Invaluable focused support
Simon Poole, co-founder and Chairman of campervan converter Jerba Campervans, describes the crucial support he got from J Gadd Associates when recruiting for his own successor as Managing Director
Finding the right fit
“I met Associate Libby at an online employee-ownership event in the autumn of 2021 and had been talking about succession planning. Jerba Campervans had become employee-owned in January 2018 and I was looking to step away from the day-to-day running of the business and needed to recruit a new Managing Director to take over from me. Libby emailed me after the event to say that J Gadd Associates may be able to help.”
“After a bit of shopping around, I found that they were, actually, the ones who could deliver what I wanted. Libby listened to what I wanted to do: it was about finding the right character with the right skills and the right fit for the business. I needed handholding and guidance; someone to say if I was doing the right thing or about to do the wrong thing. Libby and recruitment expert Associate Adrian put together a proposal that was right for me and my needs.”
Open and honest
“Adrian and I came up with a plan of what I wanted out of the recruitment process and when I wanted the process to finish. We talked about my aspirations for the business, the culture of the business and the timeframe. With that understanding, Adrian recommended how I could do it. I wanted to sift through CVs and do the interviews and be involved in the whole thing – but I needed his support and guidance on how best to do it. I’ve recruited before, but it was a new area for me to recruit for someone who ultimately is going to be working for themselves, in that I wouldn’t be looking over their shoulder. It was an open and honest relationship with Adrian from the start, which is what you need. He has great understanding and experience of both recruitment and employee-ownership. I trusted him, his judgement and his methodology. He’s honest, straightforward and tells it like it is.”
Thorough approach
“I have written job descriptions in the past but, when you’re recruiting to a senior position, things have to be done in a specific way. Adrian gave reassurance and pointers as to what I should do. He knew the key things to get across to ensure we attracted the right candidates and we had discussions around salary, too. He advised us on advertising – where and when to advertise, what to say to get the type of person we wanted – and he had ideas that I wouldn’t have even thought about that resulted in us getting a lot of applicants.”
“When the CVs came in, Adrian devised a scoring system. He said I needed to keep a clear and concise record of applicants, which made my approach more thorough that it would usually have been and was crucial advice to make sure I was covering my back.”
“Those early, crucial discussions with Associate Adrian around job descriptions, salary and advertising were invaluable. Without his support, I would have gone through the recruitment process chewing my nails and with sleepless nights. If you get it wrong when you recruit at this level, it’s an expensive mistake to make”
Simon Poole, Co-Founder and Chairman, Jerba Campervans
Invaluable discussions:
“Adrian wasn’t involved in selection but we had a discussion on how many interviews to hold, and what type. He’s well-connected and provided someone who supported me in the way I wanted with psychometric tests and analysing the results, which was really useful. The end result was that we got our new Managing Director and those early, crucial discussions with Adrian around job descriptions, salary and advertising were invaluable.”
“I would often call him and he’d always respond to give his input or reassurance, which was great. Without his support, I would have gone through the recruitment process chewing my nails and with many sleepless nights. If you get it wrong when you recruit at this level, it’s an expensive mistake to make.”
Summary
J Gadd Associates (JGA) began working with Jerba Campervans in October 2021 when co-founder Simon Poole was looking to exit the businesses and needed to find a new Managing Director. Associates supported Jerba Campervans with specialist mentoring and guidance on executive recruitment in the employee-ownership sector, working remotely and flexibly to ensure it attracted the right candidates.
About Jerba Campervans
Jerba Campervans was founded in 2005 by couple Simon Poole and Cath Brookes with the ambition to bring new and practical ideas to the UK campervan market. The business now works directly with Volkswagen as a registered vehicle body builder, creating unique conversions. Based in North Berwick, Scotland, Jerba Campervans has 15 employees and became employee-owned in January 2018.
