Astute Recruitment – Triple-Point Guarantee Client Testimonial – Mayfield Yarns

Triple-Point Guarantee Testimonial – Mayfield Yarns

“As a highly regarded SME manufacturing specialist with a reputation for excellence, it was key for my senior management team, Finance Director and I to utilise a local Derbyshire accountancy recruitment specialist specifically working with other SME businesses. With a proud reputation for staff retention having had long-serving staff for 15+ years, I needed a new Qualified/ Qualified By Experience Accountant to assist me covering all aspects of manufacturing accounting including costings. I also needed someone with the experience to provide robust figures across the balance sheet and profit and loss for the Group FD based in Yorkshire. It was also incredibly important to get someone who would understand the quirks of our specific business, office set up and commit to us for the long-term.

After searching online – I came across Astute Recruitment Ltd. Their website, branding, and awards convinced me of their pedigree and focus specifically towards SME Businesses and I gave them a call.

I had a great initial conversation and arranged a meeting with Andy Lilliman – Senior Consultant and Mary Maguire – MD of Astute to understand their service and approach.

Myself and the Group Finance Director were very impressed, particularly when they explained their unique Triple-Point Guarantee. In return for exclusivity, signing and agreeing on specific dates for shortlisting CVs, first and second stage interviews – we were delighted to have the full focus of Astute’s team.

The Group FD and I did not want to engage with multiple agencies and have a raft of CVs and phone calls from other recruiters. Instead, we welcomed Astute’s dedicated approach in only shortlisting and sending us the most relevant, qualified candidates who matched our criteria.

Scroll forward four weeks and we have appointed a terrific candidate who was immediately available with the breadth of experience we were looking for, who also had the perfect fit for our own team, culture, and business.

I’m delighted with Andy and Mary from Astute and would thoroughly recommend them and their team. Their Triple-Point Guarantee offering also worked beautifully to ensure a smooth, efficient service with a guaranteed outcome.”

Ian Brindley

General Manager – Mayfield Yarns

Client testimonial on our Triple-Point Guarantee from Weight Partners Capital

Triple-Point Guarantee Testimonial – Dale Topco (owned by Weight & Partners Capital LLP)

I’m a partner at a specialist London based Private Equity Investment company. Nearly a year ago I needed a Financial Controller for one of our newly acquired SME Business Investments in Derbyshire. Key was to get someone who was hands on for this small but successful operation. Someone to be responsible for the day to day finance and accounting issues including outsourced payroll, statutory accounts, management accounts, managing a small team and ultimately reporting to the Private Equity partners.

Without understanding the local Derbyshire/ East Midlands marketplace – I googled a Derbyshire based accountancy recruitment consultancy and Astute Recruitment Ltd were top of the list. Their ethos, core market, and areas of expertise seemed to perfectly fit with what I needed.

After arranging a meeting with a consultant at Astute, I was confident that their knowledge of my business and the timelines agreed would work. Because I am London-based I only wanted to work with one agency who I could trust would have great local candidates with experience in other SME businesses. This is why I was so impressed by Astute’s Triple-Point Guarantee.

Agreeing exclusivity, I was able to map out ideal dates for initial shortlist of candidates, first stage interviews and second stage interviews to tie in with my existing diary commitments in London. This also allowed me to have just one point of contact to efficiently manage the entire recruitment process which is what happened.

As planned, 4 weeks from agreeing the brief, I was able to put an offer to the successful candidate. Nearly 12 months later the person appointed has grown to become a trusted and crucial part of the operation in Derbyshire. I would not hesitate to use Astute again and their Triple-Point Guarantee is a lifeline if you want a smooth process without the hassle of working with lots of different agencies.

David Jolly – Partner at London Based Weight Partners Capital LLP

WPC is a specialist private equity investor founded in 2009 to bring profit improvement and investing skills together to generate outstanding returns. They invest in the consumer and healthcare sectors where the team has operational experience. WPC focus on businesses capable of transformation but not in deep distress, at the smaller end of the market in the UK and Ireland.

