Tag Archives: people

News, Thought Leadership

2023 Prediction: Employees at the heart of progress

Written by Eimear Gunn, UKI Digital Workplace Services (DWS) Practice Leader, Kyndryl

Businesses around the world are about to enter a period of rewiring quite unlike anything we’ve seen in recent decades. The suddenness and sweepingness of the priorities realignment that the pandemic triggered means that, going into what is likely to be a significant global recession, businesses sit at a decision-making crossroads around how they rebuild themselves into a stronger, more inclusive, more resilient form.

Major shifts certainly happened in the decades prior to the pandemic – not least the emergence of endemic information technology – but there was a sense that we could continuously build on our recently-laid foundations to find new growth. Now, amidst the macro pressures of geopolitics, supply chain shifts, and energy scarcity, alongside changing consumer behaviour and a deepening skills shortage, a more incisive change is called for.

As we make that leap, we will also need ways of measuring and demonstrating success which are fit for purpose. That’s why I think that the employee experience will come further into the spotlight this year as a marker of business success. As we create more efficient, flexible technology infrastructure, it is employees who will know first whether tools and platforms are succeeding.

As we upskill and reskill workforces, it is the workforce that will know first whether we are closing the gap on meeting customer needs. And, in a more connected, more aware, more ethically committed world, it is employees who will know first whether growth-seeking business initiatives are also delivering for workers, communities, and the planet.

Appointments, Creative News, Marketing, PR and SEO, News

Fox + Hare appoints Mark Smith as first Managing Director following period of significant growth

Independent purpose-driven creative consultancy Fox + Hare has appointed Mark Smith as its first ever Managing Director, following a period of significant growth.

Smith joins Fox + Hare bringing with him 28 years of marketing industry experience, with previous roles including Co-Founder and Managing Director at Table 19 (working with clients such as Sky and Carphone Warehouse), Managing Partner at LIDA/M&C Saatchi (working with clients such as RBS/NatWest, The FA and Carnival Cruises) and Managing Director at SevenC3 (with clients including Vitality, Bosch and WW).

In his new role, Smith will work to ensure that Fox + Hare provides an outstanding offering to its growing list of clients. He will focus on winning new business and developing the consultancy’s proposition, and he will also play a pivotal role in Fox + Hare’s plans to expand into international markets including the US and Europe.

In line with the consultancy’s recent B Corp and EcoVadis accreditations, Smith is also tasked with helping its clients drive positive impact as well as delivering against their commercial objectives.

His appointment follows a period of significant growth for Fox + Hare, which has seen it pick up new clients including Britvic Group, easyJet holidays, OneID and Vestiaire Collective, as well as achieving organic growth from its existing client base.

The hire also comes hot on the heels of the appointment of a new leadership team and a rebrand for the consultancy earlier this year.

Smith will report to Craig Hares, Founder, Fox + Hare and will oversee the day-to-day operation of a team of up to 20, initially.

 

Mark Smith, new Managing Director, Fox + Hare, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity to join a fast growing and extremely talented agency that’s focused on purpose driven outcomes that fit today’s society. Fox + Hare is committed to really making a difference in the positive impact space, for both our clients and their customers. I’m thrilled at the prospect of making #ImpactEveryDay, and helping guide the agency to the next stage in its very exciting journey.”

 

Craig Hares, Founder, Fox + Hare, added: “Mark has impressive industry experience, having held senior positions across some exciting agency groups. He also has an incredible thirst for developing people, making positive change, innovation, and doing things differently in business – a passion we both share.

 

“As someone who has already achieved a huge amount in his career, Mark was looking for a new challenge. This newly created role will enable him to be part of an organisation that is making a clear difference to people, planet and businesses.”

