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We’re delighted to have recently launched a new specialist discipline focusing on business transformation and change recruitment.

As we explored in our launch article, recruiting in the business change and transformation arenas is not a new string in the MERJE bow, with Neil Johns and Barry McDonald having supported a huge range of clients and candidates in this space for many years.

MERJE’s expansion over the years, coupled with plenty more growth plans in the works, meant that now seemed like the perfect time to cement our expert offering in this market by launching a dedicated Business Change & Transformation (BC&T) discipline, alongside our other specialist areas of knowledge.

Neil and Barry will expertly head up the BC&T offering, so we thought it a good idea to catch up with them on what’s happening in this space at the moment.

First off, what exactly will you be covering in BC&T?

Neil: As with the rest of the MERJE catalogue, we cover both permanent and interim roles throughout the UK, specialising in mid-senior and C-suite level appointments.

The beauty of business change and transformation roles is that they are needed by every type of business as they adapt to the ever-changing landscape of customer or operational needs.

So, while the large part of our work falls into the MERJE niche of financial services and banking (e.g. insurance, collections, consumer credit, investment and wealth management, etc.), we are certainly not limited to that and have plenty of experience in wider industries such as healthcare, utilities, charities, and consulting.

Barry: In terms of the specific roles we can support with, this ranges across a variety of business areas and skill sets, including change, transformation, continuous improvement, programme management, product, business readiness, business analysis, process mapping, project management, and more.

It’s a unique mix of skills required to lead, manage and deliver truly successful business transformation, especially in a way that aligns all processes, frameworks, strategies and systems with the overall company vision, values and mission. That’s why it’s best to come to the experts – us – to help you find the right people for your team!

Why did you decide to launch a BC&T specialism?

Neil: In truth, it was borne more of a realisation that we had in fact been working in this area for a long time but not really shouting about it across our client network! With so much experience in the space, we are really well-placed to assist our clients with the inevitable changes in demand from their customers.

Barry: As Neil mentioned, it’s something we already do on a regular basis. We have extensive and specialist consultancy skills in this area but felt that we needed to promote that further so that we can support many more clients and present even more opportunities to our extensive network of candidates in this space.

What are the current key trends in the BC&T arena?

Barry: Overall, BC&T teams are more crucial now than ever with this progression into the digital world. The fast-paced technological evolution of today means that businesses need to continuously adapt to remain current, whether that is providing the most efficient and simple ways for customers to interact with the company, or offering staff the best tools to do their jobs.

Plenty of recent research has shown that customer behaviours are leaning further and further towards digital-only services, online interaction, open banking, etc. So what we’ve seen most is the realisation from many organisations that they need to invest in change and transformation functions in order to survive, and the sooner every company has that epiphany, the better!

Neil: An obvious one would be businesses adapting to either home or hybrid working, a transformational step which was accelerated thanks to the pandemic, and bringing in the relevant people to scope that out so it can remain a sustainable model in the longer term.

We observed a big demand at the start of this year for Business Analysts for large-scale business case gathering. In addition, Digital Transformation Project Managers are very much wanted, given the changing landscape of how customers want to interact with businesses.

The pandemic definitely brought forward the need for industries across the board to make sure they embraced digital transformation and that their online offering was market leading.

What are your own BC&T credentials?

Neil: We have recruited everything from Heads of Change to PMO Analysts across a wide range of sectors and businesses.

I’ve worked with Fintech start-ups building everything from scratch, care home providers looking to implement a continuous improvement framework within their operations, established banking groups completely reforming their processes, and everything in between.

Between Barry and I, we have more than 30 years of experience working within this space and one of the things that is great about this area is that it’s ever-evolving, so it keeps things fresh and interesting.

Barry: I have recruited into these types of roles for almost 15 years now and have been involved everything from single appointments to delivering huge change projects into great organisations across the UK.

We’ve both built up fantastic networks along the way, so know plenty of eager, talented and ambitious professionals ready to take on their next change or transformation challenge.

How should a client or candidate get in touch about Business Change & Transformation roles?

If you’re hiring in the change and transformation space right now, submit a vacancy on our website and Neil or Barry will be in touch.

Alternatively, if you’re a BC&T professional looking to develop your career pathway, find our latest BC&T jobs here.

Or, candidate or hiring manager, you can contact Neil or Barry directly and they’ll be happy to have a chat:

Barry McDonald – Business Manager, Customer Contact, Business Change & Transformation (Scotland)

0141 737 2479, bmcdonald@merje.com

Neil Johns – Director, Customer Contact, Business Change & Transformation

0161 883 2743, njohns@merje.com

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Before you go…

Did you know that Neil and Barry are also experts in mid-senior and executive level contact centre and operations recruitment?

If you’re in the market for a Chief Operating Officer, Contact Centre Manager, customer service team or similar, they’ll be happy to help out with that too! Find out more: MERJE Customer Contact