Upon Andrew’s first contact with Greystone, we listened to how he was feeling about his role in his current business and discussed the building services market, engineering salaries and how Greystone’s methodology is to uncover opportunities that aren’t necessarily advertised.

As part of his journey, we coached Andrew on how to have conversations with his current business in a bid to help him find fulfilment and achieve his aspirations without the need for a career move.

“ I spoke to Katie and she was able to talk me through where the market was and let me know what opportunities may be available if I looked to move. The thing that I found very impressive was that Greystone's philosophy was to first see if things could be improved with my current employer, rather than immediately recommending a change” says Andrew. 

After months of discussions with his business surrounding his goals, nothing had come to fruition and he decided it was time to take the next step.

“When I did come to Greystone wanting a change they were diligent and thorough, getting to know the reasons for the change and my motivations. Simon managed the process and was responsive and kept me up to date throughout. I was delighted with the opportunities that were presented.”

Greystone’s conversations uncovered all of Andrew’s career wants, goals and needs; only then launching our search for the perfect opportunity that aligned with these discussions. Utilising our 30+ year network of engineering businesses, we were able to secure Andrew a position with Elementa Consulting that met all of his criteria.

Andrew says, “Overall, Greystone have definitely helped me to take the next step in my career. The advice I have received from them has given me the confidence to raise any issues with my employer to try and improve the situation before I reach the point of wanting to leave. When I did decide to move they made the process as stress-free as possible.”

“This isn't what I have found of other recruiters and is why I would happily use Greystone in the future.”

A step up in terms of role and responsibility

Hybrid working to help things work around his family

An opportunity to gain exposure to new project sectors

Our initial discussions with Andrew were ignited by our salary guide in 2019 and led to a number of months coaching Andrew on how to have conversations with his current business to see if we could help him improve his career there. It wasn’t until nearly a year later, after a lack of materialisation, that Andrew decided it was time to move.

Overall, Greystone have definitely helped me to take the next step in my career. The advice I have received from them has given me the confidence to raise any issues with my employer to try and improve the situation before I reach the point of wanting to leave. When I did decide to move they made the process as stress-free as possible. This isn't what I have found of other recruiters and is why I would happily use Greystone in the future.

Paul’s member journey began with a conversation with Greystone Director, Phil Hodgson. 

“I specifically remember being impressed with the amount of time that Phil took to understand my needs. He spent a good couple of hours on the phone with me initially, really going under-the-bonnet of my career to establish what I wanted moving forward.” Paul says.

“The whole recruitment process with Greystone was a really positive experience and I now utilise their expertise when it comes to hiring myself.”

Greystone made sure that Paul understood the extent of the work we were about to undertake for him and we communicated throughout the entire process, every step of the way. We executed Paul’s brief in a sensitive, timely and effective manner; outlining each business we approached to Paul to ensure he felt our previous conversations were fully understood. 

Within 2 weeks, Paul had seen 3 companies where his aspirations were fully taken in to account and had 3 offers. When it was time to make a decision, he chose Ramboll. 

Three years on, we caught up with Paul and asked why he chose Ramboll over the other two offers, and this is what he said:

“Ramboll just felt like the better fit. They are a multi-national, multi-disciplinary business that offered everything I was looking for and more.

At the time I joined, whilst the business was very large, my team was still fairly small at around 35 people, so there was lots of room to grow. Ramboll has historically been known more so for structural engineering rather than building services itself, so it’s always been about building what we want to achieve in the future in this discipline. There’s just so much headroom to grow with the support of a large organisation; and it’s exciting to be able to make an impact and build the Ramboll name in Buildings.

In March 2020 when the pandemic really took hold, Ramboll handled it really well. Information was shared across the business openly and honestly. Most people were already well equipped to work from home as we hotdesk around the office with our laptops, but for those who needed equipment, Ramboll made sure it was provided. Now that things are relatively back to normal, they’ve implemented a hybrid working scheme in to our contracts so that staff have flexibility around their place of work. Ramboll is also a very flexible employer, we are not bound to a strict 9-5 working pattern.