 

 

News

IPI receives ‘Best Companies to Work For’ accreditation for second consecutive year

 Company awarded three-star rating in recognition of “world-class” workplace

IPI, the contact centre specialist, today announced that it has been named as one of the Best Companies to Work for 2022, for a second consecutive year. This year IPI has progressed to a three-star rating, the highest accreditation possible, in reflection of its “world-class” workplace engagement practices, an accolade only given to organisations who truly excel.

The Best Companies Accreditation is considered the de facto standard for assessing workplace engagement and IPI’s advancement from a two-star rating in the rankings this year comes after 12 months of continued focus on its people- and purpose-led culture.

“We are hugely proud of what we have achieved in progressing from a two- to a three-star accreditation. It is our exceptional people that make IPI, and the fact that we have achieved this recognition as a result of their feedback makes it even more meaningful for us as an organisation,” said Lisa Fradin, Chief People Officer at IPI.

IPI has launched a number of new people initiatives this year which have included an enhanced focus on wellbeing with the inaugural company Wellness Day focusing on educating everyone on mental and physical wellbeing. Learning and development have also been high on the agenda with monthly workshops and “skill pill” sessions being made available for all. IPI’s charitable work has also continued with employees running a “5k your way” initiative to fundraise for IPI’s charity partner, UK Youth, as well as providing mentoring opportunities to young people to help them progress their careers.

CEO Sat Sanghera and the People Experience team have been at the helm of developing and running learning and development workshops, hosting and leading collaboration roundtables to discuss and explore initiatives such as inclusivity in the workplace and meeting one-on-one with new joiners to welcome them to IPI and introduce them to IPI’s purpose and values.

“Achieving the three-star rating is testament to all the hard work, dedication and focus we have put into creating a purpose- and people-led culture here at IPI,” said Sat Sanghera, CEO at IPI. “I feel humbled, privileged and proud to work with such an exceptional group of people who are focused on fulfilling our purpose of Exceptional Customer Contact and consistently demonstrating our values of succeeding together, aiming higher, and owning it, whilst always evolving. Thank you to the IPI team and to Best Companies for this recognition.”

IPI received its accreditation following a survey of its employees covering eight key workplace factors, including assessments of managers, leadership, the company, personal growth, the wider team, pay/benefits, wellbeing and charitable initiatives.

“IP Integration should be very proud of their achievement, demonstrating world-class levels of engagement. This accreditation is recognition of all they have done to be a best company to work for, and always putting their people first,” said Jonathan Austin, Founder and CEO at Best Companies.

News

Fuse expands senior leadership team to support culture and commercial growth

Fuse, the learning and knowledge platform for enterprise, has today announced the continued expansion of its senior leadership team with two key appointments.

Experienced People Director, Florence Carter, who previously held senior HR roles at technology scaleups, Busuu and Patsnap, joins Fuse as VP of People and assumes responsibility for HR strategy and talent development across the company’s global regions.

Sarah Beech, who joins as Finance Director, has extensive experience in finance management for both blue chip and start-up companies in the telecommunications and retail sectors.

Commenting on the company’s latest senior leadership hires, Fuse CEO, Luke Oubridge, said: “We’re incredibly excited to welcome Florence and Sarah to the Fuse team, at the same time adding to our women in tech leadership roles. Both bring a huge amount of knowledge and industry experience with them, and their combined talent will be key in helping us to further embed our people-centric culture, as well as our readiness for Fuse’s next stage of commercial growth.”

Florence Carter – who assumed her role as VP of People in September this year, commented: “I’m thrilled to be heading up the people function at Fuse – a company that’s leading the way in L&D innovation, and which shares my own passion for enabling people to access learning and continual development. As a remote-first company, building culture and community will be top of my agenda and that’s a challenge I’m very much looking forward to.”

Adding to Carter’s comments, newly appointed Finance Director, Sarah Beech, said: “Fuse is a company at the cutting edge of learning technology. That creates huge potential for growth, and from a finance point of view, a real opportunity to help steer the company’s commercial growth, ensuring that we stay on track to achieving our ambitious growth plans. That’s an exciting opportunity and I’m very pleased to be joining at a pivotal stage in that journey.”

