Media headhunters: recruiting in a recession – but still recruiting
There is so much gloom and pessimism in the market at the moment that it is difficult to see any silver lining.
But here’s one:
Since we launched our headhunting business in March, our clients in the media sector have been extremely busy. Over the past eight months, they have retained us to find editors for three newsstand consumer magazines; an MD for a conference business; a sales director for a growing B2B publisher; editorial directors for two publishing houses; a publishing director for an online information service; and the editor of a national newspaper. In addition, we are currently involved in building teams in London and New York for a major news business.
Good news for us, obviously. But why is it good news for the market?
Well, it shows that our clients at least are confident enough to invest in their businesses. They believe that with the right people in place, they can shape businesses tough enough to survive the coming recession, and come out of it ahead of their competitors. They feel they can strengthen their commercial teams while creating content propositions that will make their products stand out.
So why do they come to us? Partly because the three people behind the business – Martin Tripp, Kate Penfold, and Matt D’Cruz – have 20 years’ experience as media headhunters between them. And partly because we have used that experience to help our clients improve their businesses through good times and bad – recruiting in a recession is just as demanding as when times are good.
If you think there are areas in which your business could be strengthened, please feel free to give us a call. If we can’t help, we won’t waste your time.
Martin Tripp Associates is a London-based executive search consultancy. While we are best-known for our work in the TMT (technology, media, and telecoms) space, we have also worked with some of the world’s biggest brands on challenging senior positions. Feel free to contact us to discuss any of the issues raised in this blog.