Our Consultants know that real success in marketing jobs recruitment is about building the right kind of relationships. Ones that are insightful, honest and co-dependent. It’s based on a desire to constantly build real-world, real-life relationships. Great placement isn’t about hurling masses of CV’s at clients, and understanding our candidates makes them much more than just a CV on a database. So whether you are looking for your next role, agency or client-side, in Brand or Category Management, Internal Comms or PR/Social, CRM to Insight and or Analytics... we are the people to talk to.
The Marketing Team
Eve Johnston
Recruitment Consultant
What is your specialist area? Professionals working in Marketing, Digital and Ecommerce. Why did you join BPR? A friend’s recommendation! I was looking for something new for my career and a friend told me about her experience with Better Placed so I decided to send my CV in. A few conversations later and I’d be introduced to a career path I hadn’t considered but was fascinated by. That’s the power of a great network. Why you should send me your CV? Because of my network and the Better Placed network. It got me my position here and it can find you something fantastic too. I’m also great at listening and will really get to know you before putting you forward for any opportunities so it’ll be a match for the long-term. The one thing you don’t know about me? I’m a real film buff with a penchant for creative writing, I challenge you to find my blog of poetry!
Sophie Brocklebank-Fowler
Business Manager - FMCG
What I recruit for :FMCG Marketing; Brand Management, Category Management, Innovation, Insights, Analytics, Shopper Marketing, Trade Marketing, revenue growth management, digital and social roles.Why I joined BPR: Better Placed was immediately appealing to me because of the honest and friendly approach demonstrated from my first interview. I think their values and emphasis on meeting face-to-face really makes BPR stand out in the recruitment field and therefore accepting a position here was a no-brainer!Why you should send me/us your CV:I understand that a job move is a big life decision, this means I will make the effort to get to know you and ensure every role I suggest to you is a role I believe will suit you. I am a great listener and eager to help you achieve your ambitions!The one thing you don’t knowabout me: When I was four I crashed a tractor into a tree – the tree was fine, the tractor was not!
Alison Livesey
Director - Digital and eCommerce
Specialist Area:Senior hires across digital, ecommerce, marketing and analytics in the North and the Midlands. Clients range from emerging start-ups to £multi-billion turnover brands.Why I joined Better Placed: Better Placed are well renowned in the industry for the strong and lasting relationships they build with their candidates and clients alike. This resonated so strongly with me and the authentic way in which I love to work. I wanted to join an established team with high ambitions and that’s certainly the case here!Why send us/me your CV: I have an honest approach to recruitment and proven success working across different sectors and I hold relationships with senior stakeholders in many different businesses who are always happy to see CVs on my recommendation.I love getting to know new candidates and learning about their skillset and career aspirations so please get in touch!One interesting fact about me:I completed on Feet up Friday on Radio one and my songs won so I was in the studio and on the show with Gregg James!
Rosie MacPhail
Manager - Agency - North West, Yorkshire and Midlands
Specialist area?I recruit for agencies across the North West, Yorkshire and Midlands (Integrated, Digital, PR, Creative)Why you joined BPR?I moved to Manchester after living in Melbourne for three years and Better Placed stood out for me when choosing my next career move. The company values align with my personal ones, especially the value placed in caring for both candidates and clients in every aspect of the recruitment process.Why you should send me / us your CV?I have a strong network of agency relationships on a national basis, and understand culture is as important as role responsibilities in the agency world. I will understand you personally and what makes you tick, utilising my network to make sure you are having conversations with agencies that suit you best. My caring and diligent personality means I will go above and beyond to make your recruitment process as easy and stress free as possible.The one thing you don’t know about me?I’m Grade 8 in Singing and started to train professionally. Obviously didn’t work out….
Claire Eason
Business Manager - E-Commerce & Digital
Why did you join Better Placed ?:BPR had a great reputation, not only with candidates I knew that had worked with them before but also with those working for a few rival agencies. This was only backed up when meeting with my manager, her relaxed and honest approached reconfirmed that the culture and strength of the business was where I wanted to be.Why send me your CV?:You are guaranteed an honest recruitment process from the first briefing of a role to feedback on interviews, regardless of outcome.We really do try and find the best roles for people and the best candidates for our clients – Our focus is more on long term quality relationships, rather than quick placements.One thing that people don’t know about me :I have been in the Army.