Appointments, Creative News, News

Art of the Possible bolsters digital credentials with appointment of Alex Pollock as Digital Media Director

Creative agency Art of the Possible has bolstered its digital credentials with the appointment of Alex Pollock to the newly created role of Digital Media Director, following a period of rapid growth.

Pollock joins Art of the Possible after nearly seven years as an independent digital consultant working across multiple brands, including Pernod Ricard, Park Hyatt, GlaxoSmithKline and Mont Blanc.

In his new role at Art of the Possible, Pollock will lead the agency’s digital capability, ensuring that its client work makes an impact through the entire digital ecosystem. He will also work to upskill the wider Art of the Possible team and help to drive new business.

With more than thirteen years of global digital experience, Pollock has expertise across social media, paid media, digital marketing and community management. He has worked both client- and agency-side, holding positions at Havas, Carphone Warehouse, BP and PRS for Music, amongst others.

Pollock is also a board member at Swindon Town FC’s Supporters Trust, and co-founder and director of Men’s Mental Health Swindon, a local creative initiative aiming to reduce the stigma attached to mental ill-health and improve mental fitness.

His appointment follows a number of new account wins for growing independent agency Art of the Possible, which has picked up new clients including Re-Fashion, Malfy Gin and Plymouth Gin in the last year.

Pollock will report to Art of the Possible’s Managing Director, Kat Patterson.

 

Alex Pollock, new Digital Media Director, Art of the Possible, said: “Having spent the last seven years building my business and working with multiple clients, I felt the time was right to take a step up into a leadership position where my experience and knowledge could add value to a growing agency. This new role at Art of the Possible is the perfect fit, and it also gives me the opportunity to work alongside a fantastic team!”

 

Kat Patterson, Managing Director, Art of the Possible, added: “It has taken us quite some time to find the right person to take our digital capabilities to the next level, but as soon as we met Alex, we knew what an exceptional difference he could make to Art of the Possible. Our strategy and creative work are already making waves in the industry, and now we have a very special individual joining us who can service our clients in a whole new way. Alex is incredibly smart and the most efficient person I’ve ever met, plus he really cares about people – something which is so important to us as an agency.”

Business Advice, News

How to manage a growing business in uncertain times

With the furlough scheme ending and economic recovery in sight, many businesses still face an uncertain future. Tony Machin, CEO of TrustID, shares his key learnings on maintaining a growing business in times of change.

The importance of long-term planning

There’s always a danger, when looking back on a particular set of circumstances, of falling into the classic business error of focusing on the tactical response. It’s true that to run a successful business you need to prepare for challenges. But firstly, you don’t know what the next challenge will be, and, secondly, there’s rarely a one-size fits all solution to any given challenge. Different sectors and businesses will always be affected in different ways.

For me, the underpinning principle of growing a business is to get the fundamentals right. Having grown organisations in many countries, I’ve learned that the real challenge is in embedding those principals into the business and building a long-term strategy – not in responding tactically to short term problems.

The pillars for growing a successful business will vary for different business models and sectors – but for TrustID they are good products, good operational delivery, and credibility.

These three pillars are themselves built on three key foundations: people, culture, and technology. Why? Because you can’t create good products without good technology and good developers, and you can’t achieve good operational delivery, or gain credibility, without great people operating within the right culture.

In short, my advice on how to maintain business growth in uncertain times is to make sure you have good people behaving and operating the right way, supported by great technology. The two main challenges, then, are: to recruit, retain, develop, and maintain company culture when the business is growing through a changing environment, and to rapidly evolve technology to meet current circumstances.

Maintaining the culture

TrustID is a mid-sized (but fast-growing) company with an entrepreneurial outlook. We’re highly dependent on our team, so it’s important to create an enjoyable place to work where everybody feels that they are valued.

