The Challenge
March Foods are one of the UK’s leading Food Contract manufacturers and packing businesses, specialising in providing timely and high-quality production services to discerning Customers. They offer their brand-owning customers individually tailored production cells, warehousing, laboratory facilities, engineering workshops, offices and an extensive range of blending, filling and packing equipment.
With growth in the business and more to come, they needed a strong addition to the commercial team to support on existing accounts while also driving further new business wins.
Our Approach
Having worked with March Foods before and placed a few new people in the business in recent years, we had a good understanding of who would be a good fit for the team and wider organisation. Nevertheless, the first point of call as always was to have a detailed conversation, to understand the nuances of this key role and ensure we were all on the same page with what good looked like.
I already had a couple of names in mind of people I could approach who had the right skillset and who would complement the existing team. From there it was a case of broadening the search – advertising across various online platforms, leveraging our network that has been carefully curated over the years and picking up a few recommendations along the way. Having put prospective candidates through their paces and taking up references from previous employers, we had a strong shortlist to work with. Interviews took place on-site at March Foods, allowing candidates the opportunity to meet key individuals but also to get behind the scenes of how they operate and what they can offer their customers. Providing support and guidance to both client and candidate throughout the process allowed everyone the opportunity to ask the right questions at the right time and ensure we worked towards a successful outcome.
“I’ve used more people several times both at March Foods and other businesses. They get the brief, not just from what the business needs but also from what’s important to me as the hirer. More people really take the hard work out of hiring by supplying those candidates that meet the brief, we were quickly able to move from the candidate list to the shortlist and offer.
Even when the candidate had a wobble at the last minute Lucy went above and beyond working on her holiday to secure my new hire.”
Chris Grainge, Commercial Director, March Foods