Simon Stephens
Joint Managing Director
It’s hard to believe that nearly 20 years have passed since myself along with my budding entrepreneurs, Andrew and Dean founded and launched Better Placed in 2002. Clearly there’s been a good accumulation of grey hairs over that time but my network and relationships with a multitude of major financial and business services clients continues to thrive. My passion to drive Better Placed into new areas, sectors, regions and expand the Real Network remains undiminished. The knowledge, credibility and track record i have within the Marketing Industry and loyal network of Senior professionals makes me a compelling asset for clients who are looking to attract and secure Senior talent to further develop their businesses.Outside Better Placed, my passion revolves around my family, sport (Not just in an armchair capacity), good Red Wine and even better holidays. If i'm not coaching my eldest son’s junior Rugby team, you'll find me watching my Sons play cricket in the Summer or enjoying socialising with friends and family.The one thing you might not know about me is – I attended a US University on a Golf Scholarship and (despite my advancing years) still play off Scratch. I also remain the only successful London Marathon Runner at Better Placed and i'm proud of it!!!
Will Velios
Senior Consultant - Digital Agency
Specialist area?I recruit for Digital Marketing Agencies across the North West and Yorkshire.Why you joined BPR?I approached Better Placed knowing how successful they were in the Agency market. With my experience in Agency Recruitment, and their presence, it was the perfect fit!Why you should send me / us your CV?I know what a good agency looks like. I understand how important culture is in the agency world, as well as the accounts you will be working on. I have an excellent knowledge of the market, so once you tell me what’s important to you I’ll know exactly where you’d love to work!The one thing you don’t know about me?I’m an undefeated amateur MMA fighter.
Jessica Williams
Consultant - B2B
Specialist Area:I specialise in the recruitment of marketing professionals within the B2B sectors. Working with leading marketing, digital and creative clients and candidates across the Yorkshire and Midlands, I recruit a broad section of marketing jobs from Executive to Manager and Director.My focus on recruiting roles including but not limited to:Marketing AssistantMarketing ExecutiveMarketing AnalystDigital Marketing ExecutiveDigital Marketing ManagerSenior Marketing ManagerHead of Marketing Why I joined Better Placed: When making the decision on the next step in my career, I wanted to work for a company which gave me the best opportunities and who also had a great reputation within the market. This is what Better Placed can give me! Why send us/me your CV:I have 3 years’ experience doing recruitment and helping candidates find the right role for them. We have worked with B2B clients for many years and can help you find opportunities that will change your career. Recruitment is all about finding the right role for the right person by understanding each individual needs and wants. With my knowledge of the market and my interest in understanding each individuals’ requirements, I’m here to help every step of the way. Please get in touch and send me your CV!One interesting fact about me:I am also trained as a professional dancer!
Alex Hamilton
Director - FMCG Sales & Marketing
Why did you join Better Placed? :I joined Better Placed after returning to the UK following 2 years of travelling. I spent a year living in the French Alpes working for a ski company / perfecting my skiing technique and the following year travelling around South East Asia. Better Placed appealed to me due to their reputation in the market, after exploring a number of different marketing recruitment businesses it was clear Better Placed had existing relationships with a vast number of exciting FMCG / Consumer brands across the country!Why send me your CV :I have relationships with a whole variety of companies from large blue chip Food organisations to exciting entrepreneurial start ups! All of which I am happy to discuss. I also offer a more tailored approach to many other recruiters where I will work proactively on your behalf to provide a spectrum of interesting opportunities which may not have been otherwise available.The one thing you don’t know about me? - I have ridden an ostrich!
Andrew Gibson
Joint Managing Director
Specialist Areas – FMCG, Retail, Consumer DurablesI was one of the three founding members of Better Placed in 2001 and I've since been integral in building the business. My particular network has grown into many different areas over the last 19 years in recruitment, but always with a particular bias towards sales and marketing professionals into consumer markets.I now recruit senior executive and board level roles into both blue chip branded businesses as well as smaller, owner managed and private equity backed businesses. When I'm not recruiting for my clients, I am always looking for talent for Better Placed and making sure the business continues to attract people who care about the work we do and are constantly improving the way we do business.Outside of work I invest time and money in developing our house (which we started when the recession hit us back in 2008!), coaching and watching my kids play hockey and rugby and playing hockey and golf myself to keep (relatively) fit.
