After working for Kellogs, Diageo and other various FMCG companies, twelve years ago Andy set up his own promotional marketing agency, Atom. He uses expert insight to help brands promote their products and services through consumer-focused offers and incentives.
Butterkist, Muller and Plenty are just a few of the brands Andy and his team have supported. They also work with supermarkets and online retailers like Confused.com, having helped the company match its competitor’s promotions, such as sourcing robot toys from China for an ‘if you buy you get a free toy’ incentive.
Reconnecting
Andy had worked with Leon Milns (Adam Founder) five years ago, while recruiting for an account manager role at Atom. The experience taught him that Leon was very well connected within the agency scene and understood who to network with at the right level. Fast forward a number of years, Andy approached Leon once again when searching for a new business partner to accelerate the growth of his agency for the next three years. However, he hadn’t pinpointed specific requirements for the new role. So Leon suggested they meet in London for several in-depth discussions.
“Over the course of a series of conversations, Leon helped me articulate the exact specification of the type of individual we were looking for and what I wanted them to achieve in the role”
The Candidate
After meeting Leon, the brief for the new position was clear. Andy wanted a fellow director who was at the right stage career-wise: someone with senior, strategic experience, who wanted to build their own agency but hadn’t yet taken the leap themselves. The candidate needed to view this position as a long-term investment, working with Andy to help him catapult the business towards greater success. The successful individual would be joining a business carrying the potential to make a mark in the industry.
Locating Talent
Using his extensive network in North West and London, Leon connected with people who fit Andy’s brief perfectly. Some candidates were highly experienced, having worked for competitors in the promotional marketing industry. Whereas others had the skills required but were from wider marketing backgrounds. Working together with Leon to shortlist candidates, Andy then held around seven meetings to whittle that number down to three handpicked individuals. The remaining talent comprised of one candidate who had owned and sold her own agency. Another individual had worked at board level and run their own business for ten years. The final candidate had also worked at board level in London and had aspirations to set up their own business. After a series of final interviews, a candidate was found who matched the specifications Andy was looking for and will be joining Atom in March to spearhead the future growth ambitions of the business.
Why Adam
Having previously worked with the company, Andy knew Leon operated with trust and confidentiality. This was crucial for Andy. In a niche market, he didn’t want the developments he had planned for Atom to be known to his competitors. Andy told us that Leon’s organisational and interpersonal skills were second to none. He knew who to connect with and how to promote the new position in a way that would appeal to top talent. He was also an excellent point of contact for the candidates while keeping Andy informed during every step of the process. Because of Leon’s attention to detail towards the role and its requirements, Andy was content that the successful candidate would be joining Atom for the right reasons. He trusted that Leon knew what he was trying to achieve because of how candid he was from the beginning. As a result, Atom have found a candidate who is bought in to the objectives of the business and the candidate has the chance to make their mark on a business with a successful trading history but challenging growth plans.
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