HERE TO DELIVER

Launched at the end of 2008, Profile Financial Executive Recruitment combines two key spheres of expertise to serve the hospitality sector. Leader’s Gina McAdam asked Philip Cartwright to unravel some of the mystique.

I initially qualified as a production engineer within the motor industry before becoming an accountant. As an engineer, I very quickly realised that it was the finance people who often had the say in what one could or couldn’t do, so I qualified as an accountant and switched to a finance career. I’ve been a member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants for years now.

The whole of my early career was spent working for multinational groups which gave me the opportunity of working all over Europe and adapting to very differing situations. The companies I worked with included Chrysler, Air Products Inc, and Plessey, the big electronics group, where I was number two to the finance director of one of the larger operating divisions. At Plessy, I supervised a team of about twenty, half of whom were qualified accountants.

Moving into recruitment was my second big career shift. By chance I met Michael Page, the original founder of the now huge, recruitment group. When we met, however, it was relatively early days in the company’s growth and he asked me to set up an executive recruitment division for higher level finance personnel such as Divisional Finance Directors, Group Controllers and other senior financial roles. We built quite a heavyweight team for the company during the boom time of the mid/late 80’s. Eventually I moved on to establish Cartwright Consulting, still with an emphasis on recruiting at this level for blue chips such as Hertz, Tate & Lyle plc, Caledonia Investments plc and Hitachi Europe.

An aspect of recruitment that I’ve always enjoyed is to be out in the field. It is so important to get totally immersed in the client’s requirements and to approach a recruitment assignment in the correct way. As an executive recruiter, I start working from the top down, understanding the organisation’s structure, objectives and its culture. You cannot do all that from behind a desk.

What attracted me to work with Profile is that it’s a real niche business that has been operating for thirty years and has an excellent global client base. They are also a very likeable team which is critical when dealing with ‘people and their careers’. The sector itself – just take hotels, for example – is alive and buzzes day and night. It’s great to have that. Furthermore, the variety from exotic boutique locations to the larger ‘volume’ brands makes it even more interesting with each having their own differing target market. I think that the combination of Profile’s longevity within hospitality and mine – 25years—in senior financial recruitment is quite a unique and potent one. We have a lot to offer luxury hotels, contract caterers, pub companies, the cruise industry, spa sector and other leisure companies.

There is no doubt that senior financial executives have a much wider role now than they used to. Their prime role is to be a support to the CEO and to carry out everything within the professional financial sphere in order to achieve that. If we roll the clock back a few years, he or she would have often been very much more a numbers preparation person. Now in almost any circumstance, at that senior level –Controllers, Divisional Finance Directors – supporting the CEO means being able to allow the business objectives to be achieved and sustained through the use of strong financial controls, resources and budgets, as well as having the systems in place to cover risk assessment for their particular business.

Among the qualities that make a good Chief Financial Officer today are the ability to be outward – looking and to liaise with banks and credit providers. Just over the last two or three weeks, I have spoken to companies who are looking for just that, particularly the ability to speak to third parties about financing issues. One aspect that I can bring to Profile’s clients is the capacity to widen the scope of where we can source candidates from, to seek out their required talent from sectors outside the hospitality sector who can then transfer or transpose their skills. For example, we can look at people moving from retail or property, sectors that are different but with distinct parallels to hospitality. It’s thinking outside the box. Candidates now are obviously looking at where a job may lead to in the future, they’re stepping back and looking at what is right and sound rather than chasing that extra pound or dollar.

Our style is not one of hard sell. Following a phone call or visit with a potential client I will always leave things on the note that …‘You know where we are and if we haven’t heard from you in a while we’ll drop you a line to keep in touch’. It’s about moving forward together, not just selling a candidate. The latter approach is very short-term and does not build long term relationships with the client or the candidate. It will be great when we get to the point where a company says ‘Profile has recruited some good operational people for the industry so let’s go to them for our senior financial requirements’.

When one works hard, because nothing comes without effort, it’s important to use any free time in an enjoyable way. I play golf regularly with a great group of friends every Saturday morning at my club in Hampshire. I love skiing, mountain-biking and anything to do with motorsport and classic cars.

I would relish the opportunity to sit down and have a chat with about what Profile Financial Executive Recruitment can do for you -- remember, we're here to deliver!

You can contact Philip Cartwright at Philip.Cartwright@pmsr.com