Talent Pipelining

Successful organisations are built on the right mix of skills, appropriately organised. By letting you know how your competitors are structured, we provide you with two key insights – first, the names of the people you should be hiring; second, best practice and organisational design across your top competitors.

Case Study

Client: Top-tier international corporate bank

Brief: Our client was seeking to capitalise on strong growth in its non-bank financial institutions (NBFI) corporate banking franchise by establishing new relationship management teams in France, Germany, Benelux, Ireland and Spain. The bank required insight into the profiles of relationship management professionals in each location, as well as a pipeline of Director-level candidates for team leadership positions.

What We Did: Wilbury Stratton conducted initial research to select a target list of 15 competitors with strong NBFI corporate banking performance in the focus countries. We then approached VPs, Directors and MDs across all territories to generate a longlist of qualified candidates for each leadership role. We additionally built and presented organograms for each bank in order to add context to each candidate’s overall profile, and to provide assurance around wider themes relating to organisational design and resource allocation.

Outcome: Using the data presented for each role, our client was able to manage the recruitment of four of the five leadership roles in-house, mandating Wilbury Stratton to manage the fifth to a successful conclusion.

Perception Analysis

Perception is everything. Knowing what people think about you – consumers, clients, candidates, competitors – is the first step towards building a great brand. By asking the right questions of the right stakeholders, we allow you to address any market concerns and to trade more successfully on your demonstrated strengths.

Case Study

Client: Global consumer goods company

Brief: Our client was struggling to hire talent in continental Europe in spite of having strong sales figures in the same region. They therefore wished to understand how European candidates perceived them as an employer. They also wanted to know how other competitor brands were thought of by the same candidate demographic.

What We Did: Wilbury Stratton identified and surveyed 150 potential candidates in Europe, asking each of them the same eight key questions. These were carefully crafted to elicit maximum insight while at the same time preserving the anonymity of our client. We then analysed the data, splitting our results in order to gain insight into specific sub-demographics (gender, seniority, role etc.) Our final report contained all the data as well as accompanying commentary and a set of recommendations.

Outcome: Our client acted on our report to make several significant amendments to its employee proposition. It also changed the way it approached the candidate market, increasing activity in certain channels and responding to proven candidate behaviour.

Market Entry Analysis

Opening an office in a new location is a huge undertaking for any organisation. Where do you base yourself? Will your brand resonate? How big is the local talent pool? Is this even the right location anyway? We are able to research multiple locations on your behalf to ensure you choose the correct destination and have all the necessary data to make your market entry a success.

Case Study

Client: Top-tier international law firm

Brief: Our client wished to establish a presence in Asia-Pacific in order to leverage increased levels of Asian investment in European real estate. However, it did not know whether it should open an office in Hong Kong, Singapore or another location. Further, it required insight on the desirable background, skill-set, qualifications and nationality of anyone it hired to lead such an effort.

What We Did: Wilbury Stratton established which other law firms were operating in the Asian real estate space. We spoke to partners and senior associates in both UK and Asia, understanding how they’d built their practices. We also conducted conversations with real estate consultancies and Asian pension funds and insurance companies in order to understand what local investors expected of a European legal partner. We then issued an 80-page report outlining other firms’ successes and failures, articulating the “steps to success” and making several key strategy recommendations.

Outcome: In spite of initial surprise at our findings, our client followed our advice and successfully built out its Asian real estate practice.

Location Analysis

Are you looking to relocate your business? Or perhaps you just want to relocate a particular team or function? Either way, you will need to answer some critical questions. Where will you find the best talent? What will it cost? Where does your brand have most resonance? We can provide answers to all of these questions by speaking on your behalf to a range of market sources. These include estate agents, hiring managers, local politicians, recruitment companies and, of course, potential candidates.

Case Study

Client: Investment bank

Brief: Following the Brexit vote, our client was looking to relocate its London-based compliance function to an alternative European city. While the bank had certain specific cities in mind, it was unsure which might provide the best supply of relevant and affordable talent. Further, it did not know how its brand was perceived in each location and/or which provided the best option in terms of graduate talent, affordable property, transport links and other variables.

What We Did: Wilbury Stratton spoke to over 500 people across eight European cities; our sources included not only compliance professionals, but also HR partners, city councillors, estate agents, recruitment professionals and business consultancies. As a result, we obtained detailed insight into the appropriateness of each location for our client. We issued a 175-page report consolidating our findings and making clear recommendations.

Outcome: Our client instigated a multi-million-pound relocation strategy based upon our findings.

Executive Search

Staff turnover is a business inevitability. What marks out the best companies is how speedily and efficiently they respond to each new hiring need. Conversely, delay in hiring – or, worse, rushing to hire the wrong person – can have deeply damaging consequences. We work with you to ensure you can quickly identify and attract the very best available talent.

Case Study

Client: Global chemicals and sustainable technology company

Brief: Our client was looking to develop and centralise its global procurement function to maximise value from its many suppliers. They mandated Wilbury Stratton on a two-stage project; firstly, to find an interim global procurement director; and, secondly, to produce a shortlist of outstanding candidates to lead the function on a permanent basis.

What We Did: Wilbury Stratton created a target list of key businesses known for their excellence in global procurement. We also spoke to sources in the market to gain insight into recommended talent, regardless of employer. We then triangulated our findings to a select a small number whom we approached on our client’s behalf. Within four weeks we were able to provide two shortlists – one for the interim role and the other for the permanent role.

Outcome: Our client hired their preferred interim director within a week of receiving our shortlist. Meanwhile they took three of the six shortlisted permanent candidates to interview. In the event, they decided to offer the permanent position to the interim director based upon the strength of her delivery in the role.

Benchmark Studies

Is your company set up for success? Or would you be more productive if you were organised differently? You’ll only know if you acquaint yourself with a thorough understanding of best practice in other organisations. This is where Wilbury Stratton can help, providing insights into what works – and what doesn’t work – across a range of target companies. We can find out forensic detail on reporting lines, process, performance metrics, communication channels and the all-important gap between theory and practice.

Client: Global consumer technology company

Brief: Our client was undertaking an end-to-end review of its long-established internal processes. They wished therefore to gain insight into best practice across ten key organisations. Of particular interest to our client were the areas of design, product development, testing and manufacturing.

What We Did: Wilbury Stratton quickly availed itself of all the secondary data on the target companies’ processes. This included a review of press articles, online seminars, archive interviews and existing proprietary knowledge contained on our internal database. We then engaged with over 70 sources, most of whom were either current or ex-employees of the companies in question. We thus obtained detailed insight on each stage of the ‘product journey’ from conception to completion, including relevant geographies, team sizes, testing protocols, communication channels and best practice guidelines.

Outcome: Our client commended us on our report, emphasising that it could not have obtained the same level of insight from any other provider. Our findings are now under consideration and we are working on a second project for the same client