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At MERJE, we believe in fostering long-term client partnerships. That's why, in recent months, Kirstie Burn has taken on the role of Head of Client Services.
This sits alongside her usual duties of leading the London team and as a Director in Governance recruitment. Kirstie continues to deliver exceptional recruitment services to clients and candidates across Governance, Risk & Compliance, but is also exploring how we can add more value to our existing partnerships.
She brings a wealth of experience and a proven track record of exceeding client expectations, which means Kirstie is very well placed to develop strategies to elevate client satisfaction and ensure unparalleled service. She is working to identify opportunities within our client partnerships where you can get more from MERJE, from support across additional business functions (we have 9+ specialist disciplines!) to varied and tailored hiring solutions, including contingency, executive search, interim workers, volume campaigns, market intel, and salary benchmarking.
Get to know more about Kirstie and her role as Head of Client Services...
Read the Q&A instead...
What drew you to a career in recruitment?
I was attracted to recruitment as prior to working in this industry, which I joined in 2000, I'd worked in management development and training. Here, I discovered that I really enjoy the people side and the opportunity to connect.
On top of that, there is a great commercial opportunity working in recruitment and I've very much enjoyed the reward and the success of that.
Why did you decide to take on the Head of Client Services role?
We had identified that, at MERJE, we really wanted to show our dedication to building relationships and being there for the long term with our clients. We also saw that this role would play a key part in having that continuity of contact with clients. Because I really enjoy working with people, I'm good at building relationships, listening, advising, and presenting intelligent solutions (thanks to my 20+ years' experience), it was great opportunity for me to take this on.
What's the key to a great recruitment partnership?
I think the success of a really good partnership is whereby there is clarity of process and how we want to work together and expectations set up very clearly from the start, but also a real clear intention from both parties that we're setting each other up for success.
What successes have you seen as head of client services so far?
So far, I have seen some great benefits in providing a central point of contact for our clients, whereby I can go and discuss what's working, what we need to improve on, really make sure we're optimising all the processes that we've got, and a central point of contact so clients to come to me and help them navigate around MERJE's vast expertise.
What has been the biggest learning curve in your career?
I would say my biggest learning curve has been learning that business comes first. Realising that, no matter how loyal and dedicated you are, commercial success will probably override any of that. So I always advise my contacts and my network - you need to make sure you are looking after yourself and making sure your intentions are clear. And if you're in a good place and happy with what you're doing, you'll be a really good productive person.
What do you love most about living and working in London?
Living and working in London is just such a great vibe. There is everything and anything to do at any time of the day. That's what I enjoy the most.
Describe the MERJE approach in three words.
Just three words. There's a lot of words I would give. Um, three words...
I would say collaborative - we're really, really well joined up. We work across different offices, across different teams, provide a really cohesive approach to our clients when they don't want that individual that just sits in a box.
Also, truly insightful - there is a huge amount of expertise within MERJE. A lot of people have decades of experience, so we really have the knowledge and credibility.
The third word I would use is dynamic - I would say that because MERJE is truly adaptable. Everyone is very entrepreneurial and very flexible. We offer very tailored solutions to our clients, but also there's a great energy here.
A surprising fact about you.
As a girl from quite a small town in Yorkshire, it might be surprising to learn that after I graduated I moved to Belgium, lived in Brussels, and I lived in an Arabic cultural centre for a year.
Chat to Kirstie about how your business can get more out of MERJE - get in touch today!
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