Novo Celebrates Two Decades of Strategic Business Transformation Through the Nomination of Outstanding Executives

The success of a business depends on many different things, but something everybody can agree on is that two of the most critical aspects when trying to achieve success are good leadership and a solid and engaged working team. When these two are brought together, companies thrive.

Novo is such a company, as an executive search and selection company. Their services allow their clients to gain a competitive advantage through high-value consultancy. 

To ensure the best results, Novo works with the clients to guarantee consistency and boost their experience and knowledge. After two decades in business, it’s natural to look back at all you have achieved throughout the years, as well as establish where you think you’re headed going forward. 

Reasons to be proud 

Businesses are on a path towards constant development, looking to keep changing and improving. It’s the best and most certain way to ensure your competitors do not remove you from the market. Performance figures are the key indicator of how well a business performs and which areas can be improved. At Novo, all consultants have an average experience level in executive search of at least fifteen years. 

Novo has been successful in executive search recruitment across thirty-five countries, working with clients with a turnover range as extensive as £30bn. Their longest-serving client has stayed with the company for over eighteen years, and they have worked with almost 1000 over the past twenty years. The scale of the assignments is diverse, ranging from worldwide searches to single target organisations. About 75% of Novo’s projects are with already existing clientele. 

The overarching majority, approximately 90%, of all search assignments reach the offer stage in as little as six weeks. The average time for projects to reach client interviews is only four weeks. After working with more than 8,000 CEOs and MDs, the team at Novo has gained considerable expertise across a wide range of market sectors. 

Good teamwork 

The only way to have a successful business is to guarantee that there’s a good team working to turn plans and goals into reality. At Novo, the team is dedicated to becoming better. Continuous training is one of the primary reasons why the company has progressed so much over the years.

Ongoing professional development and mixing the experience of a group of directors with two centuries’ worth of experience between them with a business culture always ready to incorporate new technologies are the key factors to succeed in executive search. 

Dale Perrett, Founding Director at Novo, shared his experience working as part of the team at Novo. In his words, “People are committed to delivering quality results for clients, they are professional, hardworking, demanding of themselves and others,” showing an environment that nurtures the well-being of employees and seeks to create a welcoming business culture.

Matthew Searle believes that there’s a lot of satisfaction that comes with doing your job well, saying, “It’s also incredibly rewarding – helping people achieve their career goals and enabling clients to attract the best people to reach their businesses.”

Susannah Mallaghan, Division Manager, believes the company has, “adapted well over the years, making the most of new technologies and changing markets.”

However, it’s not just the approach to the working conditions that is important, but also the balance between work and personal life. She went on to say, “I have always found they have a flexible approach to their staff and have supported me through motherhood, returning to work and part-time working.” 

This is highly important because, as the job landscape continues to change, people are increasingly looking for jobs that also consider their well-being. George Woodward also characterised the working environment at Novo as, “Successful, rewarding, diverse.”

For Ryan Mills, who has been with the company for eleven years, there have been challenges like in any other job. The satisfaction of working alongside a dedicated team and, “forming a successful career in executive search,” has made the personal investment very rewarding.

The future 

Predicting the future is challenging. Yet, in the business sector, it is nonetheless an essential thing. Following the ways in which markets evolve and seeing their direction enables companies to develop sturdier strategies that can help them adapt to the demands. When it comes to executive search, Novo has always believed that the best approach is to remain open-minded to the technological developments shaping the markets. 

Dale Perrett expects that the impact of artificial intelligence will be monumental but that diversity strengthening will also play a crucial role. George Woodward is similarly convinced that technological enhancements will continue to make things faster and more reliable in the industry. The presence of, “leaner workforces with more aspects being automated / AI orientated,” and the development of companies towards internationally-based office spaces will also be substantial. 

Josephine Watkins expects, “An increased awareness in Diversity and Inclusion at the board level,” and, “a heightened awareness for businesses to be equal or better with their benefits packages and flexible working policies to attract the best talent,” to go with the technological innovations. It’s not surprising, given that most believe technological advancements are bound to improve the human experience as well. 

However, Ryan Mills believes that tech can, “create opportunities as well as obstacles,” and that companies must be mindful of how they incorporate and use technology into their processes. Susannah Mallaghan thinks it is particularly, “exciting to see what new tools emerge in the next 5-10 years to help further,” while Jonathan Shepherd is waiting to see, “More AI and data-driven insights in exec search and talent acquisition.”

According to Jon Hollier, introducing artificial intelligence will change requirements within the industry and shift paradigms regarding mental health and flexibility. 

It’s their commitment that helped Novo survive, thrive, and develop in a highly competitive market.

They’ve made it their mission to deliver excellent services and have invested a lot of time, effort and resources to provide a high-quality standard, regardless of whether they have to do research for a niche mining company in West Guinea or for a Nuclear Programme Manager in Scotland.

No two searches are the same. Novo approaches all with the same single-minded enthusiasm and proficiency.