HARVEY NASH PLC renewed their lease last year so we put Director Steve Rake in the hot-seat for this edition of Bleat to find out what they get up to in Marshall’s Mill.
Hi Steve, thanks for answering these for us.
First up an easy question for you; how long has the company been going?
22 Years.
How many of you are there?
14 staff in total here at our Leeds office.
For the benefit of those who don’t know Harvey Nash, can you tell us a bit about the business and what work you do?
Harvey Nash is a global professional recruitment consultancy and IT outsourcing service provider, we are committed to delivering the very best talent and IT solutions to a broad base of international clients. We operate from 37 offices covering the USA, Europe and Asia. The group is a trusted advisor to some of the world’s leading businesses, governments and institutions and we pursue the highest levels of integrity and quality in providing a unique portfolio of services: executive search, interim management, IT and finance recruitment, IT outsourcing and most recently, a new Human Resources Department.
You moved to Marshall’s Mill way back in 2000, what attracted you to the space?
This office had a different character which you don’t find in city centre or business park office blocks. There is a sense of community here and local business owners are friendly and very welcoming.
What key elements did you take into consideration when you were looking for office space?
We were looking for a bright open planned office space which would ideally be close to the city centre as some of my colleagues commute via train or bus. Other major factors were separate meeting rooms and Marshall’s Mill offered this. The office space we hold has original features in place and this allows for a creative working environment. A lot of our clients when visiting comment on how unique this building is and how its conversion into offices is a brilliant idea.
How’s business going at the moment?
The major part of our business is IT recruitment and we are finding the market is improving, generally IT functions have not been impacted as severely by the recession as other functions. IT is still invested in by many of our clients – often to improve operational efficiencies AND seek strategic advantage so that they are well positioned to benefit from the economic upturn.
Sounds very positive, what are you working on just now?
We have recently won a number of major Preferred Supplier contracts, for example, ASDA and William Hill. In addition, our relationship driven approach also plays well to the SME market where we are seen as a true partner. In particular there is significant demand for Software Developers, Project and Programme Management staff – for contractors and permanent hires.
What’s next for you and the business?
Continued success should see us shortly being in a position to open an additional regional business, based in Manchester.
You’ve been a tenant here for a while now, what is it that you like most about working in the Urban Village?
This area has easy access off the motorway; the friendly management team; 24hr security. The local bars the staff are friendly and it’s nice to be recognised each time we go back. We each have regular client meetings and it’s great to have the option of the selected restaurants in the area to choose from when taking them out. We all enjoy our mid morning breakfasts at Pickled Pepper and Out of The Woods, extremely friendly staff.
If you’d like to find out a bit more or if you are looking for any of the services Harvey Nash offer then get in touch with Steve Rake and tell him you heard about them via Bleat. www.harveynash.com