They really believe in their people having work-life balance. I came from what I’d call quite a macho background, where Directors were expected to work 60+ hours a week. But at Ramboll, there’s no expectation like that. The company genuinely believes that the right balance should be struck. 

The business remained really strong during the pandemic. Where it’s a foundation owned business, there aren’t any shareholders, so they don’t have to protect profits in the same way a PLC would. Some temporary measures were put in place which are now back to normal, but because of the way it was handled, not one person was made redundant across the entire business which speaks volumes in my opinion. The business’s people first approach is truly genuine and the care for their staff’s well-being is incomparable.

Ramboll have definitely come out of the pandemic stronger. We’re in a really good place company-wide which I think shows by the 30+ vacancies we are looking to fill. 

It’s a very attractive company to work for. There is a huge focus on inclusivity, equality and diversity; and Ramboll don’t just talk-the-talk, they walk it. Our Managing Director, Philippa Spence, displays huge passion and commitment to driving positive change and to ensuring Ramboll is a diverse and inclusive business where everyone is valued and can be their true self.

We’re not just a diverse business in terms of gender, we’re also diverse in terms of background. Ramboll thrives on different cultures, backgrounds, nationalities. Everyone has different ways of thinking and problem solving and it just makes for a better business.

There’s no template for what a Ramboll employee looks like, so you can almost create a role for yourself in a sense. If you want to be tech focused, back of house, coding and driving digital designs then you can do that. If you’re more of a people person or a leader, then you can do that. Or you can mix roles. The fluidity to move around, learn, develop, even work internationally - opportunities are endless.

Another reason I chose Ramboll is because they are really positioning themselves as a sustainable consultant. Sustainability is always at the heart of everything we do; not only exemplary design but also the commitment to help employees live more sustainable lifestyles where we are a member of the Count Us In platform, and we also have an active Making a Difference employee network who connect our people with charities driving sustainability.  

It’s just all round fantastic. A great match made by Greystone that I am truly grateful for and I look forward to welcoming more bright minds to my team in London.

A company with more investment in their business and their people

The opportunity to grow and experience other project sectors

When we first spoke to Paul in 2018, he had been in the same company since graduating in 2005 and worked his way up to Director level. 

I specifically remember being impressed with the amount of time that Greystone took to understand my needs. They spent a good couple of hours on the phone with me initially, really going under-the-bonnet of my career to establish what I wanted moving forward. The whole recruitment process with Greystone was a really positive experience and I now utilise their expertise when it comes to hiring myself.

Nick has over 25 years’ experience in Sustainability. This has included an International Director role, Partnership and heading his own successful consultancy.

Nick and Greystone had been keeping in touch for several years prior to activity in the market, with a true Greystone focus on relationship-building, until the time was right for Nick to make the next step in his career.

Nick’s knowledge in the industry is vast and he possess’ a real flare for strategy, business development and an extensive senior level network.

When the time was right to opt back into a permanent role, Nick was happy to work exclusively and trusted that he would have our full attention on this journey. We agreed the parameters of the next challenge and it must be different to what he had faced previously, then devised a strategy to target the market and clients accordingly.

Nick’s past businesses were large, multinationals but this time he was keen on taking all his experience and utilising this to impact a smaller organisation, one that had a genuine passion for pushing sustainability forward, for the long-term. Nick wanted to be instrumental in this.

With Greystone’s market knowledge, we approached a particular business whose aspirations aligned with Nicks, somewhat speculatively but explaining an individual with Nick’s ability are rare and he will add real value.

Discussions at board level were quickly had and things progressed naturally, with Nick clearly demonstrating he was the right person to take the organisation to the next level. A lead Partner explaining Nick was the right fit not only with his ability and scope of experience but maybe more importantly, a perfect cultural fit. Within weeks the Exec Board had unanimously decided to create a new role for Nick and onboard him at his earliest convenience to hit the ground running.

