The Challenge
Act as a strategic executive recruitment partner for a rapidly-growing consumer business, Faith in Nature.
Faith in Nature operates in the dynamic high-growth ‘Free-from’ product area. Since its inception in 1974, the Manchester-based company has been committed to a belief that “…the best companies could be ethical. That natural could be affordable.”
CEO, Joy Parkinson, appointed Drayton to partner with the business and forge a strategic relationship that offers long-term support in the area of senior executive recruitment.
Search Strategy
The most important element of our approach is the deep understanding we have developed of the company’s culture.
Faith in Nature want a recruitment partner who understands in forensic detail the challenges they face, as the business accelerates up a steep growth curve. Someone who has an instinctive feel for the type of leader who can work in a high growth business and cope with dynamic change on a day-to-day basis, whilst still driving it forward.
Individuals are rare who can transfer from a major FMCG corporate – a Unilever or a P&G for example – and bring the kind of skill-set that will develop Faith in Nature whilst still fitting perfectly into its agile business culture and entrepreneurial ethos.
Senior positions at the company attract a lot of attention from candidates – many talented people in FMCG are interested in joining this kind of business and the prospect of playing a leadership role in an exciting journey. It is therefore relatively straightforward to find strong candidates with strong CVs, but very challenging to find exactly the right person. It’s all about looking beyond the CV – constantly having Faith in Nature’s culture in mind – to identify those few truly exceptional individuals.
Outcome
As just one example, Drayton recently supported Faith in Nature with the appointment of a new Head of Marketing, Hannah Whittaker. Hannah has been instrumental in growing the mainstream visibility of the brand and as a result has justificably been promoted to Marketing Director.