WORK WALES - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Recruitment & Compliance Officer
Meet Aleksandra, our friendly and lively Recruitment and Compliance Officer, responsible for supporting with the overall management of some of our larger projects at Work Wales. Throughout any average working day, Aleksandra's office duties will generally include selecting resumes, reviewing and interviewing potential candidates, taking phone enquiries, handling payroll and updating administrating systems.
Aleksandra found herself within the recruitment industry following an extensive background of study at Swansea University, where her passion for cultures and people saw her achieve an undergraduate degree in International Relations. To further fuel her fire for learning, Aleksandra then went on to complete her Master's in Human Rights. As we know, university funding doesn't come cheap, and to fund her education, Aleksandra also committed to a part-time role waitressing, where she quickly impressed her customers and superiors so much, she swiftly stepped into more managerial roles.
It was this transition that opened the door to future opportunity, as Aleksandra realised her potential for bigger things. Appreciating she had a natural ability to lead a team and look after the well-being and organisation of staff, Aleksandra also become fond of the administrative duties she was responsible for as a Restaurant Manager, and her love for organisation has positively influenced the Work Wales team. Following her promotion and completion of the REC course for Law and Compliance, we know our policies and procedures are all in safe hands, with Aleksandra spearheading our admin department.
But for Aleksandra herself, it is the knowing she's doing good things for good people that keeps her truly fulfilled at work. "I really enjoy my career at Work Wales, it is the most rewarding thing I have ever done. It's incredible to come in each day and know that I can make a real difference to the lives of good people. Whatever the future holds, I know I've found my happy place in recruitment." - Aleksandra.
A home grown valley girl, developing her career and family life in the Welsh Riviera - the Mumbles. Seeking management roles throughout her career, Christina blossomed in one of her first job roles working at the fast food chain, McDonalds. When a new store opened up in Aberdare, Christina quickly worked her way up to Area Manager and at 17, held responsibilities to run and manage parts of the restaurant.
Working from the age of 14, Christina continued her career growth as she studied her business degree at Swansea University. Recruitment was always an interest to her, and after spotting a consultant post with an international recruitment agency, Christina knew this was her calling to step into the professional world of recruitment; and unbeknown to her at the time, meet her business partner, Miss Sophie Turner. Some would say this was a match made in business heaven, and they would be right - the pair hit it off immediately and after a few years of working together, they quickly accomplished a lifelong dream to set up their own business.
Initially starting out as a trainee recruitment consultant, but very quickly rewarded for her efforts, Christina was promoted to an account manager role, where she often winning branch awards for highest sales and conversions. Christina's tenacious and passionate drive ensured that the Swansea branch became a success.
Today, Christina is one half of the dynamic duo behind the operations at Work Wales.
She is a strong, independent and confident business leader, and her natural creative flare helps to drive Work Wales in the right direction to grow and develop with the ever changing industry. Christina is most happy when planning and seeking out new opportunities to develop the creation that both Directors grew from nothing.
Now living and working from Dubai, she is always looking to learn new things and expand her understanding of the ever changing recruitment and tech world to stay satisfied. Christina is energized by identifying new ways to solve problems and have the ability to instigate wide-scale change through her "outside the box" thinking.
Her passion for both recruitment and community are evident as every day she helps people to thrive in their job role, and using the Work Wales platform, supports charities such as Kids Cancer charity, Maggies, and Matt's café - all efforts are searchable using the hashtag #workwalesgiving.
Job Titles:
- Perms Recruitment Consultant
If you need long-term commitment from talented professionals, then Kim is the person to support your search. Kim is a credible and knowledgeable recruitment consultant with an impressive 28 years' experience within the recruitment industry. Kim's first ventures into the world of recruitment started with secretarial roles before working her way up the career ladder to become a recruitment consultant working at large-scale corporate firms recruiting for positions across the board including, technical, trades, IT, Accounting, senior management, sales and general office roles
Following on from her recruitment consultancy success, Kim transitioned into managerial positions, before eventually starting up her own company, becoming the CEO of her own recruitment agency whilst living and working in South Africa.