This journey with Nick showed the real effect of working with the very best in industry, that some individuals in the market are not to be missed and the value add is huge even if not ‘actively recruiting’ – we worked on Nick’s timescale and were pro-active as soon as he gave the green light.

Taking his expertise into a smaller business rather than another large, multi-national

Shape the way wider sustainability grows in the business

Join a business that had raw passion and support to push sustainability forward

Nick has over 25 years’ experience in Sustainability. This has included an International Director role, Partnership and heading his own successful consultancy.  

Nick’s knowledge in the industry is vast and he possess’ a real flare for strategy, business development and an extensive senior level network. 

Greystone were instrumental in placing me in a new senior position and provided excellent support throughout the whole process from initial engagement through to taking up the role. Greystone have been highly professional, personable and supportive through the whole journey and I would definitely recommend working with him to support the recruitment process.

After being walked through each stage of the Greystone model by his dedicated Greystone Consultant, Cameron was quick to realise the added benefits our approach provided his career search. A safe haven where instead of being sold vacancies, he can have direct access to companies that weren’t hiring, this is what appealed to him. It allowed Cameron to ultimately make an informed decision about ensuring he chose the right business for the next step in his career. Cameron was more than happy to work exclusively with Greystone, allowing us to approach suitable companies in the market which were a perfect match to his individual brief.

We spent time ensuring we understood Cameron professionally and personally, talking through all of the search criteria that was important to him, e.g. location, business size, industry sector, culture, projects, aspirations. After a number of detailed and transparent conversations, we felt comfortable we had a complete  understanding of what was important to him, and exactly the role and type of company that he would be interested in. It was then time for Cameron to sit back and relax, and let us do what he approached us for in the first place, leverage the connections within the Greystone club to identify suitable companies that met his bespoke criteria.

Behind the scenes his consultant emersed themselves into his search, ensuring every business owner, Director or hiring manager were spoken to in person. Care was taken to ensure we explored the opportunity within each business to make sure it met Cameron’s, short, medium and long term aspirations. After the search was complete, and every stone was turned Cameron secured 4 interviews. Not only did this take less than a week to complete, but all of these interviews were with companies who were not active in the market, they weren’t hiring and they didn’t have a live signed off role. It was Cameron’s quality as an engineer and his potential “fit” within the organisation that appealed to them.

After concluding the interview process, Cameron was able to reflect on the offers he had received, and after taking time to ensure he chose the right one, accepted a role and joined Ridge, an engineering consultancy with a focus on sustainable engineering design. Now in post, his role has seen him lead on electrical design for commercial and residential projects in London and being the driving force in developing the electrical engineering team, providing his technical electrical expertise along the way.

We continue to catch up regularly with Cameron, as a member but also as a client. He sees a long term future with Ridge & Partners but appreciates knowing we are at his side throughout his career.

London-based role with flexibility for home-working

A business with a passion for sustainability

Cameron is a highly technical, intelligent Electrical Associate Director with an impressive career history and background incorporating his IET Volunteer and Technical Author status. Cameron approached Greystone in August following regular contact with us throughout his career.

Greystone carried out the search for my new role in March 2024. They took time to listen and to really understand what I was looking for going forwards. Greystone had a professional approach throughout, which was proactive and very much appreciated. During the process I was provided regular updates on the search and I felt fully informed about all the available options. It was also reassuring to know that every effort was being made on my behalf. In the end I had a choice of two great employment offers – a very privileged position to be in. Thanks Greystone for all your hard work.

After keeping in touch throughout his career, Mark reached out to Greystone directly to discuss new opportunities. Having never used an agency before, it was important that our approach was thorough and specific when explaining our model in order to provide him a full understanding of how we will represent him in the industry, versus the traditional recruitment “vacancy led” service he could have been guilty of expecting, having never worked with a recruiter before. Mark had previously secured roles via his contacts in the industry however on this occasion he understood how we can open doors far beyond the reach of his own contacts and that at such a critical point in his career he needed to explore all of his options.

