I would like to think I am a more relaxed leader than I was twenty years ago and find it easier to relinquish control to let others flourish. Ultimately, my colleagues are the only ones who can tell you if that is correct! How has the UK recruitment sector developed over the course of your career, and what do you predict the future might hold? The recruitment sector has developed and evolved like all other industries since I first entered the sector. Companies have become far slicker at purchasing HR and staffing services and are far savvier at gaining the best price for the optimum service. I think we have seen an evolution from a point where even the biggest companies procured recruitment services in an ad hoc manner that allowed recruitment agencies to charge high margins without control or regulation. We then moved into a period where cost became everything and those services were procured at the lowest possible price – I think this meant that companies were sometimes focused on price reduction at the cost-of-service levels. Latterly, companies have managed to find a balance between searching for optimum price whilst also demanding the highest standards of service and compliance. This has sorted the wheat from the chaff and as a result I believe the recruitment sector is far slicker and more professional than ever before. Companies like Neuven have been at the forefront of this evolution as they ensure that prices are fair, that workers are provided in a compliant way and that all responsibilities to the end worker are adhered to rigidly. Our services have been key in helping to shape the way the sector currently operates. By implementing our technology, companies have been able to gain transparency over the way they are being charged. This has helped eradicate unjustly high agency margins and helped provide robust and streamlined management reporting. As the sector has developed, our clients have become more focused on compliance and quality. Whereas our original pitch to our clients would have mainly been about cost-saving, now we are expected to explain how our solutions can help in ensuring proper process is followed in the recruitment of workers and that a robust electronic audit trail is available, so all actions are easy to reference and validate at the flick of a button. Although making savings and gaining the best value for money will always remain vitally important, I am convinced that companies like Neuven will be required to support this push towards protection and compliance. Clients are also expecting to be offered a far more layered service with a push to a greater recruitment process outsourcing solutions (RPO). Quite rightly, organisations want technology to link all the platforms they use and take the strain of procuring and the ongoing management and effective deployment of workers. In what ways are you tapping into these trends at Neuven? At Neuven Group, we are determined not only to ensure that we are on top of the key trends in the staffing sector, but to set the trend and be trailblazers. Neuven Solutions are currently investing millions of pounds into our technology platforms and we are incredibly excited at the impact they are certain to have. I truly believe they will be disruptive in their impact and will set the bar even higher. We know our clients want us to go deeper into the sourcing, recruitment and management of non-permanent staff, both direct and through agency providers, so our upgraded platforms will do exactly that and will be incredibly intuitive and flexible whilst being a major support in managing all types of talent pools. Additionally, compliance and accountability are becoming more and more important. This has seen Neuven Consult develop several new service models, including Bid Management and Training alongside our traditional Audit function. This allows us to prove employers with real comfort and reassurance. It is vitally important that someone being supplied into an intensive care theatre is fully qualified and has had all experience and qualifications ratified correctly. “The day you stop being motivated to deliver excellence to your clients, then it is time to stop.” CEO Today Global Awards 2024 - UNITED KINGDOM - - 36 -
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