Fran Grant – joining Berwick’s Technology & Digital Leadership Practice
Before joining Berwick Partners in February 2022, I had been working on and off for ten years as an independent tech recruiter, juggling family and work, until I landed in Executive Search in 2021. And the rest is history! I’m happy to say I have found my ‘forever home’ in Berwick Partners.
My work involves expanding the reach of our Technology & Digital Leadership Practice, ensuring the clients we have served over the years are aware of our first-class tech recruitment capabilities. I also focus on attracting new clients. In addition to my day-to-day duties delivering on current search assignments and developing new business opportunities, I run a Women in Leadership and Women in Tech series. Through these, I meet with senior females in tech and leadership positions to discuss relevant topics, from juggling career & family, gender bias and gender pay gaps to the issues women face in the tech industry whilst they’re striving for a seat at the top table. I am passionate about not only attracting more women into the industry but looking at what must be done to support women and help them progress once they’re in situ. The gate shouldn’t close once a woman has been hired and that equality box has been ticked. There is still so much to be done, and I want to help shine a spotlight on that. Supporting women who want to have a career and a family (because why shouldn’t we have both?) and raising awareness around how difficult it can be, is a hill I will die on.
The differences between Berwick Partners and companies I have worked for previously were obvious from the initial interview process. Firstly, we won’t just recruit anyone, which is great. Our MD is incredibly selective, so I really felt I had earned my place. Such careful hiring over the years has clearly contributed to the culture of the company, and it is apparent throughout. After the interview process, the onboarding was massively impressive; so much thought and effort had gone into it, and I felt incredibly valued and welcome before I’d even started. The onboarding process isn’t just a box that’s ticked after day one or week one, it’s ongoing. This has led to a tight knit group of the best-of-the-best people, and it really is the people and their individual, sector and functional expertise that make our business the success that it is. The culture is one of strong support, but ‘light touch’, in that we are all experienced consultants so are trusted to do our jobs and do them well. There’s no micromanagement here.
One of first things I noticed when I joined Berwick was that things are done properly. It’s the same with ED&I – so many companies claim to be diverse, or to recruit from a diverse workforce, and they don’t. They just say the right words. At Berwick, it’s genuinely a core part of what we do. We do it because we believe in it, not just because we have to.
