THE CANDIDATE - Key Persons
Blake is part of The Candidate's Data & Tech division, bringing over 7 years' recruitment experience to the team. Blake has a history of helping candidates and businesses navigate the tech landscape providing advice and expertise.
Blake enjoys cooking new and exciting cuisines from around the world, and subsequently having to make a sandwich when they don't work out as planned.
**Blake is a big advocate for sustainable living and is always looking for and trying new things to live a greener, lower impact life (tips & hints always welcome!)**
Brian's role within The Candidate is to lead and develop all recruitment activity. He founded The Candidate with Colin with a view to build a recruitment agency that serviced a candidate short market. Leading the team through recruitment pipeline, development of consultants through to directors, strategy for the growth of the business- his role within the agency is all encompassing. Brian still remains active with hands on recruitment projects and even after 18 years within recruitment, still takes genuine pride in successfully working with both candidates and clients.
Outside of work- Brian is a family man, a massive Man United fan and when not at Old Trafford or home, you need not worry he can be easily found at his local pub having a pint or two!
**Brian still likes to be reminded that he won Recruitment boss of the year 2016!**
Job Titles:
- Senior Agency Recruitment Consultant
Chris is a member of our Agency team recruiting for roles across digital, creative and PR. He comes equipped with a degree in Animation and still loves having a good chin wag with his candidates about film and television.
Chris grew up in Northern Ireland and moved to Manchester for university as well as to have Old Trafford on his doorstep. Outside of the office Chris can normally be found skating, bouldering or having a few pints with his mates.
Chris has worked in recruitment and search and selection for over 30 years. Since then, he's worked across the globe helping his clients recruit and develop their people. Chris helped to recruit Brian into his first recruitment job in October 2000. He's worked with Brian and Colin from the beginnings of The Candidate, and with a potent combination of psychometrics and interview techniques continues to help them bring in the best.
In his (going) spare moments, Chris plays the drums and listens to a wide variety of music.
Colin's role at The Candidate is all things business operations, from contracts to commercials, systems to strategy through to planning and perfecting. He aims to ensure that our consultants have all the necessary tools to offer clients and candidates the best and most effective consultative service. He's worked in an agency environment now for 20 years and has a firm understanding of the structures that need to be in place to make a successful business. He co-founded the agency and has helped it grow to its successful position in the region as the leading marketing and tech recruitment agency.
At home Colin is a family man who is married and is having some success with raising two kids.
**Colin was the first media buyer in the UK to buy a paid search campaign back in his advertising agency days in the early naughties!**
Job Titles:
- AUTHOR
- Managing Director at TheEword
Following a year abroad after his graduation, Elliot joined us in 2019 as a junior consultant with no previous recruitment experience and a passion for all things digital. Since then, Elliot's worked his way through the ranks and is now a Director, as well as heading up the Marketing & Ecommerce team, recruiting roles from Executives through to Senior Management.
Elliot always strives to take the formality out of recruitment and loves building a genuine rapport with candidates and clients alike.
Outside of work, he loves Skiing, stripy tops, good food and terrible jokes.
Job Titles:
- Agency Recruitment Manager
Evie is our Agency Recruitment Manager - she has a degree in Marketing and a background in digital and social media marketing, both freelance and for Manchester marketing and PR agencies. She has established some fantastic connections across the industry and is the go-to-person for all things agency!
Job Titles:
- Senior Marketing Recruitment Consultant
Henry is a Senior Marketing Recruitment Consultant. Like many graduates, wasn't sure on what his next steps would be after finishing his Marketing and Management degree at university. The Candidate seemed like the perfect fit for the next chapter in his life, and he really has excelled in this role.
Outside of the office Henry is a massive foodie, enjoys (trying to) keep fit in the gym and going to Old Trafford on the weekends.
Job Titles:
- Executive Search, Board Director
Laura joined The Candidate 7 years ago and is extremely proud of how the business has grown and the fact that the business still shares the same values as it did at the beginning; exceptional service, industry expertise and working on a consultative approach. She has a significant senior candidate network that powers her executive Search and Selection successes having unprecedented access to a significant level of passive candidates who are open to developing their senior careers. She was awarded Recruitment Consultant of the Year 2015, which has no doubt led to her comfortably taking up her Recruitment Board Director position. She also volunteers for Bloom North a professional network and community for women in communication, using her massive network to recruit and enrich members.
Laura is a country girl at heart but one that loves nothing more than a large glass of wine listening to 90s music with friends!
**She is a Freeman of the city of Chester and a campanologist (extra points if you know what that is without Googling!)**
Job Titles:
- Marketing and Operations Manager
Melanie heads up all things marketing, communications and operations within The Candidate. She is the go-to person for just about everything and if she doesn't know, it isn't worth knowing! She focuses on marketing and is the main contact for external projects and partnerships.
In her spare time, you can usually find her at her caravan in Wales or walking her crazy pooch, Ralph!
**Melanie did her driving test 6 times and is an impeccable driver because she had so many lessons**
Job Titles:
- Marketing Recruitment Consultant
Michael is part of our Marketing & Ecommerce team, and he's always looking to make a big impact and fill roles as efficiently as possible. He has previously worked in recruitment specialising in roles in the Blockchain space. He has lived in Manchester his whole life, and in his spare time he loves gaming, going out with friends, or doing some sort of sport!
Job Titles:
- Recruitment Consultant
- Search & Selection Resourcer
Natasha is an experienced recruitment consultant, and has a wide ranging industry background. She will be joining the Search & Selection team as a Recruitment Resourcer to help find the best candidates for senior and executive roles. Outside of work, her weekends are spent doing all things family orientated, as she is a working mum of five!
Job Titles:
- Agency Recruitment Consultant
- Team As an Agency Recruitment Consultant
Rachel joined The Candidate Team as an Agency Recruitment Consultant. She studied Fashion Marketing at The University of Leeds and is really excited to see what she can bring to the agency!
At the weekend Rachel loves to explore new restaurants, have a cosy movie night in or book spontaneous city breaks with her friends.
She considers herself a pornstar martini connoisseur and loves meeting new people.
Job Titles:
- Senior Creative Recruitment Consultant
Sara is one of our Senior Recruitment Consultants finding the right fit for clients and candidates across the creative industry. With a Fashion Promotion degree and internships with fashion brands and marketing agencies, she has insight into many roles within these markets.
Outside of the office, Sara loves a pint, pub quiz, bar crawl, and dogs! Listening to a wide range of music, she's often at a gig or festival. She enjoys yoga, cooking for her friends, walks in the countryside, and visiting new places. You'll also often find her scrolling through various brand websites and placing a few too many orders!
Job Titles:
- Ecommerce Recruitment Manager
Victoria manages the Ecommerce team to help candidates find their dream jobs in various specialties including PPC, SEO, Affiliates, Paid Social, and so on. Thanks to her experience in fast fashion and her agency marketing background, she is at the forefront of innovative marketing!
When not in the office, she enjoys taking part in HIIT workouts (both at home and in the gym) and balancing a healthy lifestyle. She also loves catching up with friends and ordering (a few too many) clothes online.
*Victoria lived in Chile and Dubai before moving to Manchester! She is also bilingual in both Spanish and English*