Twenty Years of We Are Adam: It's Always Been About the People

20 years!!...

It's a milestone we're incredibly proud of, although saying it out loud still feels a little surreal.

Twenty years gives you plenty to look back on. We could talk about every office move, every award and every business milestone that helped shape We Are Adam.

But when we reflected on the last two decades, that's not where the conversation went.

We found ourselves laughing about old stories, remembering people we'd met along the way and talking about friendships that have lasted far longer than we'd ever have imagined.

Looking back, that's what twenty years of We Are Adam has really been about.

It Started Above a Pub...

Like many businesses, our story didn't begin in a big city centre office. We started out in 2006 above the Slug & Lettuce in Wilmslow in a building called Cresta House.

It didn't take long for the team to begin growing. In 2007, we welcomed Vanessa. Though she had a history in recruitment, having first dipped her toe in the industry straight out of university, she made the decision to join the team in the back office while her young daughters were school age. Vanessa became a Director at We Are Adam in 2012 and today leads our HR division, bringing the same honest, pragmatic approach and genuine enthusiasm for helping people develop their careers that has defined her throughout her career.

That same year, Pete also joined the business. Having previously worked alongside Richard and Leon at a large blue-chip recruiter, he took a leap of faith to become part of our story from the very beginning. Starting out recruiting across marketing and digital, he played a big role, helping to build of the business we know today. Pete became a Director in 2016 and is a key member of the Marketing team, continuing to lead Executive and C-suite search assignments.

As our team grew, so did the business. We moved from Cresta House to Grove House and then Crown House, fighting our way through the financial crisis along the way.

With more of the team spending time with clients in London, opening a static office there in 2013 felt like a natural next step, we had a great 6 years in the city before we made the decision to close the location, but that doesn’t mean you won’t see us there. Leon especially, will visit London a couple of times a quarter to meet with clients or attend networking events.

We relocated our Manchester head office again in 2016, to Manchester One, before finally settling into our current home in the Northern Quarter.
The buildings themselves aren't the story, they're markers along the way. Each one represents a new era of We Are Adam, bringing with it new opportunities and new challenges with countless memories we'll never forget.

More Than Numbers

Recruitment loves numbers. Whether its placements, vacancies, interviews or revenue.

Those numbers matter, of course they do. They've helped us build a business we're incredibly proud of and over the last twenty years we've been fortunate enough to work with more than a thousand unique businesses and help over two thousand, five hundred people take the next step in their careers.

But those numbers aren’t the sole reason we do what we do. Behind every placement is a person who has their own story to tell. A family who will benefit from a career move, either financially or emotionally. Behind every vacancy is a client making a crucial hire to strengthen their leadership team or grow their business.  
That's what has always mattered most to us.

It's also why we've always tried to stay true to the principles that sit at the heart of our Mission Power Compass.

Growing Through Good Times and Tough Ones

Twenty years in business inevitably brings its fair share of challenges.

Recruitment has changed beyond recognition since Richard and Leon first started working together, before We Are Adam was even a seed of thought. Markets have shifted, technology has transformed the way we work and we've navigated everything from economic downturns to a global pandemic.

That evolution has shaped the business too. In 2018, we transitioned to a Search & Selection model, embracing the retained approach that continues to define how we partner with clients today. It reflected our ethos that taking the time to truly understand a business, rather than simply filling vacancies, leads to better outcomes for everyone.

Then, in 2023, we became an Employee Ownership Trust. It was another natural step in our journey. We've spent years saying people are our greatest strength, it felt right that the future of the business should belong to them too.

Our belief that lasting success is built on relationships has shaped every decision we've made and continues to define the way we work today.  

Some Things Never Make the Annual Report

Ask anyone who worked at We Are Adam in the early years what they remember, and it probably won't be the placements.

Yes, we worked incredibly hard.

But we also laughed… a lot.

In fact, one business below one of our early offices genuinely thought we were running a nursery because of the amount of noise coming from upstairs.

The truth was far less sensible.

There were bowl offs to decide who was heading out on a coffee run or who would stock the office. We were such a small team, none of us in those operational roles, so we thought we may as well make a game out of it.

There were ridiculous office competitions and attempts to make each other laugh at inappropriate times, practical jokes between colleagues and countless moments that were probably far funnier at the time than they sound written down.

We also learned very early on that success was worth celebrating, however big or small.

Winning a new client on a Thursday afternoon often meant downing tools and heading out to the pub together. We didn't wait for huge milestones because, back then, every win felt like a big one.

At the time, it was just a group of friends finding their way. What others might have seen as distractions from our jobs, was actually the culture of We Are Adam being built in real time.

The fun hasn’t stopped there, it’s only become slightly more sensible. We’ve turned that enthusiasm towards networking events in the form of Adam and Ale, HR Leaders Forums, Adam Golf Days and HR and Marketing Hikes where our dogs come too!

Over the years, dogs have become unofficial members of the team, with Billie and Fletcher even making it to our “Meet The Team” page on our website.

