Happy 2019 to all our Clients, Candidates, partners and friends.
As we start to look forward to the year ahead, we are also looking back at an amazing 2018 which saw growth and expansion across the business. We had huge success in our Financial Crime & AML, Risk Management and Compliance areas, and expanded our Finance & Audit team to include part-qualified Accountant and transactional Finance recruitment. We welcomed new team members to MERJE, launched additional Customer Contact recruitment services and a new Procurement offering, won a prestigious award for our Credit Risk division, and much more.
The year started with our London team moving to larger offices in central London. The new premises in Fleet Street added space for more team members, meeting rooms, breakout space, and a combined pool and table tennis table!
In March we announced our 2017 financial results, which saw a 36% increase in turnover compared to 2016. This was a record for MERJE, and was excellent motivation to carry on our success throughout 2018.
March also saw our sponsorship of the Credit Summit 2018. Taking place at the QEII exhibition centre in London, the event was a great opportunity for members of our Credit Risk and Customer Contact teams to meet leading Credit professionals and hear the latest market insight.
As we headed into Spring we launched a new recruitment service focused on entry-to-manager-level Contact Centre roles. MERJE Front-Line Talent hit the ground running by filling a number of volume campaigns and quickly became an integral part of our Customer Contact offering.
In May, much like the rest of the UK, we were very focused on the impact that GDPR was bringing to the markets that we work in. As well as ensuring that we were GDPR compliant ourselves, we partnered with a number of firms looking for Data Privacy Managers and Data Protection Officers to help them manage the transition.
We were the recipients of the ‘Recruitment Partner of the Year’ award at the Credit Awards 2018. It was a wonderful evening and we were proud to have our Credit Risk and Collections recruitment services recognised at such a respected award ceremony.
Our involvement with key industry awards also included partnering with the Call Centre Management Association (CCMA) to sponsor the UK National Call Centre Awards and the European Call Centre & Customer Service Awards (ECCCSAs). Those who attended the ECCCSAs may have been lucky enough to find one of our Golden Tickets to win a free bottle of champagne!
The start of summer saw the launch of our new website. Working with recruitment technology agency Volcanic, we refreshed our online presence to offer our Candidates and Clients more ways of working and engaging with us, as well as giving the site a modern look and feel.
Our number of core Disciplines increased in August when we launched our Procurement recruitment division with the introduction of Stephen Fletcher to the MERJE family. Stephen brought with him over 30-years’ recruitment experience and he is looking to add more expertise to the Procurement team as it expands in 2019.
Our Summer Social was delayed till mid-September but that didn’t stop the sun shining as MERJE had an activity-packed day out in London. Sight-seeing boat-trips down the Thames, a darts competition and lots of food, drink and dancing meant it was another social event to remember.
We partnered with the Institute of Operational Risk in October to host a networking event for Risk Management professionals in London. There was a great turnout and we are excited to run similar events in the near future.
Our Manchester headquarters moved on the 22nd October to our new purpose-built offices in Whitefield. The offices provide a fresh and stylish environment for our Northern teams to work in and was built to our specifications using local suppliers. We celebrated with an opening party and welcomed football legend Denis Law CBE to cut the ribbon.
MERJE enjoyed a bumper year in 2018 and we are excited and ready to continue providing the highest quality recruitment services, insight and support to our Clients and Candidates in 2019.
We are always looking for talented and experienced Consultants to join our Manchester and London teams. If you are a Recruitment Consultant with a proven record in any of the areas we work in, get in touch to discuss joining Team MERJE.
To discuss how we can assist with your recruitment needs in 2019, or help with your career options, please contact us today.