There’s no question that it’s hard to recruit the right people and that there’s a lot of competition for skilled workers – so it’s worth putting in the effort to retain them. Developers are a particularly interesting group to recruit for. Typically, they’ll join a company, work on project, and then look elsewhere. But we work hard on retention because they build such intimate knowledge of our products.

Our strategy for retaining developers is simply to make sure the work they’re doing is interesting, and to reward them fairly. We also give them visibility of where the business is developing over the next two to three years. If they can see that they are in an exciting sector that is growing, they are more likely to stay.

It’s also important to hire people that fit in with the company culture. Staff need to buy into what TrustID is trying to do from day one. For example, we don’t look for salespeople who are highly focused and driven by commission. They may be right for another business – one that’s purely focused on rapid growth – but not for TrustID. We look for people who will only recommend products that are right for the client – and offering high commission won’t always achieve that.

Another way to maintain company culture is to invest in the staff that you have. Over the last 8 years, Trust ID has grown from a start up with just two or three people, to a mid-sized business with 35 people and counting. We’ve mentored the people that have joined the company during this time, given them scope to develop, and provided the opportunity for career progression. And of course, we pay and reward them well.

I also think it’s important to have a clear sense of purpose that everyone can buy into. At TrustID, we detect and deter crime. Through our Right to Work (RtW) service, we prevent people from working illegally, thereby safeguarding an organisation’s staff, its clients, and the public. And through our Know Your Customer (KYC) checks, we help businesses avoid unintentionally supporting terrorism through money-laundering and protect them from fraud. That’s something that our staff can understand – and gives them the knowledge and satisfaction that they’re doing important work.

Culture is central to another important pillar, credibility – because in a sector like ours, without credibility, however good your products and service delivery are, you’re not going to grow your business. At TrustID we’ve built credibility by investing in the training and development of our staff to create a knowledge centre for our clients, and by being very active in our interaction with those government agencies that require identity documents to be checked. We are also one of the few organisations in our sector that is able and willing to share our fake document detection intelligence with appropriate authorities – something that sets us apart from many of our competitors and helps raise our profile. In short, we have become the trusted experts in our field – and that gives us the all-important credibility we need.

Delivering the right technology

Good product is one of our three pillars for growing a successful business – and as a tech company, we need to make sure that we’re always delivering the right technology at the right time for our customer.

When TrustID first began offering identity checking services, most of our clients were using purpose-built scanners to check original documents face-to-face. However, we quickly realised that these scanners weren’t suitable for every organisation’s processes, so we evolved a suite of cloud products, enabling them to access our services remotely. We now offer a flexible suite of office- and cloud-based products, all based around the core principle of identity. Customers can pick and choose the access method and level of validation they want – whether that’s a straightforward document check, facial recognition for greater security, address verification, or PEPs and Sanction checks to meet KYC and AML regulations.

Thanks to our cloud-based solutions we were already in a great position at the start of the pandemic because clients were able to access our services remotely. But our solutions also put us in a good position to quickly react to the new circumstances.

One thing we did immediately in March 2020 was to develop a Guest Link facility. Our clients were already able to access our services remotely, but the Guest Link enables them to onboard their own customers and staff remotely, too – helping them maintain social distancing. We developed the Guest Link in about six weeks and made it available to all online users at no additional cost.

The key to being able to react to change in this way is to make sure you have the technology and the team in place to help deliver those products when they are needed.

Looking ahead

TrustID is in the fortunate position that there’s no shortage of opportunity in our sector. While there are likely to be changes in compliance legislation in the next few years – and these may affect what technology we need and what services our customers require – the need for identity checking won’t go away. So, my challenge, looking ahead is, how do I ensure TrustID picks up the right parts of that opportunity? And I think that’s true for many other businesses too.

Businesses need to be very disciplined about what opportunities they choose to pursue. And the way to make sure you’re in a position to take advantage of those opportunities is to have the right people operating in the right culture, supported by the right technology. Put those foundations down, and add the three pillars of good products, good operational delivery, and credibility, and you’ll have a solid recipe for success.

