Nicholas Ford

So there is good news and bad news... The good news is that the UK economy grew faster than expected in Q1, 2024. GDP hit 0.7% which is more than analysts expected. Whoever ends up with the keys to 10 Downing Street will definitely benefit from lower inflation, lower interest rates and faster economic growth than most are expecting. The bad news is that business confidence in the private sector has slipped from an 8 year high. It is now 9 points down at 41% but remains above the recent average. Personally I am pleased that the election is taking place this week. I hope once this is out of the way, positivity will return and we can enjoy a period of stability. The economy and our staffing sector needs it desperately. For me, I don't expect to see improvement until Q4 or Q1, 2025 at the earliest. What are you seeing in your sector and are you pleased the election is happening early? ------------------------------------- If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your network and follow me, Simon Gee for my insights and daily content about the staffing sector. For senior positions, please send me a DM. For recruiter to manager level recruitment assignments, please contact Sam.

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🎶 𝐈'𝐦 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐝, 𝟔'𝟓", 𝐛𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬 🎶 😂 Well actually, leverage finance associates who are interested in the London market - there's some great new options at a range of firms 🔥 1-4PQE The market is buzzing with opportunities, and if you're eager to grow and looking for a platform that taps into your career plans, I'd love to chat with you! I am seeing some interest in Australian and New Zealand lawyers too! #law #lawyers #lawfirms #lawyerlife #news #legalnews #legal #lawschool #legalcareer #legalmarketing #solicitors #lawjobs #legaljobs #hiring #jobseekers #recruitment #jobs #careers #finance #tiktok #australia #newzealand #sydney

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UK Growth is coming (slowly) for the masses, however the success in a tough market of Insite Finance since inception has been aided by our focus on M&A, PE and VC environments with a strong number of placements and projects with fast growth scale ups across the UK and US. 1. UK startups raised $5.6B in Q2 2024, up 37% year-on-year, with total funding reaching $9.4B for H1 2024. 2. The UK remains the top country in Europe for VC investment, raising more than France and Germany combined in 2024. 3. AI startups now account for 22% of UK innovation ecosystem value, up from 12% in 2019, with UK AI startups raising $2.1B in 2024 so far. 4. The UK has created 176 unicorns, with five new additions in 2024, and 14 reaching decacorn status. These trends in the UK's innovation landscape have significant implications for finance leadership recruitment. As the startup ecosystem continues to grow and mature, there's an increasing demand for seasoned finance professionals who can navigate the complexities of high-growth environments, particularly in AI and tech-driven sectors. CFOs and finance leaders are now expected to possess not only traditional financial acumen but also a deep understanding of emerging technologies and their business applications. The rise in unicorns and successful exits also points to a need for finance leaders experienced in managing late-stage growth, IPO preparations, and M&A activities.

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Standard Chartered's digital asset trading arm Zodia Markets has acquired the OTC trading business of Elwood Technologies. The acqusition of Elwood Capital Management (ECM) is another plank in Zodia Markets' ambition to build a fully-rounded digital asset business. For Elwood, the sale marks a strategic shift to focus on its institutional-grade SaaS products and services, including execution management and portfolio and risk management. Usman Ahmad, Co-founder & CEO of Zodia Markets, says: "This acquisition is a significant progression to create greater diversification in our service offering and footprint, enabling scale and accelerating product capability. Acquiring a successful, established business with a similar regulatory-first mindset allows us to extend our offering to the clients we will welcome and provide our existing clients with a broader suite of capabilities and value." #yoursuccessourbusiness

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Insight from a top Hedge Fund Tech Manager re: WFH - if you’re coming into the office as a sole resource and sitting on VCs all day, you have a bad manager - if you WFH or are mostly hybrid you can be effective but will only ever work on maintaining existing platforms, never building new ones - you will fall victim to out of sight out of mind, to varying degrees conditional on the specific conpany you’re in Fair?

