Since first stepping into the corporate world back in 2005, I have benefited from a variety of roles. My first ‘proper job’ came with a large publishing company in Central London called Centaur Media where for 4 years I was responsible for the delivery of recruitment advertising across one of the firms leading portfolios, The Engineer. As well as working closely with several specialist marketing agencies, I also worked directly with a range of Engineering, Utilities and Manufacturing companies, developing and managing a variety of print and online recruitment campaigns of varying scale.
This was a fantastic introduction into the world of business and I developed skills and experience which has paved the way for the rest of my career. In 2009 I relocated to Bristol and joined an exciting and rapidly growing global recruitment and consulting business. I joined the companies Healthcare division and over the course of 8 years established myself as one of top performing consultants in the company and one of the “go-to” people for Healthcare professionals across the UK. One of my proudest personal achievements during this time was being nominated as one of the Top 12 consultants in the country in two consecutive years (carried out by the Institute of Interim Managers), particularly as this was voted by the Healthcare community so was based on the service I provide, not the profit I have made.
I worked with some fantastic people throughout my career and have built many strong relationships, many of who I am still in touch with and work with today. However, after 13 years working for other people, in March 2018 I made the decision to go out on my own as an independent, specialist resourcing partner to the Health & Care sector.
My vision was simple; to ensure my clients are able to identify the right people for their organisation in the most transparent, cost effective and efficient way possible whilst benefiting from working with a true sector specialist rather than deal with the larger, generic companies that often monopolise the industry but don’t always deliver what’s expected of them.
I have seen, and experienced, too many examples of companies entering the market with too much of an internal focus and such ambitious growth plans that quality, results and ultimately brand soon suffer. For this reason, I have committed to remain a small, independent business focused on putting the customer at the heart of everything I do. With a single point of contact I will ensure quality remains high at all touch points and my clients and associates benefit from a personal 1-2-1 experience that all too often gets lost as companies grow.
The vision and relationships were there so all that was left was to find a name and get the business set up. After several weeks and going through what felt like a hundred options, I settled on XYLEM (Pronounced “Zi-Lum”). The name “Xylem” comes from the vessel within a plant that is essential for conducting water and fundamentally provides the support structure for growth, stability and longevity. This resonated with me immediately as I wanted my business to support those very things across my client’s organisations with the essential component not being water but the people I represent and work with.
I set up Xylem to ensure my clients and associates have a resourcing partner they can come to and rely on time and time again, acting as an extension of their business rather than a separate entity altogether. As things progress I will continue to learn and develop our services to keep in line with the industry and ultimately to provide as much value as possible to those I work with.
Deciding to go out on my own was one of the most difficult decisions I have made, however now having begun this journey and with several clients already choosing to work with me and my company and a growing community of associates, I can safely say it is also one of the best decisions I have made. To those that continue to support and work with me (you know who you are), I am truly thankful and look forward to building on what is already a strong partnership. To those that I haven’t worked with yet, I hope to do so as we close out the year and I get an opportunity to demonstrate the benefits of working with Xylem!