Appointments, News

Armadillo appoints Wunderman Thompson’s Andrew Terry as Head of Strategy

Bristol-based CRM agency, Armadillo, has named Wunderman Thompson’s Andrew Terry as new Head of Strategy. Terry will work across its big-name brands including McDonald’s, Disney and Carnival UK.  

Andrew Terry brings with him a rich history of work in the marketing and advertising industries. Most recently Data Strategy Director at Wunderman Thompson, Terry spent three years working across Shell Drivers’ Club globally, and two subsequent years on its multi-million-pound BT account.  

At Wunderman Thompson, Terry trained up the global team and worked across a wide range of different international markets, optimising the model to be as efficient as possible. Always starting with the question ‘How do we understand customers better?’, Terry was responsible for using data to inform personalisation and measurement; loyalty and membership benefits being at the forefront of his role.  

With in-depth knowledge of data acquisition and optimisation, social and digital data strategies and CRM data optimisation, Andrew Terry’s career has spanned the B2B and B2C sectors, with a firm focus on driving excellent ROI.  

Previous roles also included Data and Marketing Specialist at Newsquest, the UK’s second largest publisher of local media, in which Terry worked with internal and external data to support the centralised recruitment ad sales process and deliver business intelligence garnered from transactional information from both regional and economic trends. 

As Head of Strategy, Andrew Terry will work across all Armadillo accounts with a focus on putting data at the heart of decisions made for customers, using data creatively to change customer behaviour and deliver unrivalled ROI; reaching the right people, the right way at the right time. Keen to involve each part of the agency in achieving this, Terry will ensure results are used to feed back into strategy for maximum effect.  

Armadillo CEO, James Ray, comments: “With the rapid growth trajectory of Armadillo, we value outstanding strategy at the heart of all of our campaigns. From the moment we met Andrew we were blown away by his passion and enthusiasm for results-driven strategy. His vast experience and knowledge were exactly what we were looking for and we’re thrilled to welcome him to the team.” 

Andrew Terry adds: “The people at Armadillo are very, very good at what they do. Their long-lasting relationships with big-name clients are a fantastic indication of just how strong they and their operations really are. It’s an incredibly exciting time to be joining the agency.  

“Like most of the UK over the last 18 months I’ve established a relationship with more new brands than ever before & this presents a huge opportunity for brands entering the CRM space.  CRM is a big, big world but Armadillo is at the forefront. They have the unique ability to pull people together and form teams around the client with remarkable pace and effectiveness. Armadillo is a fantastic blend of passion and enthusiasm; skill and talent and I can’t wait to dive in.” 

News

Fluent Commerce appoints Alex Pusenjak as Global Head of People

Fluent Commerce, the global distributed order management platform for omni-channel retail, has announced that Alex Pusenjak has joined the team as Global Head of People. Pusenjak will be focused on building and rolling out a robust People strategy for the next phase of the company’s growth.

Fluent Commerce is headquartered in Sydney but has growing teams in Europe and North America. The company works with global and regional brands such as JD Sports, GrandVision, Aldo, eBay, Target and Marks & Spencer.

In his most recent role, Pusenjak oversaw the human resources function across Asia Pacific for Datto, a leading provider of cloud-based software and security solutions purpose-built for delivery by managed service providers.

Pusenjak says he is excited about the opportunity to join the Fluent Commerce team: “I’m thrilled to be joining Fluent Commerce at a time of rapid growth. Our greatest asset is our phenomenal global workforce and I’m looking forward to helping them further establish Fluent as the leading cloud-based order management provider in the Asia Pacific region, as well as our growth markets in EMEA and North America for years to come.”

Pusenjak brings over 10 years of human resources leadership experience to his new role at Fluent Commerce where his focus will be to create a world-class onboarding experience, develop a career model framework across the business and implement a competitive global benefits program. 