I met a great candidate the other day.

I like to understand why people looking for work reach out to me specifically.

So, I asked him.

He said that when he was using me to hire an accountant last year, I was so passionate about one particular candidate and confident in that person’s ability that I staked my professional reputation on the line to give that person a chance of an interview. I came across as genuinely understanding that particular accountant’s skills, experience and strengths. I also came across as genuinely caring about that person.

“Now that’s the sort of person I want to represent me” he said. “Someone who can passionately, professionally and rationally present me as a professional person and not ‘just another CV’.

Someone who genuinely ‘gets me’ as a candidate and who truly has my interests at heart and not just hitting their monthly sales target.”

What better way to sum up a recruiter’s role in the 21^st Century?

Why your business needs a great Management Accountant

The dictionary definition of Management Accounts:

“A set of summarised accounting data (balance sheet, cash flow and income statement) prepared and presented (usually every month, fortnight or week) specifically for a firm’s management. The objective of management accounts is to provide timely and key financial and statistical information required by managers to make day to day and longer-term business decisions.

While financial accounts are the lifeblood of a business providing a snapshot of the income received and bank balance, it is the management accounts that truly deliver a story of where the business has been, where it is now and where it looks like heading. Management accounts are the thermometer of a business’s viability and critically it’s financial and commercial well being.

While AI is constantly looking to replace formulaic accounting there can be no substitute for a strong management accountant and true finance business partner to be the bellwether of a company’s performance.

Here at my company, Astute Recruitment, we have noticed an increased demand from SME business owners and Finance Directors for truly strong Management Accountants / Financial Business Partners – to go through the numbers, genuinely understand the ebbs and flows to provide the senior management team with clear, succinct, accurate information to genuinely impact the bottom line. People who can liaise with key internal and external stakeholders, providing them with meaningful operational information but who can also challenge the status quo to improve performance further.

If you are a Part Qualified/ Qualified Management Accountant who is looking for a genuine chance to add value and perform a true management accounting service for a great business, please contact Andy Lilliman or I for a confidential chat on 01332 346 100 or by email: [email protected] OR [email protected]

We have a number of brilliant roles at the moment with client’s keen to interview before the Christmas Holidays!

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Mike

16:04 13 Mar 23

Highly recommended! Josh and Sarah have been fantastic at Astute. They've found and placed me in 2 jobs now between them, both really responsive and excellent at keeping you up to speed with things. Very knowledgable about the roles and happy to talk to companies with any queries you have.

C R.

10:45 27 Jan 23

Great agency one of the best ones I've worked with! Liz has been a great help and support in helping me towards a new direction in my career life. She is very attentive and keeps me in the loop at all times! She makes the extra effort to work with my preferred requirements for work and even if it isn't completely attainable she meets me in the middle and does as much as she can to help! Also Liz is very funny might I add 😂 and I'm happy that I can now put a face to the name after all these years! Thank you again Liz for all your help and support! 😊

Christine

10:32 20 Dec 22

Josh and the Astute team was very swift to help me to find roles that matched my profile. They are really reliable and will help through every step of the recruitment process going out of their way to assist and follow up when needed. Could not find a better recruitment agency!

Helen Pinegar

16:19 18 Dec 22

Fantastic recruitment agency.. Josh was extremely enthusiastic, encouraging and clearly knowledgeable about what was needed from both the employee and the employers point of view. Extremely supportive especially in regards to interview preparation and endeavoured to procure feedback promptly. Wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Astute in the future to both candidates and recruiting businesses particularly for the right fit for the role!!!

Lisa Leigh

11:56 30 Nov 22

I have worked as a candidate for Astute and they have been excellent. Super friendly service and professional agents keen to fit the right person to the right job. It has been a pleasure dealing with them and I would happily work for them again in the future. Highly recommend this agency.