Kick off!
Kick off! This week has been special to me for two reasons. Firstly it’s the start of our new financial year, and secondly it was my first anniversary in the Harvey Nash Group.
I remember very clearly writing my first blog just twelve months ago, talking about how people and culture are so important to us, and during my first board meeting we discussed the possibility of implementing a new CRM for the Harvey Nash business.
We have come a long way this past year. We have found our way through through the pandemic by working together. We have said goodbye to colleagues, welcomed new colleagues in to our lives and been committed to doing a great job for our clients, candidates and contractors. And in two weeks time we are going live with our first implementation of Bullhorn in Spinks.
In the kick offs I have participated in so far I have seen so much to celebrate, so many achievements and recognition of fantastic colleagues.
On Monday I announced our theme for the year ‘Together We Shine’ which will be the golden thread that connects us and our work together across the world and the service lines. This very idea of a theme to bind and connect us came from one of the Senior Management Team virtual round tables last summer.
In the Alumni kick off I was transported (virtually of course) to to an incredibly professional looking studio, where Magnus and Aza were hosts. The first speaker was the uber-cool and engaging CEO of Netlight. We have come a long way in a year regarding the way we connect virtually.
Lily Haake and Dave Savage were the hosts and question masters for the HNTR strategy webinar this week. I was joined by Jan-Leen ‘t Jong and Ronny Lommelen, the Managing Directors of the Netherlands and Belgium businesses where we answered many questions on the strategy of our Harvey Nash recruitment business.
I had a virtual visit with colleagues in Poland too. Meeting new colleagues and learning about our successes in sales and delivery. It’s a joy to join such a wide variety of virtual visits these past weeks. All have been high energy, focused on the many positive things going on in the regions. Nothing energises me more!
We are heading in to a new year with good understanding of what it takes to be successful, even with all the restrictions that the pandemic has brought us. There will inevitably be challenges, every year brings new ones and because we have such smart, agile people I know we will find ways to overcome these. We are hiring across the world and have some fantastic roles to fill. Don’t forget, if you know of great people who could be great Nashers let your Talent / HR teams know.
We want to look out for each other, and continue to be true to our People Promise – creating the ‘moments that matter’ for our colleagues and clients so that each day becomes better than yesterday. I am confident that we can make this the best year yet.
Before I sign off for this week, I want to share with you that I have been to many places this week. I have been diving in the Maldives, diving with great white sharks, snowboarding down Mont Blanc, sat on a sofa in a cabin high in the Alps watching the skiers swish past and all from the safety of my living room! I finally invested in a virtual reality headset and it has been a wonderful great escape.
Despite the fact I am a chicken when it comes to roller coasters I put on the headset and found myself strapped in and about to hurtling around the twists and turns on an epic ride. Guess what, I took the headset off a minute or so in, I am still a chicken when it comes to roller coasters even though I am in my living room at home it felt so real.
Technology has come so far and we are are barely at the beginning of what is possible to change and improve lives. What is truly wonderful is that our work helps make all this possible. To be enabling technologists to join amazing projects, to take on amazing projects ourselves in our solutions businesses is a privilege.
Until next time, keep safe and well.