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The Supply Chain Social - Interview with Giles Sinclair - Partner at GPA Procurement

Written by: Supply Chain Online
Published on: 18 May 2015

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Name: Giles Sinclair
Company: GPA Procurement
Position: Partner

What did you want to be when you were at school?
When I was at school I either wanted to play rugby for England (start of the professional era) or be an airline pilot – never quite made either but the direction that I finally chose has been the right one for me and I always take real pleasure from seeing the people that I have placed, in both interim and permanent roles, make real progress in their own careers!

When did you first start out in the Recruitment industry?
I first started out in the Recruitment Industry more than 20 years ago when I was an interim Personnel Assistant for Barclays Transpay, responsible for managing the recruitment of 60 temps. Then in 1995 I joined Manpower as a Recruitment Consultant where I managed their permanent and temporary Office, Industrial and Driving staff. I started to specialise in Purchasing & Supply Chain recruitment 14 years ago when I joined GPA and I have not looked back since.

When and how did GPA Procurement come about?
GPA was first established in 1990 by Gail Pyrah who, in a past life, was employed by Reckitt & Colman (R&C, now Reckitt Benckiser) as a Senior Manager. During her last few years with R&C, she was part of a recruitment team that helped to change the face of procurement within the organisation. She established a very good relationship with the Head of Procurement and when he subsequently left to join SmithKlineBeecham, (SB, now GlaxoSmithKline) Gail was asked to support the Head of Procurement with his strategic vision that included the recruitment of a new breed of procurement professional. Gail had left R&C by this point and was already providing generalist recruitment support to the likes of Kimberly-Clark and Wyeth etc. The SB recruitment campaigns over the next few years were considered to be hugely successful and Gail was responsible for placing procurement leaders and those that would eventually become Procurement Leaders. Because Gail’s recruitment model was built around relationship management, GPA went on to successfully support many Global organisations – a strategy that we continue to this day. 

What kind of jobs does GPA Procurement specialise in, and which regions do you cover?
GPA’s recruitment forte is within the middle to high end of the procurement ladder. Initially, our principal focus was on the direct side of procurement but as procurement woke up to the benefits that could be achieved by working more closely with the indirect side of the business, we too shifted and now successfully recruit across both sides of the procurement coin throughout the UK. We also work with a select number of clients internationally. We cover both the private and public sectors and have many repeat clients that we have worked with over many years – which is a strong testament to the quality of service that we always strive to deliver.

What sets GPA Procurement apart from your competitors?
We believe that we are a recruitment company with a difference – GPA is not just about salaries and fees – we have genuine intent; we make realistic promises and we do our best to deliver on them. We are not a ‘sales’ organisation; we are professional recruiters and we take our responsibilities to both clients and candidates seriously. Relationship management is at the heart of what we do and we operate with integrity, treating people fairly and with respect throughout. GPA has been recruiting procurement professionals for more than 26 years. We have an in-depth knowledge of our chosen market sector - Procurement - and we have helped to build significant procurement teams in the UK and internationally. Our aim is to continue to set the quality standards that will help to raise the profile of recruitment in our chosen field.

What's been the biggest challenge you and the company have faced since launch?
Without doubt our biggest challenge was surviving the longest and darkest recession of our time when recruitment was taken off the organisational agenda. We are a small business that chose at the outset to focus on Procurement and this undoubtedly added to the pressure. Some organisations did obviously continue to recruit, however, it was at a much lower and slower pace. It also coincided with a growth in social media and with organisations being encouraged to take their recruitment in-house to save costs. We survived because we have a long history of success in our chosen field and because we invest time and commit to building relationships with both clients and candidates. We are also constantly looking to see how we can add value to the recruitment process.

There can be no doubt that the rise of social media has had a significant impact on the recruitment industry. How has social media changed the way you work at GPA Procurement?
As already indicated above, the rise of social media has had a significant impact on the recruitment industry and will continue to do so for the foreseeable. It was perceived as a ‘low cost’ recruitment solution and it started to grow when recruitment costs were being very closely scrutinised. There have been many claims that ‘Recruitment is dying’ and that the cause is due to the ‘socialization of the web, with everyone having a digital footprint’. LinkedIn is now one of the primary business tools that is being used but some of the assumptions about how important it is should be challenged fairly regularly. Not everyone is online; not everyone updates their profile; it doesn’t always provide rich, useful data that organisations can usefully use and it cannot replace the high level of engagement needed to make the right hiring decisions. Recruiting talent is unpredictable, often irrational and at times high maintenance and those organisations that get it right, use a range of tools and techniques that are fit for purpose and they recognise that one tool is not a panacea.

How important are job boards within your marketing strategy?
Job Boards are firmly entrenched in our Sourcing Strategy and will continue to be a very important business tool for GPA. Our aim is to attract, source and to recruit the best possible candidate for our clients and in order to achieve our aim, we have to embrace a range of tools and techniques and to be constantly on the lookout for new and innovative ways to target both active and passive candidates.

What's the best piece of advice you've ever been given?
Anything is possible providing you have a positive self-belief, determination and a strong work ethic.

What one piece of advice would you give to other young entrepreneurs starting out?
Treat others as you would expect yourself to be treated; be brave and take considered risks if you have done your research and you understand your market. Keep quality at the forefront of your thinking and never compromise your principles and values.

What's the latest news at GPA Procurement?
There is nothing as constant as change and GPA is a brand that knows how to change without impacting on the quality service that we strive to provide. We have invested in our team of procurement recruitment professionals and we will continue to do so. They have all fully bought into our principles and values and are great ambassadors for the GPA brand. We are a small business with a ‘big attitude’ and we will continue to invest in our team and in the technology needed to help drive our business forward that delivers for both clients and candidates alike.

Where would you like GPA Procurement to be in 5 years’ time?
GPA is more than a recruitment agency – we understand our market and we have been successfully recruiting procurement professionals in both the private and public sectors for more than 26 years. Our aim is not only to continue to set the quality standards that will help to raise the profile of recruitment in our chosen field but also to continue to work towards being a trusted partner with our key clients and candidates rather than simply being another supplier!

Interview by Richard Marshall - Managing Director of Supply Chain Online