“We’ve worked hard to build a great culture here at Fluent Commerce, but now is the time to invest in a People Strategy that includes employee engagement and enablement, career development and diversity equality and inclusion, to support us as we scale. Alex brings an incredible amount of people experience to Fluent Commerce, and his breadth of knowledge and infectious enthusiasm will help guide our growth and enrich our company culture,” said Graham Jackson, CEO, Fluent Commerce.

In 2019 Fluent Commerce raised $33 million in a Series B fund round from U.S. growth equity firm Arrowroot Capital. Fluent Commerce has 15 new starters joining the team in May and is actively hiring for 20 further roles. For more details please visit: https://fluentcommerce.com/careers/ 

Marketing, PR and SEO, News

Waste appoints We Are Social’s Brett Phipps to build newsroom function

Independent creative agency Waste has announced the appointment of Brett Phipps to the newly created role of Senior Editor, as it seeks to build a newsroom function for entertainment clients as part of its fan-first offering.

Phipps joins from We Are Social, where he spent nearly three years as Senior Editor, leading the social media editorial vision for two of Activision’s biggest gaming franchises, Call of Duty and Destiny, across 12 international markets.

In his new role at Waste, Phipps will build a newsroom function in order to help clients better understand and react to conversations about their brands online, with an initial focus on the Supercell account. The new function will enable brands to spot and act on real-time opportunities to join the conversations that matter to their target audiences.

Phipps will report to Alistair Campbell, who joined Waste as Executive Creative Director in May 2020.

With in-depth expertise of the gaming sector and experience across content and community management, social media and SEO, Phipps was previously the Games and SEO Editor at the Time Inc-owned Trusted Reviews. He has also held positions at The Independent and Pro-G Media.

Brett Phipps, new Senior Editor, Waste, said: “I’m incredibly excited to be joining Waste, a company with a fantastic client list with a huge passion for gaming. The work the team has delivered over the past year has been nothing short of inspiring, and something I knew I had to be involved with.
“I hope that my experience within the games industry, coupled with my passion for community building and social listening, will be an asset to the team. I cannot wait to get started!”

Alistair Campbell, Executive Creative Director, Waste, added: “We’re always looking to introduce new skillsets in order to expand and supercharge our offering for clients. Our newsroom function will enable us to help brands tap into relevant conversations online, creating high quality content at breakneck speed.

“Brett not only brings incredible knowledge of gaming, but also invaluable experience and a proven track record in leading social media and community management for major brands. We’re really excited to see the results he can drive for our clients.”

Marketing, PR and SEO, News

Havas Media Manchester appoints Carat’s James Reddington as Managing Partner

Havas Media Manchester has announced the appointment of James Reddington to the newly created role of Managing Partner.

Reddington joins the agency following nearly 24 years at Carat Manchester, where he was Group Business Director, overseeing clients including Barratt Homes, Manchester Airport Group and Greggs.

In his new role, Reddington will provide additional client leadership across the agency’s BBC business, ensuring the continued delivery of best-in-class planning and client service.

He will report to Stuart Lunn, Managing Director, Havas Media Manchester, and will lead a team of 12 people.

Stuart Lunn said: “James is someone I’ve known and admired for a long time, who is also very well regarded in the industry. He brings a deep understanding of what it takes to deliver top-class servicing, as well as being a great cultural fit for us as someone who wants to make a meaningful difference to our clients’ business, and our own.

“I’m excited to see him join Havas Media Manchester, in what is a further demonstration of our appetite for and commitment to disrupting the media landscape in the region.”

James Reddington, new Managing Partner, said: “The opportunity to help grow Havas Media Manchester and to support on the BBC business is exactly the sort of challenge I was looking for after nearly 24 years in my previous role.

“We can offer clients the best of both worlds – the agility you’d usually associate with a small agency and the backing of one of the most respected networks in the UK. I can’t wait to get started.”