Twelve months ago to the day we opened our London office and what a year its been. I’ve learnt so much about the city, the operators, the legends who work in them and of course myself.

But before I bang on about learnings, I shall start with talking about the people who made this happen.

Team London. Headed up by the force of nature that is Matthew David Powell, this team have gone from strength to strength. You would be mistaken to think recruitment is easy. The nuances, the language, continuously managing two customers, the intricacies of understanding ‘fit’ and of course being able to genuinely assess high performance is no mean feat. And this team have taken it all in their stride.

Matt, Jack, Oliver, Katie and the subsequent additions of The Simminator and Alanna – this celebration is about you. It really is.

Right , what have I learnt….

The industry is different.

The pace man. Wow. I underestimated this. The processes we created in the north needed to be faster to keep up with the needs of the clients and candidates. Honestly, this is still a battle we face. Being fast, yet sticking to your values without cutting corners will always be at the forefront of our thoughts in London. I’m still shocked that people leave jobs without jobs to go to, but I suppose they just know they can find something quickly.

The perception is deeply engrained.

I’ve always wanted to change the perception of the value recruiters can add. But years of poor experience down here have left operators burnt. It’s hard to convince someone you are different if you are tarred with the same ‘cv flinger’ brush. There are some serious horror stories from candidates and clients and unpicking that perception to convince people you are operating in a totally different playing field is a challenge. The proof is in the pudding I suppose.

A new level of competitors.

On the flip side of the horror, we face a lot more competition down here. There are some bloody great recruiters, with great networks offering a great experience. These are the ones who keep you on your toes. Constant innovation keeps me awake at night, and that feels bigger and more exciting now we have the capital within our portfolio.

In it for the long run.

We have met hundreds of amazing people leaders and operators in the last 12 months. Both employees and employers. Some we are working with on projects with, some we are not. But we are here for the long game. Everything is about nurturing lasting and meaningful relationships – serving the people within the London hospitality scene by adding true value to their day to day. And whether that’s now or in the future, I’m cool with that.

Money talks.

Understandably, London workers hold salary higher up in their drivers than any other city we operate in. This in turn means ‘people culture’ can be lower down that list. It’s how rubbish company’s get people to work for them. It can be frustrating, however, that by potentially fixing a cost-of-living challenge, candidates can create themselves the problem of not being valued. We have known candidates accept offers for a 10% greater salary, ignoring all the people culture red flags. This is the stuff that makes us feel there is a long way to go.

Diversity rocks.

I love how much more diverse the hospitality workforce is in London. Its truly elevates it. The melting point of cultures we see coming through the industry down here just adds so much more flavour. Still a long way to go when it comes to leadership diversity, but we continue to challenge ourselves daily to create diverse, inclusive shortlists. London is the place where this must be modelled.

There you have it. A few musings of our time here.  Having not even scratched the surface in many ways, we have so much to learn and a lot of room to grow. Excitingly, our year two begins with a shiny new office and training space. ‘Office-warming party’ is a thing, right?

Thank you to everyone who has answered our calls, met us for chats, supported us on socials and referred us to others. You are ace. Year one has meant back to start up mode down here, and as a start-up we haven’t always got it right but we will always endeavour to serve others in a meaningful way, hopefully playing a small part in making the industry a better place to work in.