From Ann Radford, our CEO and Managing Director: Ad Idem’s 2019
After a slow start with indecision and Brexit-related hiring fears, we have seen all divisions end the year on a positive note.
Notable achievements for the business are winning the interim businesses for a major FTSE retail business and seeing one of our junior consultants bill 35k in the month of October.
As a business it’s great to finish the year on a high. All our consultants have now been with us for a year or more, and as we enter our fourth year we look forward to further success and growth in 2020.
The launch of Ad Executive
This year saw the official launch of our Ad Executive division, which has seen 50% growth in revenues quarter on quarter. We have expanded our international footprint into Italy, placing CFOs and transformation professionals into PE-backed businesses, focusing on change and buy and build projects particularly. At the close of the year we now have contractors in London, Prague, Poland, Austria, and Germany, with more international remits for global businesses to start next year.
We’re really excited about Ad Executive’s growth next year, with planned visits to Prague, Italy, France, and Switzerland in the first six months. We are always looking for strong, internationally mobile, globally experienced interims with CFO and transformation experience, and continue to grow our business placing these individuals into the PE European market where such quality candidates are rare to find.
Ad Executive are now in hiring mode for 2020 and excited to see what happens both in London and internationally.
Overall, a tough year that has ended on a high.
From Jim Gervaise-Brazier, our Head of Financial Services Recruitment: how 2019 has played out throughout the industry
This year started fairly slowly. The uncertainty of Brexit meant that many firms who needed to hire were being incredibly picky and trying to find every excuse they possibly could to not actually hire and see if there was “just one more candidate they could consider (as a comparison).” As the year progressed though, things picked up massively as the business need to hire over took the fears of instability.
The asset management industry saw several casualties, the most notable of which was Woodford. It seemed impossible to read Investment Week without some mention of the firm’s woes. However, other firms continued to grow, notably Vanguard, who continue to disrupt the UK retail market.
ESG and Impact Investment has been on the rise as the public become more aware of the global climate crisis and begin to react in their investment habits.
Clients are increasingly on the lookout for superb IT skills. It has become increasingly difficult to get an operations role with in Asset Management without SQL experience or, at the very least, advanced Excel skills.
We are finding that many graduates, even with first class science or mathematics degrees, are being left on the shelf due to the knock-on effect of front office people not retiring and the opportunities just not opening up for them. Any candidate hanging out for that ‘perfect’ front office roles has been bitterly disappointed. Technical Operations roles, content/RFP roles, performance and client reporting roles have been plentiful but clients have been exceptionally picky.
That said, the financial services division at Ad Idem has just had its most successful quarter ever! It is just a case of moving with the market and delivering what our clients want, whilst, at the same time, consulting with them if they are looking for purple unicorns. Anyone can send a list of CVs, but not everyone knows the market like we do.
We continue to expand our client list to include the very best in buy-side firms from the boutique to the biggest in the world, and very much look forward to working with you all again in 2020.
