And that way is officially a winning way. Diversity and inclusivity...it's not lip service...just good business practice on the way to business success.
That’s been the philosophy behind everything that James Carss does.
You’ll have heard of James. He’s one of the region’s most respected Executive Search Recruitment experts, and he believes in recruitment being done the right way….and that way is to make sure senior appointments reflect a company’s customers, community and workforce.
In the space of under twelve months, his company… Castle Peak Group …has been making headlines. In fact, they’ve been so successful that they’ve been recognised as one of the best start-up companies in the UK.
They’ve won the award for Professional Services Start-Up of the Year at the National Start-Up Awards. This is an incredible achievement because thousands of companies enter.
The Start-Up of the Year Awards came from the founders of The Great British Entrepreneur Awards and the Fast Growth 50 Index and is an award series championing and celebrating the best and brightest start-ups from across the UK.
“I’m thrilled to win this award because it proves that the way we go about recruitment is the way for companies to be successful,” said James. “Real change in recruitment must start at the top. That means shaking up traditional executive and boardroom norms and making leadership more inclusive and forward-thinking. Too often, boards don’t reflect the people they employ or the communities they serve. My goal is to challenge that – to push for leadership teams that represent society, not just a tick box exercise. It’s about making sure inclusion isn’t just a buzzword, but something that’s genuinely embedded in the way organisations operate.
“As well as providing equality of opportunity, having a more diverse board has also been shown to improve business operations. This improvement comes from the greater range of perspectives and deeper understanding that a diverse board can offer. By challenging pre-existing stereotypes about how a board member should look and sound, I believe I am helping organisations to provide a better service to their communities, as well as ensuring everyone gets access to the opportunities they deserve.”
And, as we said at the start, this is not just lip service because Castle Peak Group has shown that their way of doing recruitment is a successful way. For example…
75% of Castle Peak Group placements were tended against by large, established recruiters.
When it comes to executive level placements, James and his team had a 100% fulfilment race. The industry average is 77%.
67% of placements and 53% of shortlists, came from underrepresented groups.
And bearing in mind that companies like to have senior vacancies filled as quickly as possible, Castle Perak Group completed the majority of their shortlists in under three weeks and invariably in the region of just a fortnight. The industry standard is around six weeks.
In other words, if you have a business which employs people, you need to take note of the success that Castle Peak Group has achieved by doing recruitment the right way.
“I’m not suggesting that you can make changes to a company overnight,” adds James “It takes time, but the ideal way to do this is by ensuring the people at the top of the business…the leaders, the influencers, the people that your workforce and customers look up to…are diversified.”
So, if you are expecting to need boardroom and executive appointments, look at your own workforce, look at your customer base and look at your local community. Does your board reflect those three groups? If it doesn’t, you’ve got a problem because your business is being affected.
And as their success at the National Start-Up Awards has shown, Castle Peak Group can help transform your business. They’re winners.
For more information, you can contact James Carss by calling 07802 531040 or emailing info@castlepeak-group.com
You’ll also find out more details by logging on to www.castlepeak-group.com