Tell us a little about you
I was born and raised in Hertfordshire. I’m very family-focused and can often be found out and about on weekends with my partner and 7-year-old son, attending football matches, trying not to be the loud parent.
From a young age, I took a keen interest in boxing, inspired by my great-uncle, who had achieved a high level as an amateur in Ireland. I boxed competitively until the Covid lockdowns in 2020, but still maintain an active interest in the sport through coaching and commentating. It is my passion outside of work.
I’ve always been mad about dogs, which drove my initial desire to become involved in the animal health industry and currently have a 4-year-old cockapoo named Beau.
Where did your career start, and how did it evolve to where you are now?
My career started in a trampoline park, of all places. Initially, it was a weekend job while I was studying. This developed through promotions to operations manager for three sites across Elstree, Slough, and Enfield. From there, I spent some time in recruitment, looking after finance roles, primarily focusing on Management Accountant positions.
My opportunity to work in animal health came in 2020 with a business called Lintbells. I managed their customer service team for the first two years. Looking after the contact centre and managing everything relating to customer experience. Eventually, creating their customer service function in the United States. I then spent some time looking after events for the business on the trade, consumer, and veterinary side across the UK and USA. I implemented the plans for attendance at shows like Crufts, LVS & VMX. My final role at Lintbells was within the veterinary sales team. Looking after sales territories across the UK & Ireland and managing key accounts.
I took the decision to join Noble after being approached during a redundancy proceeding. Truthfully, I hadn’t considered going back into recruitment an option I’d considered. However, having come to meet the team, I was immediately sold on Noble Futures. I had a long discussion with Tony about how we’re different to other recruitment businesses in the industry and I knew this is the place I wanted to be.
What do you enjoy about recruitment?
I mainly enjoy finding people great opportunities. It’s a part of our job that will probably never get old: that feeling of appreciation from a candidate because you’ve approached them with a great opportunity and the feeling of knowing you’ve really impressed your client with the process and resulting new hire. Quite literally, everyone is happy, and that is a great feeling.
What do you enjoy about working in the animal-related industries?
I’ve mentioned it before, but my passion has always been companion animals. I’ve always had dogs, and I’ve always been dog-mad. The backbone of everything I’ve done in the industry has been inspired by that childhood desire to “help pets.”
That concept has matured slightly, and I suppose what I enjoy most about our industry day-to-day is that it is a generally warm place. People are motivated by similar passions to my own, and that means that people are generally very supportive of each other.
What do you look for in a candidate?
Passion. That’s it mainly. You can be exactly qualified for the role, but if I can tell you’re not passionate about it, I get concerned. Passion doesn’t have to be jumping up and down and shouting out for a role. That isn’t everyone’s personality. Passion can be shown in so many ways. It can be your preparation for the interview, it can be your research and interest in the company, or it can be shown by going above the requirements for application on a role, for example, a cover letter. I just want to know that you really want the role we’re discussing because passion counts for a lot to hiring managers.
What is the one thing you think every CV should have?
I think all CVs should have a personal blurb at the top. These have fallen out of fashion in recent years, but I think they are so crucial. This shouldn’t be wasted space where you describe yourself with words plucked at random out of a thesaurus. This should be where you outline your key competencies, your breadth of experience, and your big wins. This should be where you sell yourself and outline what you’re looking for. I think this part of CVs is the most underutilised for the majority.
What is your top career advice?
Set clear goals in your role of what you want to achieve. Set steps and milestones, and then go out and make it happen. It will keep you motivated and accountable. At the end you’ll have something tangible to take into your annual review. You’ll have something impactful to write on your CV. This is my advice to come away from your work week feeling like you’ve achieved something. That being said, my best advice is simple. Do something that makes you proud. You will spend a minimum of 40 hours each week working. It will be the bedrock of everything else in your life. make it something you can be proud of/happy doing.