To mark her 25th anniversary at Henley Research, we interviewed Director of Research, Helen Davies, to discuss the last 25 years.
Tell us how you came to join Henley back in 1997?
When I left school I took the plunge and decided to go and live and work in Switzerland for a year in Lausanne. Then followed my degree in French and Music, which also included a year in France teaching at a lycée. As is often the case, I didn’t really know what I wanted to do when I graduated, so I temped for a year, working in the commercial function of the Trusthouse Forte Group and then in the medical records department of a private hospital. After a final stint in a small electrical services company I heard about the Researcher role with Henley Research International.
Keen not to lose my language skills, this seemed the perfect move, and as they say, ‘the rest is history’. I was the second linguist to join the business, and I’ve been fortunate to be able to use my French pretty frequently over the years, especially when speaking with a French/Swiss candidate for the first time – it’s great to ‘break the ice’ in French and they always appreciate the gesture.
What were the offices like back then?
We had a cottage-style office in a prime position on the high street in Henley in Arden (hence the company name)…prime position for the infamous Henley ice-cream and gastro pubs that we would frequent for birthdays and team events.
Very different to our current office, which is just a five minute walk from Birmingham International Railway Station and Airport, and a ten-minute or so commute from Birmingham New Street. So, very accessible for the team and for clients to visit us, and we’re only an hour away by train for meetings in London.
And how did you go about finding candidates?
Well, LinkedIn hadn’t even been thought of in those days…we were only just about getting used to email, and even then emails just arrived at one centralised address.
For our research, our tool kit would be a combination of access to some info on CD ROM (where we had to book our place to use the computer), delving into hard copy industry directories…and of course the ruler, so that we could physically underline in the directory which companies might yield candidates with the right background given their line of business, turnover and location. Some of the directories then very helpfully listed names of key stakeholders, but often we would have to rely on telephone research/detective work to hone in on those in the most suitable roles.
And how did you get in touch with people?
Always by phone – leaving discreet messages on switchboard, with PAs or with colleagues. Sometimes we might even send aletter to try and catch the attention of a particular individual!
It was a baptism of fire having to use the phone so much but the ‘phone fear’ faded fast and I’m so grateful to have developed that skill early on.
What have been the biggest changes over the 25 years?
Technology – transporting us from the days of the fax machine, electronic typewriter and even posting forms for candidates to complete when they didn’t have a CV, to the current age of Teams/Zoom, social media and automation.
Our client base – working hand-in-hand with our executive search clients (David, Jim, Phillip, Simon, Andrew, Frank…) was a fantastic grounding for someone setting out in executive research. Our aim was always to ‘look at our work through the eyes of our Consultant’, to make sure that it was client-ready and that we could anticipate any questions or challenges that they would face from their clients. I didn’t realise that I would still be doing this 25 years later, but this certainly set me up well for working in close partnership with our current corporate stakeholders.
How important has technology become?
As a tool, it’s super important, to help make sure we have explored every angle when building a talent pool and developing a slate of candidates…
But, behind the tech you also need the attention to detail, the agility, the tenacity and the creativity; that’s what helps to set you apart from the rest.
Which things haven’t changed all that much?
- The close relationship with candidates and clients
- The importance of the candidate experience
- The absolute privilege of hearing about someone’s journey when you haven’t spoken with them before, and the opportunity to make a difference as to how their next step may pan out.
And what is your favourite part of your job?
I love being able to help and trouble shoot – whether it’s brainstorming on a project with the team, advising a candidate or partnering with a client, there’s usually always a way and something else that can be done.
How would you describe the culture?
We always talk about the ‘Henley spirit’…from the days of performing as the Spice Girls at one of the ‘team jollys’ (Jacquie was ‘Ginger Spice’, Fran ‘Sporty Spice’, Nicki ‘Posh Spice’, Liz ‘Scary Spice’, I was ‘Baby Spice’ and Adrian was ‘Old Spice’) through the bumpy times of the dot com, 9/11, the credit crunch and the pandemic, to the current crazy times, the team spirit has been strong throughout with many a strong friendship forged.
What would you say to people considering a career in executive research, given your experience?
It’s such a unique job, a blend of being
- A detective – research skills
- A historian – navigating the data
- A magician – we really do have to make rabbits appear
- A counsellor – to listen and learn
- A consultant – to advise and guide
What a privilege!
Thank you to Adrian, Jacquie, Fran, Nicki, Mark, Diana and so many others along the way – your tutelage, guidance, support and friendship have been invaluable.