A Senior Branch Manager is celebrating reaching a long-service milestone at the West London office of leading HR and recruitment solutions company, Gi Group.

Lindsey Pollard, Senior Branch Manager at Gi Group’s Basingstoke and West London offices, has reached 15 years of service with the business, a landmark which was marked at the company’s recent annual conference in Birmingham.

Lindsey has seen the recruitment landscape shift and change considerably during her decade and a half of service at Gi Group, which operates more than 26 branches and 60 sites and employs 650 people nationally.

She said: “I joined Right for Staff, as it was, in 2008, before Gi Group acquired the business and created its first UK presence in the sector. The industry has gone through, and overcome, a lot of challenges in that time, but most impressive is the fact that Gi Group as an organisation has continued to offer the same excellent opportunities to develop and grow to all employees across the business, regardless of location or seniority.

“It’s interesting as I had never actually thought of a career in recruitment. I joined from the hospitality sector, and rose through the ranks as a Permanent Job Consultant, before being Senior Temporary Consultant and then eventually becoming Senior Branch Manager of Basingstoke and West London.

“Throughout that time, I was supported by the Management Academy at Gi Group, a training and development programme that gives an individual all of the training opportunities they could hope for, as well as the opportunity to network with other individuals within the company.”

During her time with Gi Group, Lindsey has worked through many challenges. Between joining the business in the global recession of 2008, to the more recent obstacles posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Lindsey and her team have had to constantly adapt to and prepare customers for the shifting recruitment landscape.

Lindsey added: “The whole world has changed during my time at Gi Group. The pandemic has completely shaken up the jobs market. Pre-pandemic, lots of candidates wanted temporary work, to allow them the flexibility that temporary roles provide. Employers, on the other hand, wanted more permanent workforces. Since the world has come out of lockdown, though, interestingly these preferences have completely flipped. Candidates are looking for the extra security that permanent roles offer them, while smaller companies coming out of the pandemic have carried more temporary employees, as they return to pre-pandemic levels of operations.

“The good news for candidates at present is that job roles are very varied and the benefits are there for them to go out there and grab.”

As one of the UK’s leading HR solutions companies, with a presence in all major cities and most regions of the UK, Gi Group treats the wellbeing and work satisfaction of its employees as a core priority.

Paulo Canoa, Country Manager Gi Group UK, said: “We thank Lindsey for her continued service over the last 15 years. The recruitment world is a really exciting place to be, and colleagues like Lindsey are incredibly valuable to us, having been with us for so long.

“Lindsey brings a level of experience and understanding of not only the industry, but Gi Group, that helps ensure the next generation of employees are being developed in the right way. Her progression during her time with us illustrates that best, and we cannot wait to see where her continued career development will lead to.”

For those out there considering a career in recruitment, Lindsey has this message: “If you’re interested in a career in recruitment, then go out there and do it. Find a company that aligns with your own morals and ethics, and you’ll find it easy to fit right in.

“I could not be happier with my decision to join the recruitment industry and Gi Group – it’s given me 15 years of growth and development opportunities that might not have been possible otherwise.”