Leadership Insights
The importance of employer branding & business as a force for good
The UK job market remains resilient despite rising Brexit uncertainty, with faster than expected earnings growth and the lowest unemployment rate in decades. ONS has the current UK unemployment rate at 3.8 per cent, the lowest since 1974, while the share of those in employment remained close to a record high. Simon Walton, Head of Berwick Partners’ Consumer Practice, explains how the importance of strong, attractive and relevant ‘Employer Brand’ is more essential than ever before; especially within the talent scarce UK marketplace, where high calibre individuals are assessing potential future employers on much more than their offer of an attractive salary and remuneration package.
Categories: Consumer & FMCG Recruitment
The future talent shortage within the Procurement industry
The talent shortage and talent management were again major topics of discussion at the World Procurement Congress in May. Yet, these are not new topics. The fact that this subject remains on the agenda for most leadership teams is what makes it more alarming. A 2018 CIPS survey found that 56% of employers are struggling to find talent, with this figure rocketing to 73% for senior leadership and executive positions, according to DHL. Tom Graham, a consultant in Berwick Partners’ Procurement and Supply Chain practice, investigates the reasons why this gap exists; why is there such a disconnect between what a business wants and what we think is available; and on whom is the onus to improve this?
Categories: Procurement & Supply Chain Recruitment
Katie Hart, a Consultant in Berwick Partners’ Consumer & Retail Practice, recently hosted an event on ‘The Role of Purpose in Business’. A CEO of a small consumer goods business asked the question ‘How do I get my stakeholders and investors to see the value of Purpose, when ultimately their focus is the bottom line and growing shareholder value?’ The conversation around the table of CEOs from FMCG businesses of various sizes quickly turned to talent value, and that the angle for convincing investors of the importance of Purpose should be talent, as Katie explains.
Categories: Retail Recruitment
Consumers are increasingly looking for more personal, community-orientated shopping experiences, with a recent IRI survey highlighting that over 50 per cent of UK customers prefer to shop local. While 10 years ago this meant visiting the 7-11 corner shop, a high street butcher or your local fashion store, the revolution of retail and technology has given ‘local’ a whole new meaning and depth. Today’s more demanding and savvy breed of shopper expects retailers to go the extra mile on consumer experience, tailoring offers to meet local needs.
Categories: Retail Recruitment
The future of urban mobility: Navigating the trends enabling transport innovation
Zaid Gulraiz, a Senior Research in Berwick Partners’ Manufacturing and Engineering practice, explains how carmakers globally are currently facing an array of challenges, from slackening demand in China to stricter controls on emissions. Regulatory challenges, economic uncertainty and tariffs on trade are driving a dramatic shift towards strategic alliances and joint ventures between OEMs. Despite a drop in M&A activity from 2018 which saw a record 20 megadeals, experts believe the competition for emerging technologies will continue to drive acquisitions in the automotive space in 2019. Successful executives will need to learn to co-exist in an increasingly complex ecosystem, whilst working closely with key competitors.
Categories: Manufacturing & Engineering Recruitment
Protecting people assets: beginning of the end for presenteeism?
Nowhere is the divergence in attitude across the 3 or 4 generations we see in today’s workforce more acutely evident than in the area of ‘presenteeism’. Most employers are aware of the age-old problem of ‘absenteeism’ and have the measures in place to manage and support employees who are absent. Richard Love, Managing Director of Berwick Partners explains how most employers, they are unaware of the impacts of a growing trend; ‘Presenteeism’.
Promoting diversity within the bio-medical sector: Part 2 (Odgers Berndtson)
Why aren’t there more female leaders in bio-medicine organisations? In the final chapter of this two-part interview, Anne van Herwijnen, a Partner in our Life Sciences Practice, continues the conversation on promoting diversity within the bio-medical sector with Ada Kruisbeek, founder and CSO at DCprime and Karin Klijn, Professor and Chair of Neurology at the Radboud University Medical Center
Categories: Life Sciences Recruitment
The Route to CFO: Career Advice from Chief Financial Officers
Amy Parkinson, Principal Consultant and financial leadership specialist at Berwick Partners collaborated with Odgers Berndtson to support aspiring CFOs and finance leaders in navigating the next step in their career. Together, we sought the opinions of sixty established Chief Financial Officers, asking their advice for aspiring CFOs.
Categories: Finance Recruitment
Customer Service: Changing the face of Housing Associations
In a sector where customers can’t always choose their provider, housing associations have often come under fire for their customer service levels. Berwick Partners’ Social Housing Consultant, Tom Neely, discussed Orbit Group’s changing approach to customer experience with their Group Customer Services Director, Paul Richards.
Categories: Housing Recruitment, Real Estate Recruitment
The importance of the 'Employer Brand' in attracting the best talent
With the Higher Education sector facing continued challenges while the competition for world-leading talent increases, Berwick Partners' Gin Bhandal and Alex Albone attended the annual Universities HR Conference to explain the importance of Employer Branding when universities are looking to recruit.
Categories: Education Recruitment, Human Resources Recruitment