What was your earliest dream job?

To be a journalist. I love good journalism, particularly investigative journalism, and watching good political interviewers hold power to account.

What was your first job in recruitment and how did you come into it?

The financial services temp desk at [financial recruiter] Joslin Rowe. They sponsored the rugby team I played for and were kind enough to give me a start in recruitment.

Who is your role model – in life or in recruitment?

In recruitment it would be Martin Krawjewski, who owned Joslin Rowe. He sold that business to Randstad and has since gone on to be a success in both the wine and gin industries! A serial entrepreneur and great guy.

What do you love most about your current role?

I love the markets we are in and the clients we work with. It is dynamic and always changing. Hearing how the talent we provide is having a direct impact on our clients’ success is always satisfying.

What would you consider to be the most brilliant moment of your career?

I think the day we signed our first big client after setting up Meraki. A start-up with no clients, no revenue and no candidates is a fraught time. Once we signed this client, I had a calming sense that things were going to be OK.

In recruitment the tendency is to feel you are only as good as your last month, which isn’t healthy or productive

Laugh or cry, what did your most memorable candidate make you want to do and why?

I think everyone who has been a temp controller has one temp who sticks in their mind. Mine was a chap called Stuart, who was a great worker but seemed to have about 10 aunties and five grandparents whose funeral he had to attend nearly every Monday.

What would you regard as your signature tune?

I would say I don’t have one, but my friends would say Here Comes The Hot Stepper by Ini Kamoze. I may have cut some shapes to that tune back in my youth.

The last few years have been a bit of a rollercoaster, due to Covid-19 and various global crises – what have you learnt about yourself during these turbulent times?

I have learned that I am more patient than I used to be. The tendency is to feel you are only as good as your last month. When you look at progress over quarters and years you are more appreciative about what has been achieved.

What personal qualities do you think are needed to lead through change and uncertainty?

Being able to set and communicate a vision is key. If people are connected to a bigger picture, the day-to-day disappointments that recruitment inevitably delivers don’t seem so bad. That and a sense of humour.

Andrew Welsh, CEO of Meraki Talent, spoke with Roisin Woolnough.

Image credit | Jason Cairns