Whatever your sector, wherever your location, you’ll be talking to people with knowledge and experience at bfpeople.
People are our business: our core disciplines of recruiting leaders and developing talent works in all sectors. We have worked in most industries and sectors, recruiting and assessing leaders in all disciplines and supporting the development of individuals and teams at all levels.
bfpeople is a boutique firm with a core of consultants and a network of trusted associates who bring immense technical and functional expertise to any industry.
For more information ….
We work with all industries, but much of our work is focused on five key industry sectors:
Retail, consumer and leisure industries
Companies in the retail, consumer and leisure sectors will only survive and thrive by having the most talented people in their business – building a great brand in not enough. Whether in front-facing sales and customer service roles or in “behind the scenes” functions such as buying, design, marketing and logistics, great leadership and a productive, engaged workforce are necessary factors for success.
Today’s leaders in this field need to be agile – able to adapt to rapid change and customer needs.
The team at bfpeople have extensive work experience in retail, brands, hospitality and leisure. We have created and grown consumer brands and worked in senior design and buying roles in national & multiple retailers. We have also sold products to independents, multiples and grocers, as well as to the hospitality industry.
bfpeople has designed in-house recruitment and assessment processes for leading FMCG and car brands, created situational judgement questionnaires for luxury retailers and logistics firms and trained multicultural staff in supervisory and presentation skills.
Whether you are an established retailer, an emerging brand or in hospitality and leisure, we have stood in your shoes. You can trust bfpeople to support you in finding and getting the most from your people.
Recruitment
IT Director – homewares multiple retailer
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Retail/Store/Regional Managers – various retailers
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UK Sales Manager – Musical instrument manufacturer
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Visual Merchandising Managers – numerous retailers
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Sales Director – FMCG
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Recruitment of complete sales team – consumer electronics
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Managing Director – travel retail
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Product Design Managers – gifts, FMCG
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Head of Creative Services – Cosmetics brand
Assessment & development
Design of “situational judgement” application form – luxury retailer
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Leadership assessment of Head of Buying – multiple retailer
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Assessment & Development Centre design & delivery – car retailer group
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Customer Service & Presentation Skills training – consumer goods
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Assessment and recruitment of contact centre/customer service staff – various retail/consumer brands
Media, Creative and Digital sectors
The media, creative and digital sector is booming. The Creative Industries currently provide over 2.3 million jobs in the UK and is a fast growing sector, creating great competition for technical, creative, commercial and leadership talent. Great creative people are difficult to find and much of our work in this field is focused on search recruitment.
With existing clients in media and film, advertising and marketing communications, digital, software and SaaS, architecture, music and publishing, bfpeople offers the full suite of solutions designed to fit the creative industry’s unique requirements. This includes recruitment for leadership and specialist functions, engaging and relevant assessments and bespoke training and coaching.
In addition, bfpeople has its roots in the point of sale, point of purchase and retail design industries. Established as BFP Executive Recruitment in 1990 by Brian Ford Powell in Leicester, the UK’s centre of POS and retail design and manufacture, we have an in-depth understanding of the sector, having worked with most leading producers, designers, agencies and installers and furthered the careers of many of the industry’s leading figures.
With up to 80% of new consumer products failing, the right environment, presentation and display can be a crucial factor in any brand’s success. So the drive for the best talent in this competitive sector is intense.
Today, our clients cover the breadth of this growing sector – retail design agencies, shopfitters, POS/POP designers and manufacturers, VM, mannequin and accessories suppliers and installation specialists – as well as completing numerous in-house store design, instore, VM and trade marketing assignments for retailers and brands.
Recruitment
Operations Director – film/studio products
Managing Director – advertising agency
Technical/Engineering Director – digital/streaming media
Director of Digital Transformation – comms agency
Key Account Directors – global cloud/tech group
Customer Services Director – PR/marketing services
Creative & Agency Directors – advertising/marketing agency
National Operations Manager – architectural design group
Managing Director – temporary POS/POP
Creative Director – shopfitting
Sales Director – retail design agency
Innovation Engineer – retail interiors
Head of Purchasing – fit-out
Managing Director – shopfitting
Assessment & development
Coaching for performance – business development manager
Account Management training – POS & display manufacturer
360° assessment & workshop – design agency
Assessment of Commercial Director candidates – commercial interiors
Leadership coaching – Managing Director – POS manufacturer
Development centres design & delivery – Account Directors
Leadership develop programme – strategic communications director
Assessment of future leader potential – digital agency
Executive coaching – MD of digital marketing agency
Bespoke sales training – design agency
Industry and technology sectors
Leaders in the constantly challenging and changing Industry and Technology sectors need to be strategic, yet agile – able to quickly change pace and respond to fluid environments. Globalization, innovation, skills shortages, labour costs, funding and investment are all top of the agenda issues. Today’s managers and future leaders must be able to address these challenges and create opportunities that ensure the future success of the sector.
bfpeople’s work in industry and technology focuses on recruitment, coaching and training to support leaders in rising to the challenge. From energy (including oil & gas and renewables), manufacturing, innovation & research, automotive, aerospace & defence, plastics, electrical, electronics, mechanical & process engineering, communications and tech start-ups, we have worked with clients throughout the UK.