In 2020, Kim made the decision to return to the UK and set up home with her husband in sunny South Wales. Excited by the idea of a fresh start, Kim has since settled in and quickly re-established her footing in the world of recruitment.
Today, she is one of Work Wales' most trusted and respected perms recruitment consultants and supports the business in finding experienced and skilled people for a range of specialist roles.
Responsible for client liaison, posting vacancies on job boards, search activities, liaising with candidates and employers, reviewing CV's and applications and undertaking interviews, Kim's diary is always jam-packed with activity.
For Kim, a natural explorer with love abundant for the outdoors, the flexibility and supportive environment at Work Wales, is what keeps her wanting more. Kim has recently taken the Work Wales brand West, "Based in Haverfordwest, we're focused on providing local employers and candidates with the top calibre service our South Wales clients have enjoyed for the last 13 years. We work as true consultants, understanding our clients' needs and cultures, with in-depth screening of applicants and skilful matching techniques. We create win-win situations for clients and candidates alike."
With a strong background in sales and recruitment, Matt brings a personal level of skill and knowledge to the Work Wales team. When he was younger, Matt made the decision not to pursue the ‘typical' route upon leaving school. He considered university, but knew it wasn't the right path for him. When his family moved from Pontypool to Swansea, the rest is history!
When he was 18 years old, Matt secured his first professional role as a Recruitment Consultant through a connection in his rugby team. After two years at the agency, the pull of sun, sea and sand called to him, and he moved to Cyprus and worked in various sales positions for four years.
When he returned to the UK, Matt worked as a Regional Account Manager for a local company before the opportunity to come to Work Wales tempted him back into recruitment. His background means he's made for this job! He joined us in October 2021, and passed his six-month probation in only three months!
Matt spends his days looking after our temps, talking to clients, and making sure everyone is happy. He is an open, honest, and talented individual who brings a lot of passion and empathy to the team at Work Wales. He's a key member of our team when it comes to building relationships with customers and clients.
We're incredibly glad Matt chose to join us. We really value his input to the business and the Work Wales team. Thankfully for us, he's chosen to settle in recruitment for good, and we're lucky to have him on board!
Job Titles:
- Business Manager
- Recruitment Consultant
From school teacher to recruitment consultant and business management, Ryan is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day activity at Work Wales. With over fifteen years' experience teaching in secondary schools, Ryan is no stranger to a fast paced environment and naturally thrives amongst the challenges of providing cutting-edge recruitment strategies at Work Wales.
Qualified, skilled and experienced, Ryan left school to pursue an undergraduate degree in Music, before completing a PGCE course in Education at the Cardiff Metropolitan University. After several years in the education sector teaching music to children aged 16 and under, Ryan eventually packed away the instruments to venture into the exciting and ever-evolving world of recruitment.
Initially, and still primarily, a recruitment consultant for Work Wales, Ryan spends much of his day sourcing suitable candidates for a variety of specialist roles and career opportunities, whilst his leadership skills see him responsible for overseeing the daily activity and business operations at South Wales based recruitment firm.
Family-focused, football fanatic, Ryan, leads a busy life away from work too; regularly singing in a local choir and spending time enjoying the best of moments with his young family. Though, at work he thrives on the continuity of a busy and challenging environment, as Work Wales commit to delivering excellence within the recruitment industry.
Ryan says: "We're an independent agency with big ambitions. We have a strong team of passionate, experienced individuals and it shows in everything we do. We know what good recruitment looks like, and that's what we deliver."
Job Titles:
- Perms Recruitment Consultant
From busy city living in London, to a quieter lifestyle in South Wales, our latest Perms Recruitment Consultant, Sarah, certainly doesn't shy away from the challenge of change. Adapting to a different pace of life in her exciting new career at Work Wales, Sarah is thriving in her fast-paced role at the Perms desk, where she cites the unpredictability of external factors being one of the more challenging aspects of her job.