After meeting Mark face to face we got to know each other better, this understanding gave us the insight needed to compile a portfolio of businesses that we felt perfectly matched his requirements, which would provide Mark the progression opportunities he was seeking as he continued to grow in the industry. 

We executed the brief timely, yet effectively, and within the first few days secured Mark 4 interviews. One of these clients were active in the market, and the role was already an organic fit for his skill set. The other 3 interviews were with clients who were not advertising at all, but were very interested in his profile and the potential value Mark could offer their organisation. 

We sat down with Mark and outlined these 4 businesses, bringing them to life for him, ensuring he knew them inside out before meeting them, size, projects, culture, workload, how they believed they could shape a role for Mark within their organisation, making sure it catered for his medium and long term career aspirations. 

Agreeing these were all great opportunities, at Marks request we scheduled meetings with all companies so both parties could meet and explore further. Mark very quickly got a good idea of the businesses he was most interested in progressing to the second stage, and ultimately concluded his search with 2 very attractive offers on the table. 

Having ensured Mark had access to the whole market, not just tip of the iceberg jobs, it allowed him to evaluate and make a decision on where to continue building his career.

Business development and client-facing role

More input and direction of how to deliver work and manage the business

Close to home, minimising travel and improving work/life balance

Mark is the perfect example of a highly desirable Greystone member. An excellent career background, long tenure in each company he has worked for, and a clear path of self-development leading to him climbing the ladder of success in the industry.

Diligent and welcoming from the outset, Greystone not only provided the support and guidance for someone who had never been on the market before, but also took time to understand my aspirations, both personally and professionally. Now happily employed in my new role, I am grateful to Greystone for all the support and encouragement I received and I would recommend them wholeheartedly to anyone who is seeking help in continuing their own career path.

Alex optimises exactly the right ‘quality’ of individual we look to welcome into the Greystone club.  When we got introduced to Alex he was very happy with his current employer, in fact it was over a year later that he decided the time was right for him to make a move. This was a decision he had been wrestling with for some time due to his loyalty, his current employers having invested allot of time into him, and having been there since the beginning of his career had made many friends during those 5 years. However Alex was all too aware that his experience was limited to High End Residential projects and felt that in order to develop as an engineer and continue to progress his career he needed exposure to a variety of sectors and a more diverse portfolio of projects. With his options limited on the south coast and enticed by the excitement of the challenge Alex felt that a move to London was the best place to take his career to the next level.

Since his first encounter with Greystone over a year prior, the model had stood out to him, now he was ready to commit to making the next move in his career, to Alex there was only one agent he was going to trust in helping him on this hugely important journey.

In our experience, the higher calibre the engineer, the most precise they are in their decision making progress about what they want in their next role. In Alex’s case this was certainly true, he had clearly thought about this in detail and it was not a decision he had made lightly, he had clear reasoning and rationale, and he knew he would have to step out of his comfort zone to achieve his aims. 

The Greystone model was perfect for Alex with this being such a big move for him he needed confidence of our aim to set him up for success rather than just finding an vacancy for a quick buck. We took the time to give Alex a complete overview of the market and construct a list of 26 target companies easily commutable from Southampton and systematically contacted over 75 contacts with these companies by phone to talk about Alex and give them an overview of his capabilities and his desire to move. We shortlisted 4 companies for interview. It is worth noting that 3 of these companies were not actively looking to recruit but simply reacted to the pending availability of a great candidate, proving once again our belief that without a proactive search a typical candidate will miss 73% of the true opportunity available to them.

