2020 - What a Year!
2020 has been one of the hardest years in recent memory. As a country, we have endured numerous lockdowns, global (and local) travel restrictions, a national switch to working from home and a hit to our economy and job markets.
Moloney Search has also felt the demands of the pandemic. We have had to work hard to keep candidates engaged, help our clients manage search appropriately and support them through the uncertainty that the world is feeling.
Despite all of this, 2020 has been a positive year for Executive Search. The world is slowly recovering and the realisation that the economy and society are not just going to ‘bounce back’ has meant many organisations have pushed forward with their recruitment campaigns at all levels in their business.
Executive Search Success in 2020
This year we are delighted to have worked on many fascinating and challenging campaigns and here are a few highlights:
In our Public Sector Practice we have worked on searches including Board Members for the National Audit Office, the CEO UKSV at The Cabinet Office, NEDs for the UK Atomic Energy Authority (BEIS) and Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons. We have also worked with The Post Office, The Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority, The Attorney General’s Office and the Ministry of Defence on a number of senior appointments.
Our Commercial Practice has also had a busy year. We have been working closely with a number of FTSE 100 and 250 companies in the infrastructure and FMCG arenas and enjoyed working with growing businesses like Homeserve who have recently entered the FTSE 100. Alongside this, we have also worked with some exceptional CEOs in PE backed businesses (KKR and Bain Capital) helping them build their commercial teams to power their growth and transformation agendas.
Our International Practice is renowned for placements in difficult and unusual locations, and this year has been business as usual for the team. We have worked on interesting International assignments across Europe as well as working in locations as diverse as Kazakhstan, China, Saudi Arabia, Panama and East Africa.
Our Financial Services Practice has also had a strong year working with clients in both the Banking and Regulatory Sector. We have continued to work closely with The Bank of England and the FCA as well as making numerous appointments with large International Banks, Investment Trusts and Payments organisations.
Our Academic Practice had an exciting year and we worked on both Executive and Non-Executive appointments up and down the country. We were delighted to work on the appointment of the new President of Magdalen College, Oxford. We have placed over 20 Heads of Houses and are always honoured to help these institutions identify their new stewards.
Other Headline News
Continuing our Graduate Recruitment
2020 marked our 26th year and we made the brave decision that despite the global pandemic we would push ahead with our graduate recruitment programme. We have just hired our newest intake of researchers, who we are delighted to welcome to the team as soon as the Tier 4 restrictions in London are lifted. Over the past 26 years we have recruited and trained over 320 individuals who have gone on to prosper both within and outside of the Search industry and we are very proud of their successes.
Interview Series
We took the initial stillness of the summer to kick off a series of interviews with senior individuals covering topics such as risk management, tech and competition, running an Oxbridge College and what it is like to be the Chair of a major Public Regulator.
Supporting Candidates
We also took the time to support our candidates and job seekers by releasing a ‘how to’ guide for job seekers, which looks at how to get the most out of Executive Search and what to expect as a candidate in a search process. We also shared CV advice and our thoughts on how to remain productive whilst homeworking.
Innovations in Psychometric Testing
2020 also saw the launch of the new Cambridge Code website and The Cambridge Code career tool which has been developed by our sister company in conjunction with Cambridge University.
This has been a run-away success with our corporate partners and we are excited to announce that The Cambridge Code is now available to individuals as a way to acquire an extra lens on their career. If you wish to experience The Cambridge Code yourself then please click here.
The Cambridge Code, which has been covered in The Telegraph and Forbes is an innovative assessment tool that allows you to explore your own subconscious world for the first time. It gives you unprecedented insight into your psychological profile looking at areas such as drive, potential, leadership and robustness.
Diversity in Executive Search
Moloney Search is not just a search firm, we are champions of Diversity and Inclusion within business and work tirelessly to help clients ensure they grow and develop their D&I agendas. In 2020, we took part in a number of roundtable discussions that focused on diversity in recruitment with the Crown Commercial Service and we recently released our 2020 D&I survey looking at some key areas including:
- Is the diversity pool shallow or are there hidden depths, especially when it comes to looking at BAME candidates?
- The D&I fundamentalists – radical solutions to an age-old problem?
- Diversity but not inclusion.
- Do you see us? The D&I agenda for disabled individuals.
Headline figures show that 74% of respondents felt there are still obstacles holding back diverse individuals and 66% were dissatisfied with the lack of diversity presented to them by search firms. If you wish to read the full report then follow this link.
Looking to 2021
Overall, 2020 has been a difficult year for everyone. Businesses have suffered and the way we socialise, travel and relax have been fundamentally altered. Furthermore, we have no timeline for areturn to normality. However, we will continue to strive for success, help our partners and clients find the best talent for their organisations whilst ensuring our candidates feel well looked after and cared for despite the uncertainly that clouds us all.
We look forward to staying in touch this year and best wishes from all the team at Moloney Search.