GTM only | Multi-brand group (14 specialist areas) |
| Fee model | 1.5% of salary/month (pay-on-performance) | 17% flat rate (permanent), retained options |
| When you pay | Monthly while hire performs | On placement or in instalments |
| Guarantee | Billing stops if hire leaves | 3-month replacement (6 months for exec) |
| Assessment | Practitioner-led sales methodology evaluation | Proprietary psychometric testing suite |
| Post-placement | 12 months sales training included | Not included (separate coaching services available) |
| Best for | B2B SaaS, tech GTM teams | Mid-market, professional services, government |
A Bit of History
Understanding where Hudson comes from helps explain how they operate today.
Hudson started as Morgan & Banks in 1985, founded by Andrew Banks and Geoff Morgan in Sydney. They pioneered candidate-centric recruitment in Australia and grew to hold over 1 million resumes (about 8% of the national workforce at the time). They went public in 1995, were acquired by TMP Worldwide in 1999, and eventually became part of Hudson Global (NASDAQ: HSON).
In 2018, the Australian and APAC leadership team completed a management buyout for US$6 million, making Hudson Australia a privately owned, independent business again. They've since reorganised into a "house of specialist brands" including Hudson (core recruitment), Hudson Executive, UpperGround (tech), flexhive (temp staffing), ScaleUp (volume hiring), and HelloMonday (leadership coaching).
Pointer was built by people who've actually done the job they recruit for. The founding team carried quota, built sales teams, and ran revenue functions before starting a recruitment firm. That operator background shapes everything: how candidates are assessed, what's included in a placement, and how success is measured.
The Fee Model
Hudson charges a flat 17% of annual salary for permanent placements. For retained and executive search engagements, the fee is paid in three instalments: one third on assignment acceptance, one third on candidate presentation, and one third on offer acceptance.
For a $150,000 OTE Account Executive, that's approximately $25,500 upfront on a flat rate basis.
Pointer charges 1.5% of salary per month, billed only while the hire is performing. For that same $150K role, that's $2,250 per month. If the hire doesn't work out in month two, billing stops. Total cost: $4,500.
The structural difference: Hudson earns its fee on placement day. Pointer earns its fee over time, contingent on the hire actually working out. This means Pointer has a financial incentive to ensure the hire succeeds beyond the placement, which is why training is included rather than offered as a separate service.
For a deeper dive into how different fee structures work, we've published a separate guide.
Assessment: Psychometrics vs Practitioner Evaluation
This is where Hudson has a genuine differentiator, and it's worth understanding the trade-off.
Hudson has a proprietary psychometric assessment suite developed over 30+ years. They conduct over 10,000 interviews and 4,000+ assessments annually. Their tools include:
These are well-established psychometric tools, and for roles where cognitive ability and personality fit are the primary hiring criteria (think professional services, government, finance), they're valuable.
Pointer takes a different approach. Instead of psychometric testing, Pointer uses practitioner-led evaluation focused specifically on sales competencies. That means assessing:
The trade-off is clear. Hudson's psychometric approach measures general cognitive and personality traits across many role types. Pointer's practitioner approach measures sales-specific skills and performance indicators. For a generalist hire, psychometrics might be more appropriate. For a sales hire who needs to carry quota from day one, practitioner evaluation cuts closer to the bone.
Post-Placement Support
Hudson does not include post-placement training in their standard recruitment fee. However, they do offer related services through their sub-brands:
These are separate, additional services with their own pricing. They're not bundled into a standard permanent placement.
Pointer includes 12 months of sales training and enablement with every placement. That means live coaching, methodology reinforcement (MEDDIC, Challenger, SPIN), peer learning networks, and ongoing performance development. It's not an add-on. It's part of the placement fee.
The difference shows up in ramp time. An AE placed without structured enablement typically takes 6 to 9 months to reach full productivity. With structured training from day one, that drops to 3 to 4 months. Over a $150K OTE role, that's tens of thousands of dollars in accelerated revenue.
The Evotix case study illustrates this well. Three first-time BDRs placed by Pointer ranked #1, #2, and #4 globally within two months. The HazardCo engagement saw 200+ certifications completed across the GTM team. These outcomes don't happen with placement alone.
RPO: Where Hudson Has a Real Advantage
If you're hiring at scale (30+ permanent hires per year), Hudson's Recruitment Process Outsourcing is a genuine strength. They won SEEK's SARA RPO of the Year award in 2023, and their AstraZeneca case study involved 300+ hires with a 50% reduction in time-to-fill.
RPO is a different product from contingency or retained search. It embeds a recruitment team inside your organisation to manage the entire hiring lifecycle. For companies at that scale, it often makes more sense than engaging agencies role by role.
Pointer does not offer RPO. If you need an embedded recruitment function, Hudson (or another RPO provider) is the better fit.
When Hudson Is the Right Choice
Hudson makes sense when:
When Pointer Is the Right Choice
Pointer makes sense when:
The Numbers
| Scenario | Pointer | Hudson |
|---|---|---|
| Hiring a $150K OTE AE | $2,250/month | ~$25,500 upfront (17%) |
| Hire stays 12 months | $27,000 total | $25,500 total |
| Hire leaves at month 3 | $6,750 (billing stops) | $25,500 (3-month replacement search) |
| Hire leaves at month 1 | $2,250 total | $25,500 (replacement search begins) |
| Post-placement training | 12 months included | Separate service (HelloMonday) |
| Psychometric testing | Not included | Proprietary suite included |
| Comp benchmarking | Free tools available | Not included |
Over a full year with a successful hire, Hudson can actually be slightly cheaper on the headline number. The difference is in what happens when things go wrong, and in what's included beyond the placement itself.