Kate Siegel
Director
More about what i do at Better Placed :My specialist areas include retail, leisure, travel, tourism, luxury, hospitality and transport – both traditional and digital, includinge-commerce and trading (freelance and perm). Why did you join Better Placed ? :Better Placed ticks all the boxes for a boutique agency who forge really strong relationships with their clients and candidates. When I first interviewed with the company, I was really excited by their alternative approach in getting to know me and seeing how they could benefit from having me on board rather than pigeonholing me for one particular role. This resonates throughout the business and how we in turn work with our candidates – gettingto know them better and truly understanding what they want and how we can help them.Why send me your CV? :Even if we cannot help you immediately with your search for your next role – we will give the advice and help you may need including perhaps tweaking your C V or improving on interview skills and techniques. We have some of the best contacts with our clients spanning all sectors, courtesy of previously forged relationships within the team so we’re able to communicate with clients about a “best fit candidate” rather than “a best CV”.An interesting fact about me… I spent over ten years in marketing, broadcast, communications and PR working across both agency and client side. My clients included business services, FMCG, luxury brands and digital businesses and I was lucky enough to work on London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games as a sponsor client. This marketing experience helps me work well with both candidates and clients in helping understand fully their needs. Out of work I love music festivals and hanging out in my VW campervan!
Rachel O'Sullivan
Board Director
I have built an exceptional reputation internally and externally since joining the Group in 2010. Now a Board Director, my expertise spans retail, e-com, hospitality and leisure sectors and I have a first class network throughout marketing and digital functions in particular. My clients range from major high street retailers to emerging scale-ups and disruptors and I've helped many individuals transition between the twoI'm not afraid to challenge traditional thinking and try to bring a fresh perspective to my client’s search criteria and I have a strong track record in helping women to secure leadership positions. I would like to think I have an incredible work ethic and a honest approach and this has proved a very successful combination throughout my career, and for that reason, I'm often the chosen recruitment partner for many businesses and candidates alike.
Beckie Perring
Office Manager
Why I joined Better Placed – As soon as I left the building after my first interview, I had a really great feeling about the company. Their culture, core values and welcoming nature largely stood out to me and I couldn’t be happier to now be part of the team. One thing you didn’t know about me – I’m a bit of gamer. I enjoy driving fast cars and track days
Millie Evans
Consultant - Consumer
Specialist area: ConsumerWhy I joined better placed: I joined Better Placed as the company’s culture and values strongly resonated with me. I wanted to join a company which genuinely values quality over quantity with their clients and candidates. Better Placed take the time to build and maintain strong and personal relationships and this stood out to me during the recruiting process. Why send me your CV: Recruitment is all about finding the right person for the right role; I take a personal and friendly approach where I carefully consider the right job for the right person by taking the time to understand, and tailor to, their individual needs. It is crucial to get to know people on a personal level and build deeper relationships to enable me to find people their dream role!One interesting fact about me: I love cooking and have my own gluten-free social media page to raise awareness of coeliac disease and share my new recipes that I create.
Leanne Wallworth
Group Operations Manager
Specialist Area: Mid to Senior level Marketing, Category Management, Innovation, Insight and Digital Marketing roles for Consumer Goods companies across the North West and West Midlands. I recruit for both Temporary and Permanent opportunities and has delivered successful recruitmentcampaigns with Kellogg’s, Warburtons, PZ Cussons, AG Barr, International, Newell Brands, Spectrum Brands and Silentnight to name a few.Why I joined Better Placed: BPR had a brilliant reputation in the market with both candidates and clients. The company values of honesty, transparency and quality closely matched the way I wanted to work as a consultant and it was this that made me introduce myself! Why send us/me your CV: With over 12 years industry experience I have an excellent client network and wealth of experience of recruiting specialist roles. One interesting fact about me: I have flown a small plane!
