Recruiter HOT 100 2014
Avoiding the temptation to cut investment in people, office space, infrastructure and the work environment during the difficult times, and a commitment to look beyond the short term has also paid off, says Morgan. “I would say we live in the short term but our eye is on the medium term. There is no magic wand. It is about common sense and being sensible.” Previous Recruiter HOT 100 rankings: 2013 (3), 2012 (4), 2011 (71), 2010 (4), 2009 (1)
Mayday Healthcare (No 8 in 2014) A strong work ethic, and a proactive and sales-oriented approach driven by highly motivated, well-incentivised and “hungry” staff lie behind nurse recruiter Mayday Healthcare’s five top 10 HOT 100 appearances in the past six years, according to Nick Poturicich, managing director of Mayday Group. “We have a time-and-a-half work ethic; that was probably the biggest factor in our success,” says Poturicich, who with business partner and fellow managing director Charles Safapour founded Mayday Healthcare in 2003. The standard working week is 50 hours, but staff often work six days a week, and sometimes even Christmas Day and Boxing Day. The company prefers to recruit staff new to the industry and train them to do things in the Mayday way. “Experience is not important to us; it is all about attitude and motivation,” says Poturicich. “It’s not a big secret. We have a set way of doing things that works, but the most important point is we incentivise and reward our staff.” This approach is augmented by a long-standing senior management team, who train their staff “in their own mould”. After briefly diversifying into supplying other health staff, the company decided to stick to what it does best, which is to supply nurses. Previous Recruiter HOT 100 rankings: 2013 (9), 2012 (11), 2011 (7), 2010 (3), 2009 (4)
Raj Tulsiani: not just talking about diversity but making a difference through thoughtful application
Green Park Interim & Executive (No 9 in 2014) Sticking to its core values and principles has been a key factor in Green Park Interim & Executive’s success, says Raj Tulsiani, chief executive and co-founder of the company that has been a top 10 HOT 100 performer in each of the last four years. “Our values are passion, sustainability, quality and innovation. We want to be in a business that doesn’t just talk about diversity but works hard to make a difference to the performance of the businesses we work with through its thoughtful application,” he says. “We have used these principles as a compass to guide us, and without them we would have been in trouble and not on this prestigious list.” This adherence to values has meant making some tough decisions, including parting company with some good people who didn’t fit the company’s DNA. And it has meant listening to the firm’s customers rather than going down a path that the management thought was right for the business. “What customers wanted from us was an evidence-based challenger brand to give them a better choice of candidates,” Tulsiani says, “and not just a choice of the ‘usual suspects’ their tier-one firms would have provided.” Previous Recruiter HOT 100 rankings: 2013 (4), 2012 (3), 2011 (2)
According to joint chief executive Guy Townsend, the company’s reaction to the credit crunch was crucial. “We didn’t simply cut people – we did the opposite, and we kept all our major fee-earners,” he says. This allowed the company to steal a march on its competitors, which cut staff. And as activity has picked up, the company has been able to reap the benefits of retaining those experienced and productive staff, says David Craig, Townsend’s fellow joint chief executive. Both Townsend and Craig keep their hands in by billing. This has meant they have kept their eye on the money and efficiencies from the front line without taking on the potential distractions of opening international offices or venturing into new sector disciplines that they would have had to have learnt. Staff are incentivised, not just by being paid well, but because almost everyone has some form of equity in the business. “We give them a suitable grown-up environment to work in. The culture is strong. There are great client and candidate relationships, and the work is very highquality,” Townsend adds. “It just makes the whole thing viable long term.” Previous Recruiter HOT 100 rankings: 2013 (21), 2012 (6), 2011 (4), 2010 (10), 2009 (5)
Walker Hamill (No 17 in 2014)
Nick Poturicich and Charles Safapour: rewards are key
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RECRUITER
NOVEMBER 2014
2014 1-14 Hot 100 complete editorial.indd 14
Even during the height of the recession that hit its core client base, Walker Hamill maintained a top 10 position in the HOT 100, and this year it was once again the top-ranked specialist finance recruiter.
Guy Townsend and David Craig: retaining fee-earners
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31/10/2014 11:21