Recruiting A New Senior Leader: Exec Search
October 19, 2023
Recruiting A New Senior Leader: Exec Search
Paul Jayson and his team at Barnett Waddingham were looking to expand their governance offering from the pensions space into the corporate world.
To do this, they needed a figurehead to help them create the solution and take it to market.
We were retained on this assignment as it was important to Paul that a) the messaging was consistent to the market through out b) they were engaged with a recruiter who understood commercial sensitivities and could manage them and c) was on hand to help set, implement and carry out the strategy.
To complete this assignment we:
- Conducted a thorough fact find to understand exactly what Paul and the team were after (which covered traits, experience and culture fit)
- Created bespoke marketing material which communicated their EVP (employee value proposition). It was important it balanced providing interested individuals with enough information whilst protecting confidentiality
- Mapped the entire market across the locations being considered
- Approached the market
- Completed a thorough technical, trait and skill vet before providing a shortlist to Paul & his team
- Supported the 3 stage interview process (which included two stages that had BW board members on it)
- Helped with creating an offer which was attractive to both parties
- Assisted with the onboarding paperwork and processes to ensure they are all completed
Project Timeline:
Time to first interview: 6 weeks
A 3 stage interview process: 5 weeks
Offer to resignation: 2 weeks
A reduced notice period: 8 weeks
Total Assignment length: 21 weeks
We caught up with Paul Jayson to get his thoughts on Zatori.
"We’ve worked with Zatori on several assignments. Their approach is to fully understand the brief and the wider business objectives so they can put together solutions that are more than just filling roles. We worked closely with Martin on this one, he definitely takes a consultative approach which is something I’ve not found to be common in his sector."
One thing has become crystal clear: pensions recruitment isn’t just a challenge, it’s a constant strain.
At Zatori Consulting, we are often asked what our core activity is and the answer is simple, we exist to help businesses build brilliant teams in the pensions and wealth management sectors through strategic, targeted recruitment and talent acquisition. In a recent video , our founder Martin Wigfield summed up our ethos perfectly: “Leaders create plans – but people power them.” This statement underpins everything we do. In both pensions recruitment and wealth management recruitment , ambitious strategies fall flat without the right people to drive them forward. All too often, organisations put together detailed growth or transformation plans, only to overlook the talent strategy needed to bring those plans to life. That’s where Zatori steps in.
I n-house pensions teams tell us they struggle to access the right talent through the dated pensions recruitment agency model who take pensions jobs to market with mixed results. We created a new way for UK pension funds to access top pensions talent.
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Securing niche talent in highly competitive market places is hard. Buck, A Gallagher company, decided they needed a competitive advantage when it came to attracting the best talent to join them. They set us a very simple task, hire 40 high quality, experienced individuals in a niche market over a 2 year period. Working alongside a newly recruited internal recruitment team, we partnered with Buck on their most difficult assignments (there was no low hanging fruit). By engaging us, we were able to dedicate the time they and the assignments needed to gear them for success. This involved: Strategy: Understanding what the current strategy was and using our insights and data analytics to help them optimise their talent strategy Search: We created a whole new suite of recruitment assets that bought to life their employee value proposition and used them to take an evidence based approach to applicant attraction. Selection: Because we had been involved from the beginning, we knew the teams and their requirements inside out. It meant our vet was thorough and against the specific role requirements. This free's up interview time to be spent on in depth technical assessment as well as a two way 'fit' discussion. Onboarding: We worked closely with Buck and their new onboarding processes to ensure the candidate experience was a positive one. This included completing an aftercare discussion with all successful individuals at various stages throughout their first 6 months in the team. As a result of recruiting through our talent subscription Buck went from not being able to attract the volumes they need to making the 40 hires in 18 months (not the 24 they ha d planned). This facilitated their growth allowing them to go and secure more new business faster, driving forward the growth of the practice to new levels.