2023 has definitely been an eventful year in the world of recruitment. There have been ups and downs, but as the year draws to a close, it’s time to focus on the ups! Here are some of VMA GROUP’s highlights of the year:
Transition to Employee Ownership
In October, VMA GROUP announced its transition from private ownership to an employee-owned business under an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT). Julia Meighan, VMA GROUP’s sole shareholder since 2008, made the decision to set up the Trust to ensure both current and future employees can benefit from and share in the long-term ownership of the business. This has been a momentous milestone in VMA GROUP’s 45-year history, and we look forward to continuing to work with our clients and candidates as an employee-owned business.
Celebrating Anniversaries and ‘Workiversaries’
This year has been full of significant anniversaries at VMA GROUP. As a company, we turned 45 years old! We believe VMA GROUP’s heritage is a testament to the trusted relationships and teams we have built over these years. Thank you to those who have supported us in reaching this milestone!
VMA GROUP’s employees have also celebrated some momentous ‘workiversaries’ this year. July marked CEO Andrew Harvey’s 10-year anniversary at VMA GROUP. For the past decade, Andrew has been a driving force in VMA GROUP’s growth and success, acting as an excellent leader and role model, as reflected by his 100% CEO approval on Glassdoor.
Our Managing Director, Lucy Cairncross, also celebrated a significant ‘workiversary’ of 15 years at VMA GROUP. Lucy leads VMA GROUP’s executive search practice and is a trusted leader in finding the best communications, marketing, digital, and change talent for our clients. Moreover, she is a pleasure to work with!
New Initiatives and International Growth
Launch of Change Management Practice
For 45 years, VMA GROUP has been a leader in recruitment and search in the communications, marketing, and digital sectors. As a natural continuation of our existing business specialisms and due to rising demand for transformation professionals, we introduced our Change Management practice in August. This development allows us to help others find the best talent to implement and navigate change smoothly in their organizations.
Expanding International Presence
Though headquartered in London and with offices across the UK and Europe, VMA GROUP partners with clients and candidates internationally. This year, we have continued to develop our international presence, particularly within our Marketing practice, and have ventured into territories including Canada and The United Arab Emirates. We’re eager to expand and establish our international presence further, becoming a trusted recruitment partner globally.
Events and Networking
At VMA GROUP, we love to host events for professionals in the communications, marketing, digital, and change industries. This year, we organized over 30 events, including advisory boards, roundtables, and networking sessions like Crystal Pearce’s Meet The Author series. Additionally, Anna Newsome, our Internal Communications Recruitment Consultant, launched the NNC Network for non-native internal communications professionals. With over 100 members, we look forward to meeting more of the network at events in 2024.
Research and Insights
VMA GROUP has a heritage in conducting industry research and producing insight reports for the professions we support. In 2023, we published three research and insight reports: Changing Communications, Flexible Working Survey, and The View. Towards the end of the year, we also launched the 10th installment of our flagship survey, Inside Insight, providing a comprehensive analysis of the UK internal communications market. We’re excited to publish the report and share results in 2024.
We will also be launching a new marketing research survey in early 2024. Thank you to all those who have supported us this year. We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