It's true that in recruitment, no one day is ever the same; but it's this, combined with the experience of meeting new people and a range of dynamic personalities on an almost daily basis, that Sarah truly loves about her career in the recruitment industry. Prior to taking on a position at Work Wales, Sarah's first experience into the realms of customer service followed shortly after her graduation from the University of South Wales.
With a history degree to her portfolio, and a tonne of ambition to carry her through, Sarah opted for life in the city and moved to London where she went on to spend 6 years in various customer facing roles. From airlines to estate agency work and then recruitment, she fast realised her passion for working with people. In 2019, Sarah moved back home to Wales and settled in recruitment for good.
Joining us in May 2020, Sarah now works alongside Kim Simpson, and together they support the functionality of the Perms Desk. Day-to-day, Sarah's role includes onboarding new clients, sourcing and interviewing candidates, invoicing and much more. Outside of work, you'll find Sarah socialising with friends, taking long walks through some of Wales' finest tourist hot spots and playing with her gorgeous puppy, Bertie.
"I'm really excited to be working with local Welsh businesses and targeting Cardiff after recently relocating here. It's great to work for a home grown female owned recruitment company who genuinely care about their candidates, client and staff." - Sarah.
Scott found himself in recruitment shortly after graduating with a BSc in Forensic Science; a move he certainly couldn't have foreseen prior to the financial crash! As the Forensic Science service got smaller, he quickly broadened his horizons. Following a brief stint in finance, he spent the past decade finding candidates their dream jobs in education and social care. Now, he's putting his recruitment expertise into practice at Work Wales.
Landing at Work Wales, Scott's day now involves more cups of tea than he ever thought he was capable of drinking, and a lot more office dancing than he's entirely comfortable with! Taking everything in his stride, we know there's nothing he can't handle.
The fulfilment of helping those looking for work and finding the right role for them has been a breath of fresh air for our Contracts Manager. He's brought so much experience to the team!
Meet Scott, our chatty Contracts Manager. Responsible for sourcing candidates, onboarding, and even inducting them on-site, there's never a dull moment. Splitting his time between the office and meeti...
Job Titles:
- Director
- Career Development Coach
During her career, Sophie has risen quickly through the ranks in a variety of management roles. In 2003 she earned a BSc (Hons) Business I.T. degree which led her to gain immediate experience in Office Management followed very quickly to an appointment as a Branch Manager within an international recruitment agency. Sophie's 10 years' experience in the recruitment industry across South Wales and England has been the foundation for the success of her company, Work Wales Ltd. As Co-Founder and Director she built the company from scratch in 2008. Today, Work Wales has developed into one of the fastest growing independent recruitment agencies and Sophie strongly believes that people are the heart of the business.
"We are a business who listens, advises and most importantly cares and in no way are we a one size fits all business. We founded our business on passion, honesty and integrity, values I live by each and every day."
In addition to her strong leadership skills, Sophie is also an excellent Career Development coach, having undertaken the Train the Trainer course in Seattle; U.S. she has trained, mentored and developed staff for over 10 years. In 2014 she was named one of the finalists for "Female Entrepreneur" in South Wales Business Awards, and her company was awarded "Gold" in the Best For Recruitment in Wales. Sophie has been nominated and attained a variety of awards throughout her career but nothing satisfies her more than securing the perfect job for her candidates whilst ensuring an unrivalled commitment to her clients. Sophie's focus over the years has been recruiting for multiple industry sectors of all sizes including Constructing, Engineering and Manufacturing. As Work Wales continues to grow Sophie's continued focus is on driving the business forward whilst also specialising in recruiting and head hunting senior level professionals using her natural consultative approach whilst ensuring attention to cultural fit.