A geographical move to London but still commutable from Southampton in the short term before relocating

To work for a larger company that can access a wider range of projects of a larger scale

To progress his career to Senior Engineer status and beyond

To invest in his training and professional qualifications

Our relationship with Alex started in December of 2017. It was clear from our very first conversation that although operating at Intermediate level, Alex demonstrated huge potential and had all of the markings to suggest he was a future superstar of our industry. 

Had a great experience with Greystone, they took into account all my comments resulting in a move which benefited my career.

Whenever a CV details a couple of short terms stints it is human nature to ask questions, in this case unfairly. Chadik was and is, highly regarded by his peers and the references we took backed this up, describing him as an extremely hard worker, technically brilliant and someone with great potential to climb the ranks given the opportunity.

When reviewing Chadik’s career to date it was evident moving from a technical role, part of a larger team within a corporate business to an SME to start up a security capability from scratch was a big jump and without the proper support, too big a jump. With a young family requiring his time, Chadik desperately wanted stability but not to give up on his dreams of progression. With security being such a specialist field this was no easy search but as always when we commit to a member we commit to getting the job done.

Our search captured 21 different companies providing Chadik a complete snap shot of what the market could offer him. Through discussion, together, we narrowed this number down to 3 companies that Chadik had always wanted to work with at some point in his career. The problem was none of these companies were in the market at that point, but that’s why Chadik came to us in the first place. We leveraged our network and spoke to all 3 companies, explained who Chadik was, his skill set and why we believed that business was the right fit for him. Each company were in complete agreement, and interviews were put in the diary. The interviews were all very positive however it was clear that Chadik was sure he had met his future employer, Cundall.

Cundall are a very well established business across the UK and in a variety of locations around the world with circa 1000 employees. They are best known for their structural and MEP engineering teams however they had successfully grown a number of specialist functions such as acoustics, sustainability, vertical transportation. Having recently recruited a lead figure for their new security business they needed a No2 to work in tandem with the Director and Chadik was a perfect fit.

Chadik’s move to Cundall has been a resounding success for both Chadik and the company. In this time the security capability has grown from 2 to 20 heads, they operate out of the UK, Singapore & Australia, turnover has grown by 300% and Chadik and Darren have as a team brought on many new clients successfully. Chadik has achieved his aim of stability and promotion, he also now has a hard working team around him he is incredibly proud of and enjoys mentoring.

A consulting organisation in and around the London area

An existing but not fully developed security capability where he could learn from a mentor

Work with a mentor that believed in Chadik and his capabilities

The opportunity to be client facing and involved with business development to bring in workload

An opportunity to build a team around him and learn management techniques in a safe environment

An opportunity to progress and achieve future promotions

Chadik is an exceptional Security Engineer, after a hugely successful 8 years with a large organisation, he wanted to aspire to bigger and better. Unfortunately that had led to a couple of moves that just didn’t work out.

Greystone are a breath of fresh air in the recruitment world. The unique membership model drives a great candidate experience which is professional, controlled and thorough. You will have a genuine expert in your market, industry or specialism in your corner helping you make the right career move. To any candidates out there thinking it is time to make a move I would thoroughly recommend utilising these guys to help you on that journey.

As part of a large company Andrew had honed his craft as a technical engineer, learned to manage others and build a team around him and was ready to make a big step up which the corporate world couldn’t offer.

The search for Andrew was not a hurried one, this move needed to be the right opportunity to step up which required patience. The search lasted some 6 months, 5 interviews and plenty of sales calls before the right opportunity was identified. During this time Andrew had secured a promotion with his current business, a significant pay rise and he was also subject to a significant counter offer. Andrew however was never tempted to stay as he has been through the correct decision making progress in the first place and the right opportunity was ahead of him with Harley Haddow to become part of their London leadership team.

The result of this placement has been a huge success to date and is tipped for much more moving forwards. The Harley Haddow business has grown in London under the new leadership team and I’m sure will continue to be a huge success. 