We think a pet friendly office creates a more relaxed environment. Where they bring chaos, they bring equal amounts peace and love. They’re probably the most popular faces in the office, especially to guests!

So, just for fun, we'd like to introduce you to the current Pets of Adam. They might not be on the payroll, but they're very much part of the team. 

Giving Back Along the Way

We've always believed success should create opportunities to give something back.

Over the years we've supported charities, fundraising initiatives and organisations that matter to us, while encouraging our team to get involved in causes they're passionate about.

From cycling challenges between our Manchester and London offices, to London to Paris rides, Mission to a Million and countless fundraising events, we've continually been inspired by the generosity and commitment of the people around us.

We've also been proud to support organisations and communities that help the wider business community connect, grow and thrive including Freshwalks, Pro Manchester, BIMA, Supper Club and Manchester International Festival.

Each partnership has introduced us to brilliant people and reinforced our belief that business is about community.

The Biggest Change of All

Perhaps the biggest difference between We Are Adam in 2006 and We Are Adam today isn't where we work but how we work.

Like every young recruitment business, we spent our early years picking up the phone, introducing ourselves and hoping someone would give us a chance.

Today, most of our work comes through recommendations.

A client who enjoyed working with us, moved companies and took us with them.

Someone introducing us to a colleague.

A candidate returning years later as a hiring manager.

Warm introductions from relationships and trust built over decades.

None of it is something we'll ever take for granted. Everything we have is thanks to our clients, candidates and our wider network, and their continued trust in us. In many ways, it's the achievement we're most proud of. It tells us that the relationships we've built over the last twenty years have stood the test of time.

For that, we're incredibly thankful.

Thank You

This anniversary belongs to far more people than our founders, Richard and Leon.

That belief has shaped every chapter of our story. From evolving the way we partner with clients through a retained model, to becoming employee-owned, every step has been about building a business that puts people first.

Twenty years simply wouldn't have happened without an incredible number of people.

It belongs to every colleague who's been part of the journey, whether you stayed for six months or nineteen years.

Every client who's trusted us with their business.

Every candidate who's allowed us to play a part in their journey.

Everyone who's recommended us, supported us, challenged us and cheered us on along the way.

To everyone who's been part of our story so far, thank you.

Twenty years feels like an incredible milestone, but we're every bit as excited about what's still to come.

We can't wait to see what the next chapter brings, and we hope you'll continue to be part of it.

“We went to LOVE Creative in 2006 and the brief was simple: we wanted to be personable and not like the big boys that we had worked and competed with over the years.

We looked at a few brand ideas, but the theme of "Get to know us from Adam" and "You don't know us from Adam", as a new start-up versus the big boys, stuck.

This wasn't just a marketing tool; the aim has always been to put people at the core of the business, looking after candidates and clients as best possible, making sure people feel they know us and, in the worst cases, telling those we can't help with compassion. We talk to more people we can't help than those we can, so we can only employ people who understand this and relate.

From the word go, we employed great people, initially people we had worked with previously and then a wider range of skill sets.

The business was originally skills-based and has now evolved into a fully retained search business that headhunts the best talent in HR, Digital, Marketing, Commercial, right into the C-Suite.

The journey has encompassed all emotions. After launch, the global financial crisis hit in year two, 2008. We had bad landlords, great landlords, great clients who we have worked with for many years and great candidates who have become friends and clients. We often see so many different sides of people and are often able to see ourselves as a mirror image reflection of society because we see people in their hour of need and their true personalities. This can be an eye opener but in the main has made the whole experience fascinating and very rewarding.

In the main, it's been a journey that has flown by and could not have happened without a great team. We've tried to share most of our stories but, as with any business that started as a start-up, there are some that could not be included in the final cut!”

- Richard Gahagan, Co-Founder

“This week marks an incredible milestone for ADAM as we proudly celebrate 20 years in business.

Looking back to those early days of plotting around Richard’s kitchen table, it’s hard to believe how far the journey has taken us. What began as a simple ambition to build a recruitment business centred on exceptional service, genuine relationships and doing things the right way has grown into a thriving business that has helped thousands of people develop their careers and hundreds of organisations achieve their growth ambitions.

Over the last two decades, we’ve navigated our fair share of challenges - economic downturns, industry changes, technological revolutions and global challenges, yet the values that shaped ADAM from day one remain exactly the same. We have always believed that recruitment is fundamentally about people, and that building lasting partnerships based on trust, honesty and expertise is the key to long-term success.

None of this would have been possible without our fantastic team, many of whom have played a significant role in our journey, our loyal clients and partners who have placed their trust in us, and the candidates who have allowed us to be part of their career stories. We are immensely proud of what we have achieved together over the last 20 years, but even more excited about what lies ahead as an employee owned business.

As we celebrate this landmark anniversary, our focus remains unchanged: helping great businesses find great people, supporting individuals to realise their ambitions, and continuing to build on the legacy that has brought us to this great moment. Here's to the next chapter of the ADAM story.”

Leon Milns, Co-Founder -