I lead the Group’s internal talent development team, which offers expertise in talent management, consultancy, executive coaching, and psychology.

We work in partnership with the business to offer an agile and bespoke approach to supporting and developing our leaders.

I think it’s quite unique for a recruitment consultancy of our size to have a dedicated talent development function, so for us, it’s a strong drawcard for attracting and retaining talented people. The Group wants people to grow longterm careers with us, and my team helps to do just that.

Every year is different, so we continuously fine-tune our support to keep in rhythm with the business’s needs. Of course, we couldn’t have foreseen the Covid crisis. Overnight, we switched from in-person coaching and training to an entirely remote approach. Fortunately, we were already equipped with the technology and expertise to support our management team from home, so we had the means, but our methods needed to adapt.

We digitalised our frameworks and switched our delivery from in-person training to a series of short virtual sessions. We also implemented remote coaching to help managers navigate the challenges posed by Covid, focusing on areas such as remote management and maintaining personal resilience.

While the value of face-to-face interactions cannot be fully replicated virtually, remote coaching has helped us to broaden our reach. In 2020, we partnered with over 100 managers, providing them with tailored support to help them lead effectively through the pandemic.

I am really proud of what we have achieved. My team’s dedication, adaptability and innovation have been recognised as industry-leading at both Disruptive HR’s #BetterNormalAwards and the 2020 Engage Awards. Further, I am blown away by the commitment demonstrated by our management team — their humility and willingness to be open, honest, and vulnerable in order to enhance their leadership is testament to the strength of our company culture.

It would have been understandable if our leadership team had wanted to focus their attention on other areas in 2020, but, instead, they demonstrated their dedication to developing themselves, their teams, and the business despite the challenges posed by the pandemic.