And as the UK partner of Executive Resources International, the global executive search network, we can support your international growth and we work with many overseas companies that are establishing or expanding their operations in the United Kingdom.
Our full range of recruitment, assessment and development services have been used in this sector to support the growth, profitability and sustainability of our clients.
Recruitment
Country Manager – automotive manufacturer
Manufacturing Director – low volume precision engineering
Sales Manager – wind turbines
Head of Engineering – renewables
Graduate recruitment programme – engineering/manufacturing
Operations Director – public transport
Country Manager – industrial automation
Sales Director – machine vision
Design Engineers – automotive components
Health & Safety Manager – steel production/processing
Drilling Engineers – oil exploration & production
Assessment & development
Leadership Development Programme – industrial fixings
Sales training for technical specialists – enterprise software
Job evaluation programme – railway engineering
Career transition and outplacement – design engineering and manufacturing
Graduate Recruitment Assessment Centres – energy industry
High potential assessment of engineers – international aerospace
Board level 360 Assessment & individual coaching – precision engineering
Management audit for investors – tech start-up
Assessment for restructuring – various industries
Professional and financial services firms
In terms of economic output, the UK financial services sector contributed £174 billion or 8.3% of total UK gross value added in 2021. Including related professional services that support the industry, the totals rise to £261 billion and 12.5% of economic output, according to TheCityUK. The legal services sector add another £32 billion and 3% of GVA, (figures from 2021).
These important, major employment areas needs strong leadership – in a way that is often different from other industries. Attracting, developing and retaining motivated, talented, results-oriented professionals in this highly competitive environment is part of the challenge.
Managing high performing professionals is often compared to “herding cats”: identifying the best people for recruitment and promotion, or dealing with poor performance, can be problematic.
bfpeople has worked with law firms, accountancy practices, banks and a variety of consulting businesses. Projects include the assessment of “partnership-readiness” for senior staff, leadership assessment and development for technical specialists, recruitment in many functions and coaching for performance.
Recruitment
Affinity programs manager – non-life insurance
Compliance manager – financial services
Underwriting manager – household insurance
Head of conveyancing – national law firm
Management consultants – various consulting firms
Assessment & development
Fast track leadership assessment – high street bank
Conflict management training – management consultancy
Individual leadership assessment of potential partners – law firm
Career coaching – financial services
Leadership assessment and coaching – quality systems consulting
Government and third sectors
These are difficult times for all public sector or third sector organisation. The UK economy means doing more with less: reducing costs while maintaining front line services is a real challenge for everyone in the organisation. Those choosing to lead in these sectors need to constantly acquire new personal and leadership skills. The requirement to build partnerships with stakeholders, external and commercial agencies, is as important as managing financial and human resources. They also have to manage, motivate and retain a workforce that is under pressure, sometimes disillusioned – and faced with fewer opportunities for promotion than ever before..
bfpeople has vast experience of working with the UK public sector. We understand the culture as well as the challenges ahead. Over more than 20 years, we have had a specific interest in Leadership in the public sector and have been able to conduct and present research in this topic. Our extensive experience includes recruiting, assessing and developing Chief Officers in Local Government, Senior Academics in Higher Education and Head Teachers for Schools, as well as key roles in Health, Police & Probation services, central government and a variety of NDPBs, Charities and Volunteer organisations.
bfpeople offers the public sector a bespoke consultancy service to help you get the best out of your staff so you can be sure you’re in the best shape possible for the tough times ahead. We work with people at all stages of the employee life cycle from recruitment through retention and to redundancy and retirement. We understand how the sector works and we recognise that one size does not fit all. And, whether you are interested in recruitment, assessment or development, we will never come to discuss a project with a ready-made solution.
We have completed research into leadership styles within local government, using data from the Leadership Judgement Indicator and other psychometric exercises. The results are interesting and a summary can be read by clicking here.
Recruitment
Chief Officer appointments – various local authorities
Senior Manager appointments – housing association
Search for Consultant Physicians – NHS Trust
Recruitment support for senior academics – Universities
Head of marketing – emergency services
Contact centre team – housing association
Assessment & development
Assessment for recruitment of PVC – university
Leadership development & coaching programme – local authority
Cognitive diversity assessment – charity
Assessment centre design & delivery – university
Board restructuring assessment – NDPB
Leadership assessment & benchmarking – local government
Assessment & coaching – Head of Communications – NHS Trust
Interviewing and assessor training – local authority