An opportunity to step up to Director level

An increase in salary to reflect the role and responsibilities taken on

Target a smaller business where you have access and control to the make decisions

The challenge of building a client base and winning work 

Andrew is a high quality Electrical Engineer by trade who after an early career out on site and a nearly 10 years in design consulting he wanted to make a career defining move. 

I was quite particular about my requirements, indeed they changed through a period of about a year as I investigated my career move and Greystone listened to these, adapted and ultimately brought to me the exact role I was looking for. Cant really ask for much more.

Paul’s relationship with Greystone was founded off the back of his previous role where he leveraged Greystone’s network to find talent for his previous firm. He had been in his role for nearly 10 years and there were a lot of positives; but his role included a lot of time away from home, travelling. The days were long and the time he had with his family was lacking.

The level of trust that he built with Greystone, as an employer, was what led him to strike up a conversation where he could express his concerns about his role and use us as a sounding board.

“Having employed people through Greystone, I knew the level of talent they dealt with. Those that were placed with us were really good people. When the pandemic hit and I actually got to see my kids in the morning and in the evenings, I was given the opportunity to sit back and evaluate what was more important to me and what I wanted from my career. I knew Greystone would be able to help.”

Paul spoke of how he got to such a low point that he even considered leaving the industry. He told Greystone Director, Simon Wilson, how he ‘just wanted out’.

“I trusted that Greystone would do the right thing by me and not just speculatively send my CV around the industry,” says Paul. “But the bit that really stood out to me was the advice and coaching that Simon gave me around my situation. Having someone to listen to me, help order my thoughts and coach me in to asking yourself the right questions surrounding what I want from my career. This was the most valuable part for me – the time that was given to me. I was able to air frustrations that no-one had really listened to before. 

Those discussions took me from a position where I felt powerless to a position where I felt I had control. This is something that’s uniquely Greystone. From interactions I’ve had with other recruiters, Greystone stands out like a sore thumb.”

Through conversations with Paul it became clear that he desired the opportunity to create something of his own, so Greystone leveraged the relationships we have in the building services industry to find an established business looking to branch out.

In our search, we uncovered opportunities that would not have been known to Paul otherwise, and set him up with a number of conversations with building services businesses; however, it was Ridge & Partners LLP, who decided to invest in Paul and open a Cambridge office, near his home, that he could lead and grow, who Paul felt were the best fit.

Paul was offered a role as Partner at Ridge where his responsibility was to open a new office in Cambridge, build the team and develop their business. He says, “Ridge have got a really long term view which is hugely powerful and important. They made me realise that that’s where the future is for me and it’s really exciting to be able to lead the Cambridge office.”

Now 3 months in, Paul is actively seeking building services engineers through Greystone to join him on this hugely exciting journey for Ridge. Paul says, “People that join the Ridge team in Cambridge have the unique opportunity to help shape something. We’re all building on each other’s skills and personalities and helping the business to grow; and the opportunities that come with that are endless.

I think for anyone to be able to look back in 12 month’s time and say ‘I helped build that’ is something truly special.”

Find out more about working for Ridge: Click Here

Less travel and the ability to spend more time with his family

The opportunity to build and lead a workplace of his own

Paul worked with Greystone on a regular basis as a client looking for talented building services engineers. He held a Senior role which required him to work long hours and travel the country on a regular basis as well as a lengthy commute when he was working from the office. When the pandemic hit and working from home became essential, Paul was overcome by the time he gained with his family and reprioritised his career.

The bit that really stood out to me was the advice and coaching that Simon gave me around my situation. Having someone to listen to me, help order my thoughts and coach me in to asking yourself the right questions surrounding what I want from my career. This was the most valuable part for me – the time that was given to me. I was able to air frustrations that no-one had really listened to before. 

Those discussions took me from a position where I felt powerless to a position where I felt I had control. This is something that’s uniquely Greystone. From interactions I’ve had with other recruiters, Greystone stands out like a sore thumb.

Andrew Bates

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