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Huge news this morning as Abound announces one of the largest funding rounds in Europe so far this year! 👏🚀 Led by Michelle He, PhD, CFA and Gerald Chappell, Abound has raised £800m in a mixture of debt and equity to expand into prime lending in the UK and to roll-out Render, it's AI credit platform, globally. Powered by Open banking, Abound and render uses data to better understand customer's unique financial situation and provide tailored solutions. Michelle He, PhD, CFA commented: “Open banking has empowered consumers to take ownership of their data to get more personalised financial products. With Abound and Render, we’re showing that this can often mean they can access cheaper rates. We strongly believe that this is the future of lending. “The credit scoring system is dated and omits crucial pieces of the puzzle, like whether someone can actually afford to repay the loan. For those ready to embrace open banking, Render can offer them more accurate checks and, therefore, lower costs and risk. “Quite simply, the technology works, and that is why we continue to grow at such a pace and why our investors continue to back us.” Well done to the team! Definitely one to watch! 🚀 #credit #fintech #openbanking

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🐝 Our new Funding the Future Survey is OUT now. This proprietary survey looks at investor views on high-growth sectors and VC. What are the main findings? 📑 Venture capital investors expect a pickup in activity after two tough years 👨🏻‍💻 Both institutional and VC investors are optimistic on Tech and Healthcare sectors but have different perceptions of risks and opportunities 📈 We explore catalysts, exit strategies, IPO outlook, and more influential high-growth sectors To find out more join our Live Insights on 23 May as Mark McDonald, Head of Data Science and Analytics, joins Piers Butler, Head of Global Research Direct, to take a deep dive into the findings. You will also have an opportunity to put your questions to them. Register here 👉 https://grp.hsbc/6047jbquX #HSBCResearch #Research #ThoughtLeadership

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A really exciting read here in the City AM which just shows the sheer size of the fintech market and it's growth potential! Over the last year 2 years the market has grown at a steady 14% per annum, a figure which is expected to increase in the coming years as funding begins to ramp up and investor confidence is coming back into the market. For us on the recruitment front, it's such an exciting time seeing the market we are so passionate about in such a strong position. It's been great to see both our clients and candidates so enthusiastic about the market and making some strong moves, it really shows the positive direction the fintech space is moving in. If you're a business in the fintech space who are looking to bring talent into their team, or a candidate on the hunt for their next challenge, now is a perfect time to get in touch to discuss the market and what we're seeing here ESK Recruitment LTD😁 #fintech #market #growth #ESKRecruitment

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This deal marks a significant step for both companies ... Elwood's focus on advancing its SaaS capabilities shows a clear commitment to providing top-tier execution and portfolio management software. On the other hand, Zodia Markets' expansion through this acquisition reflects the increasing institutional demand for comprehensive digital asset solutions. This deal sets a precedent for future collaborations in the industry. It will be interesting to see how Elwood’s focused SaaS strategy and Zodia’s expanded service offerings shape the market moving forward! #SaaS #digitalassets #portfoliomanagement

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Interesting to read data provided by thewealthnet that highlights which private asset managers in the UK and Crown Dependencies are currently growing the fastest. What is clear is that while M&A activity certainly contributes, organic growth strategies like Rathbones' partnerships and RC Brown's innovative DFM incubator program are key drivers to their success. #wealthmanagement #financialservices

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Great news for the Fintech sector! UK fintech job vacancies surge  London is driving a surge in UK fintech recruitment this year, with a 61% year-on-year jump in job openings between January and April. Fintech is the top performing category within UK financial services for job openings in 2024, and if the current pace of recruitment continues, the number of fintech vacancies will be 37% higher in 2024 than 2023. Technology roles saw a 41% uplift in vacancies, driven by development and engineering. Risk and compliance openings also rose by 87% in London. The UK fintech sector is rebounding after a drop in investment in 2023, with fintech companies raising $1.4bn in funding in the first three months of 2024. City AM Janine at Urecruit.

