Consumer, Retail & Leisure sector coverage

Uber, the global taxi technology company, sought to appoint a Non-Executive Director for its UK board. The successful profile needed to bring FTSE 350 PLC Non-Executive Board experience operating within a large, complex, ideally highly regulated organisation with significant corporate governance obligations.

Within twenty-four hours Nurole identified Roger Parry, Chairman of YouGov plc and former CEO of Clear Channel International, and not long after identified Susan Hooper, Non-Executive Director for The Rank Group plc and Wizz Air plc.

"We posted the role on Nurole in conjunction with conducting our own recruitment process. We sought profiles with large-scale PLC non-executive experience and strong regulatory profiles. The Nurole platform generated a fantastic mix of candidates and we were very pleased to hire two people who will prove highly valuable to our newly established UK board."

Thibaut de Vos, Manager, Executive Recruiting, Uber

Xupes is a leading UK e-commerce business, specialising in the sale of pre-owned luxury goods. In early 2017 the business entered into a partnership with a growth capital investor and has received capital to enable it to commence its next phase of growth. As a result, Xupes was looking for a commercially astute Non-Executive Chair who had a strong marketing and e-commerce background, who would act as a sounding board for the Directors and provide guidance on all aspects of the company’s strategy.Through Nurole they appointed Peter Reid, Founder and CEO of private-equity backed, international marketing communications group, MSQ Partners. Peter has extensive digital marketing and e-commerce experience and he's the former CEO of Media Square Plc and former Chairman of Illuminas Ltd.

"Nurole is a great platform for matching clients with potential non-execs. In particular, it provides clients with the ability to look beyond the ‘usual suspects’ of candidates, by providing access to a broader pool of potential recruits, enabling companies to find individuals with the mix of skills and experience that will really make a difference to the company’s future. I am delighted to take on the Chair role at Xupes, and am very much looking forward to bringing my mix of experience to the challenge."

Peter Reid, CEO, MSQ Partners

Cornerstone is a high-growth online subscription business - selling its own brand of high-quality men’s toiletries to 165,000 subscribers around the UK. They were looking to appoint a Non-Executive Chairman to help the founder-led team in its next exciting phase of growth.

In four days the Nurole platform identified Darren Goode, Chief Marketing Officer of Babylon Health and former Head of Europe, Apple iTunes.

"While we had a couple of candidates sourced from our own network, we approached Nurole as we wanted to run a diligent process and ensure we had access to the best talent possible. We were looking for a particular skillset and Nurole produced an impressively strong and relevant shortlist which, when coupled with their software, made the process remarkably efficient – we’re thrilled with the outcome."

Oliver Bridge, Founder, Cornerstone

The Bannatyne Group sought to appoint a Non-Executive Director to join their board. Owned by Duncan Bannatyne, the group has 72 health clubs and spas across the UK and employs over 3,000 people. The successful candidate needed to have leadership experience in a multi-site people business and have successfully strategised the 'customer experience' proposition.In six days Nurole identified Andy King, NED for Topps Tiles PLC, former Global Marketing Director for The Body Shop and former CEO of Evans Cycles, Notcutts and Dobbies Garden Centre.

"The communication and support I received from the Nurole team throughout the process was straight to the point and painless. Another exciting change is being exposed to such a variety of high-quality roles on the platform."

Andy King, Non-Executive Director, Topps Tiles Plc

"We chose to work with Nurole as we liked their innovative and disruptive model. They showed great agility and creativity when the board’s structure changed and the requirements for the role evolved. They produced a shortlist to match these changes and we’re thrilled to have Andy join the board."

Susan Ball, Non-Executive Director, The Bannatyne Group

Brompton is the UK's largest manufacturer of folding bicycles with global sales and revenues of £42m per annum. Brompton sought to appoint a new Chair to help with their ambition to double the size of the business over the next five years. They were looking for a brand-focused CEO of a high growth B2C lifestyle product business who had managed the transition from a single product to multi-product business and had international multi-channel sales experience.In four weeks Nurole identified Paddy Byng, NED for Buzzbik, former CEO of Linley and Smythson and previous Managing Director of Asprey. After a 30 year career as a marketer and CEO, Paddy sought to embark on a Non-executive career where he could offer his expertise and work with a variety of disruptive brands in the consumer space.

"I was very interested to hear about the Chair opportunity at Brompton from Nurole. The application process was focused and straightforward. It’s an ideal platform to hear about a wide variety of roles and it’s straightforward to recommend others for roles as well."

Paddy Byng, NED/Advisor, Buzzbike

Premier Marinas, wholly owned by the Wellcome Trust, sought to appoint a Non-Executive Director to join the Board to help the organisation through its next phase of innovative and exciting growth. The successful candidate needed to have experience in digital (particularly in the application of technology in the consumer space) and guiding long-term strategic initiatives, plus a deep knowledge of and experience in relevant sectors such as consumer, leisure, hospitality or real estate.In two months Nurole surfaced Ben Stimson, Digital Director of Waitrose/John Lewis Partnership and Head of Reputation of SKY Plc. Ben's earlier career involved a spell as a Managing Consultant for multinationals including Hewlett-Packard and Compaq, and, his first role after graduating with PPE from Oxford, as a Policy Adviser for business lobby group the CBI. Stimson had a number of Non-Executive roles before joining Premier Marinas, including as Chair of the Nationwide Building Society’s charitable foundation

Click here to read Ben Stimson explain why digital strategy is more about knowing your customer than knowing your coding

"As a candidate, I initially was concerned that a digital headhunter would mean no human interaction at all, but the site was straightforward, the updates were good and at all the right points there was someone talking on the phone - it just worked."

Ben Stimson, Digital Director, Waitrose/John Lewis Partnership