2019. I genuinely can’t remember a more interesting year in my working life. Without a doubt, the markets Vertical Advantage operates within have been affected significantly by a stop-start economic backdrop, perforated with changing timelines for a decision on Brexit / the election, etc. Couple the macro-economic situation with changes in regulation, increased advancements in rec-tech and the market dynamics of the consumer space, it has meant this year has been one of the most unpredictable ever in Vertical Advantages 7-year history.
Thankfully we have a weathered the choppy waters of 2019 creating greater niche specialisms within the consumer space by creating a 3rd permanent division, separating E-commerce and Digital from our traditional Sales and Marketing business which is now lead by Siobhan Nutt, a vastly experienced leader who joined us in June. In addition to Siobhan, we have hired some exceptional talent from apprentice to senior manager level & can proudly say that both our business and our leadership team has never been more diverse.
I’m incredibly proud we have embedded our #DONE values further this year and have built a career progression structure, a highly developed PDP model and an evolving EVP we can be proud of. However, these are simply foundations from which Vertical Advantage should build on in the next 12 – 18 months and the team internally are under no illusions that our agenda is very much focused on strong growth within that time period.
What’s next?
I’ve never been a great believer in big predictions however, 2019 saw a marked shift in terms of the talent we attracted to the business and with further hires planned, our expectation is to continue to raise the bar with the talent we bring in to Vertical Advantage. Outside that, we want to do more for our clients, provide them with better data and more outside the box solutions to their traditional hiring problems. 2019 saw Vertical Advantage work more in Europe than ever before and there’s certainly a driver to continue that trend as our blue-chip client base strives for recruitment partners with greater reach.
I’m in awe of what Jo Miller, our Commercial Directors & the Vertical Advantage team has achieved this year commercially and am humbled by some of the exceptionally innovative clients who we have built new, genuine relationships with as well as our long term customer base who have continued to be loyal to us in the face of stiff competition.
Lastly, I’d like to thank the candidate pool we have represented in 2019 – recruitment businesses are under increasing pressure and scrutiny and without you trusting the consultants at Vertical Advantage to help you navigate the next step on your career path, we would not be in the position we’re in today. Having increased our Linked in following by 600% this year and had over 30 positive google reviews (averaging 5 stars!), I’m confident we’re on a good path to continue our journey on an upward trajectory in 2020.
Wishing everyone a very happy new year & let’s hope for a successful, collaborative and peaceful 2020!
All the best,
David