Louisa Guy
Senior Consultant - B2B
Specialist Area :I specialise in the recruitment of marketing professionals within the B2B sectors, with key areas including manufacturing, construction, chemical and automotive. Working with leading marketing, digital and creative clients and candidates across the Yorkshire and Midlands, I recruit a broad section of marketing jobs from Executive to Manager and Director. My focus on recruiting roles including but not limited to:Marketing ExecMarketing Analyst Product Marketing ManagerHead of ProductCategory ManagerDigital Marketing ManagerHead of MarketingWhy I joined Better Placed: When making the decision on the next step in my career, I wanted to work for a company which gave me the best opportunities and who also had a great reputation within the market. My gut instinct throughout the entire interview process was that the company stood out as a fantastic place to work, with a great culture and welcoming group of people who reaffirmed that Better Placed is the right place for me! And 3 years later plus a promotion, it’s safe to say Better Placed is still the perfect company for me and I absolutely love the people I work with. Why send us/me your CV: Better Placed, in my opinion, is one of the most connected and enterprising recruitment teams in the local region and we pride ourselves on market knowledge as well as having a personable & passionate approach when working with both candidates and clients.I have recruited Marcomms, PR, Product and Digital roles within many B2B businesses both big and small over the past 5 years and over time, have built a strong network. Recruitment is all about finding the right role for the right person by understanding each individual needs and wants. With my knowledge of the market and my interest in understanding each individuals requirements, I’m here to help every step of the way. Please get in touch and send me your CV! One interesting fact about me: I’m a terrible cook, but I’m partial to the odd bit of baking on a Sunday afternoon. Banana & chocolate chip muffins are my go too.
Beth Rollin
Senior Consultant - E-Commerce, Digital & Marketing
Specialist Area :I have a strong network across the Retail, Travel and Leisure sectors having recruited Digital, Ecommerce, PR and Marcomms roles across Yorkshire and the Midlands for the past couple of years. Why I joined Better Placed:Joining Better Placed was a very easy decision for me to make! I wanted to join a company that valued their employees and also took the time to develop long-lasting relationships with candidates and clients and Better Placed do just that. They definitely stood out from the rest of recruitment companies I interviewed with! Why send us/me your CV:To me recruitment is all about finding the right role, for the right person, so understanding your needs and wants is crucial! I have an honest and approachable recruitment style and will aim to find you the dream role by getting to know as much as I can about you and the factors that are most important to you. I have a portfolio of great clients across Yorkshire and the Midlands, ranging from dynamic SME’s to Blue Chip organisations. I’m keen to help you make the right move so ping me a message across on LinkedIn if you’re looking! One interesting fact about me:I’ve starred on BBC1 TV drama series Waterloo Road.
Dean Bartle
Board Director
As a Founding Director of the business, I've been part of the Better Placed journey since day one. Having helped grow the business to what it is today, my remit and focus day to day is business operations, developing the marketing strategy and brand for Better Placed, whilst still recruiting within the Agency, Retail and Leisure sectors across the north. Day to day I'm now based out of our Manchester office where we have big plans for 2021, to not only further grow the team, but also to build our recently launched tech offering, Better Placed Tech, with founding Director Jonathan Moran.
Leah Ross
Consultant - FMCG/Consumer
Specialist Area:FMCG/ConsumerWhy I joined Better Placed: The interview process with Better Placed was different from any other process I have been involved with. Each interview was a normal conversation which didn’t feel too formal. They made me feel very comfortable. They understood what I wanted from a new company and how they can help me grow. Best decision I have made!Why send us/me your CV:My open and friendly approach means that I can get to know you on a personal level, your career to date and your aspirations moving forward. During the process, I will be very hands on and give you the best experience possible. If you are looking, please get in touch with me!One interesting fact about me:I was on Channels 4’s Black Mirror
Sophie MacLellan
Consultant
Specialist Area:I recruit middle management Supply Chain and Operations positions across FMCG. Having worked across FMCG for a number of years I understand the end to end process for manufacturing. If you’re a Supply Chain Manager or Operations Manager, get in touch today and we can start the conversation!Why I joined Better Placed: After leaving my last role I was offered multiple roles across various types of businesses but Better Placed stood out for their culture as well as for the match it had to the skills I’ve already developed and want to continue developing in my career.Why send us/me your CV: The people I work with always love my transparency and frequent updates at every stage of the process. I’m honest, upfront and won’t let you be forgotten.One interesting fact about me:I have a house bunny called Frank – he’s the best person I’ve ever lived with!