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As a CRO in a high-growth software or data business, navigating investor relations is key. Balancing growth forecasts with investor expectations is crucial for sustained success. Easier said than done sometimes, I know! But, in the UK, data shows that companies backed by strong investor relationships outperform. Source: FTSE 100 stats. #InvestorRelations #TechFirmSuccess #CROInsights

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Has your business developed an effective talent acquisition and retention strategy to give you a competitive advantage in the market? If not then you’re falling behind your competition.   We have spoken to a number of firms in the Wealth Management industry this year who have faced a variety of problems when hiring. Here are some of the key issues these companies had faced:   👨‍🏫 They lost out on talent to their competitors. ⌛ They started the hiring process too late. 🤷‍♂️ They had been failing to market their employer brand to potential candidates. 🤦‍♀️ Operating with subpar internal recruitment processes. 👎 Their interview processes resulted in bad hires. 😷 They relied on outdated contingency recruitment models to fill their jobs.   Many business owners we've collaborated with often overlook the true costs associated with missing out on top talent, prolonged time-to-hire, escalating attrition rates, hours wasted interviewing ill-suited candidates, and the repercussions of making poor hiring decisions.   The very best companies we partner with have a clearly defined strategy in place on how they can attract and retain the best talent. At Ortus we work with companies to help them develop this strategy and alleviate these problems, if any of these challenges resonate with you and you’re looking to take your business to the next level then give us a call for a free consultation. #talentacquisition #wealthmanagement #riseandthrive #recrutiment

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I saw an article this morning which talked about so called "CV tips". It was very general and didn't really hit anything that would exactly make a CV stand out when applying for a role. In the FX and fintech sales market, or any front office role for that matter, there are some very key things that MUST be included on a CV, for me they are non-negotiables. ✅ Revenue figures - What can you do? ✅ Types of clients you typically work with/target - any specific niches? ✅ Are you managing a team? of how many? Did you hire them? train them? ✅ Products you have experience with? Just vanilla FX? Options? API's? Fintech sales in general is a very saturated market, especially at the moment with the amount of activity in the market. There are some amazing candidates out there, but often after I speak with a cracking candidate on the phone and take a look at their CV, it shows nowhere near the detail they've just given me on the call. A CV should highlight the key things that are going to make you stand out in the market as a genuine asset to a company, not a generic overview for the sake of sending a CV ❗ Anything you would add to this list, or further tips for candidates looking into the market? 👇 #CV #Tips #Detail #StandOut #ESKRecruitment

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📣 Note to all UK Hiring Managers: Come and get yourself a top BFSI Sales candidate and strengthen your team! Please Like and Share with your network...many thanks! 😊 #tryingsomethingnew #ITO #systemintegration #bfsi #banking #capitalmarkets #financialservices #hiring #vacancy #jobs #jobsearch #digitaltransformation #cloud #applicationservices #azure #aws #gcp #recruiting

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AI is not just a technological trend, it's an increasing demand for Clean Energy.   Google and BlackRock announced a new clean-energy focused partnership in Taiwan, with Google investing into solar developer of BlackRock's portfolio company - New Green Power (NGP).   With AI and digital services continue to evolve, we are seeing technology companies building data centers worldwide, including in Taiwan. The demand for clean energy is getting important as the technology companies being pushed to cut greenhouse emissions.   Taiwan as a major site for Google's Cloud technology with a data center and company offices, still relied on fossil fuels to generate nearly 85% of its electricity power. Google's development of a substantial solar pipeline in Taiwan is marking a significant step towards reducing reliance on non-renewable energy sources. "The purpose of this investment is actually to support the construction of a large-scale solar pipeline in Taiwan” said Amanda Peterson Corio, Global Head of Data Center Energy.   This initiative marks a pivotal milestone in Taiwan's journey towards achieving our Net Zero goals. Google's leadership in this area will set a precedent for other tech companies to follow suit, highlighting the collective responsibility to drive sustainable practices and innovation in the region. #CleanEnergy #AI #Sustainability #RenewableEnergy #NetZero

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As we continue to build a high-performing team, I am delighted to welcome Sara Silva as our newest member! Sara's addition represents a strategic enhancement to our already robust team in the financial sector. Her unique skills and fresh perspectives are sure to make a significant impact as we continue to innovate and grow. We're thrilled to have Sara join us and look forward to seeing the contributions she will make to our ambitious projects. #LainstonPartners #ExecutiveSearch #ExecutiveRecruitment #ExecutiveSearchFirm #FinancialSector #FinTech #FinancialMarkets

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