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Steve Seddon - Brand Marketing Director
On The Beach
Cherie Cook - Director of Marketing
AO.Com
Katie Taylor - Senior Marketing Manager
Costa Coffee
"I use them because of their in-depth knowledge of marketing"
I have used Better Placed to recruit a number of positions for me at varying levels in roles I have held throughout my career. I choose to use Better Placed, and in particular Rachel, because of the in-depth knowledge she has of Marketing, which helps me find the most relevant candidates for the job.
"They are a brilliant bunch!"
I've worked with Better Placed for over 10 years from both a candidate and client perspective and have recommended Rachel and her team to many of my friends and colleagues. They are a brilliant bunch who really take the time to get to know what you are after and truly care about finding you the right role or the right person to join your team.
"Great to work with"
Kate helped me get my latest role and was really great to work with! Kate has loads of energy and is extremely passionate about what she does. During my job hunt she really took the time to understand what I was looking for in my next career move and helped me to identify a role where I could maximize my experience but also develop skill set further. Thanks again for all of your help!
What's going on ?
Marketing
Stats from our community: What do employees really prioritise?
There’s so much conversation about changes in the workplace since the pandemic, mostly looking at the practical elements. How work has changed to suit our lifestyles more; how employee voices have become more dominant in the workplace; how benefits have become more people focused and creative. However, one conversation that keeps being alluded to but not explicitly explored is that of the relationship between passion and work.Surprisingly, as people experienced job insecurity or loss, studies show that priorities shifted from financial stability and climbing traditional career ladders to finding hobbies and passions or even just focused further on their family lives.What can employers learn from this? Well, there’s plenty. However, it most centres on how they can keep and retain the best talent by nurturing and prioritising this in their employees.By offering flexibility that allows personal hobbies and career growth at the same time, employees will retain the best talent for the longest time. The old days of days spent in the office being the measure of success rather than actual output are gone and this is how employees should judge performance. Even though the young graduate is at their desk every day by 8am, they might not be performing as well as the mum of two splitting her working day across multiple time slots.So, what do candidates really want? Not our opinion, but theirs. We asked our community about next looking for a promotion, most desired benefits, flexible working best practice and things they miss about the old ways of working. This is what they said:When will you start looking for your next job or promotion?A huge 61.5% of over 1000 respondents said they’re currently looking for a new opportunity. We’re constantly being told about the impacts of ‘The Great Recession’ but this stat is a real insight into the share of that market shift. However, as much as this can be a threat to businesses who will have huge changeovers, it’s a fantastic opportunity to secure fantastic talent and revolutionise your business to suit the post-covid world.What do you miss most about working from the office full time?Conversely when we asked the market about the negatives of working from home, the social aspect of chatting with colleagues was the vote of almost a third (30%) of respondents. This paired with 19% stating ease of collaboration does highlight the communication challenges of remote working that many businesses have still not mastered.Unsurprisingly with how people are favouring flexibility, only 5% of respondents listed a structured routine as what they miss most and a whopping 45% voted that they missed nothing and remote working has changed their lives only for the better.Which flexible working practice is most appealing to you?The most popular answer here was hybrid remote working with 48% of the votes. This aligns with the growth of flexibility whilst also accounting for the continued need to collaborate and socialise in the office for some periods of the week.The other answer cropping up here was the allusion to a shortened working week, either by compressing hours or simply cutting to four working days a week as policy. Whilst this might seem an extreme change to the standard office it’s becoming more and more standard with tech businesses such as Basecamp, Buffer, Toshiba, Shopify and Microsoft Japan already implementing this for their employees.So as an employer, how can you exploit the zeitgeist of chasing passions? Create a workplace in which they can co-exist. Give staff the time and flexibility to spend with their families or on hobbies in order to create a working environment too desirable to leave.In an employment market full of talent shortages, it is those extra non-monetary benefits that we’re seeing really sway candidates at every level of seniority and across all industries.If you’d like to chat to us about growing your team with these principles in mind, get in touch today to speak to an expert consultant.
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