2022 At Moon: A Year in Review
The Moon is slowly setting on 2022. Another year is waning to a close, but before it is fully extinguished, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on what has been another eventful 12 months at Moon Executive Search.
By nature, our industry is fast-paced and requires constant agility to move with the times. Over the nearly two decades that we have been in business, we’ve thrived on the challenges and stimulation this brings to our everyday, and as things have moved faster, we’ve stepped up our game and stayed ahead of the curve.
In our flagship Executive Search Practice new markets, industries, and initiatives have led to a general widening of our operations. We have seen a definitive broadening in the skillsets that are in demand for C-Suite positions. With the modern Executive expected to bring a versatile commercial business background to every role, search services are in high demand, and a candidate driven market has led to fierce competition for the best talent. With working practices and values shifting towards a more holistic approach to working life, executives with a range of soft skills and future-oriented mindsets are the in-demand leaders of tomorrow.
We have placed more Non-Executive Directors in 2022 than ever before. More organisations across a wider range of industries are seeing the value of adding diversity to their boards, and NEDs allow them to harness expertise from a range of backgrounds.
Wide-ranging skillsets required, diverse backgrounds in demand, and the growing range of factors in play in the hiring process, including a larger focus on the interests of candidates, have, in turn, led to increased diversity within our clientele. We have entered entirely new industries in 2022, with many organisations seeking search services for the first time.
“I think we’ll look back at 2022 as a landmark year for Moon and a year of continued change in the search space in general. We’ve seen our client base grow and change in this time and our existing clients are increasingly taking advantage of a wider set of leadership consulting services. I think we’ll see even greater demand for leadership consulting as the landscape continues to become more nuanced in the future.”
- Simon Quinn, Director of Executive Search
A candidate driven market has brought retention to the forefront in 2022. Many organisations have reconsidered their approach to hiring and leadership development, with a longer-term mindset and succession planning taking centre stage.
This, as well as a big focus on wider issues like sustainability, corporate social responsibility and diversity and inclusion, has brought a rise in demand for the full range of consultancy services from Moon Executive Search. Our activity in the merger and acquisition space has also increased, after another year characterised by changes in the business landscape.
The success of our fast-growing IT and Tech Practice also exemplifies this rapid change. With Gemma Wilks leading this division of the business, it has gone from strength to strength this year. Gemma and the team have worked hard to build a thriving network and create strong relationships in these sectors, successfully working with a large number of Managed Service Providers and Tech Groups, both global and national, right down to small and micro businesses other entities. With the growing need for highly specific, technical skillsets, Gemma has made it her modus operandi to gain a deep understanding of every client, building a detailed candidate profile before applying a dedicated research method and consistently finding and retaining the best talent the market has to offer.
Under the leadership of Sandy Hinks, our Charity Practice has continued to grow. Charities have increasingly seen the value in adding commercially focused board members and strategic nous to their teams. We have placed candidates in a wide range of positions for our non-profit clients, from CEOs to Trustees and beyond, and conducted multiple board builds through the year. The whole team is very proud of the work done in this area, both the level of candidates we have placed and the difference they are making for our communities.
Across all of our practices, we have seen a shift in focus towards candidate experience and the interests of the employee in the longer term. Wellbeing, flexible benefits packages, and development opportunities have been recurrent themes in discussions with clients and candidates alike. We have welcomed this trend, as it aligns closely with one of our long-held philosophies – finding long term solutions that work for all parties.
From our side, seeking to improve candidate experiences has led us to conduct interviews with more flexibility – taking more online and conducting shorter interviews as well as more group and team interviews.
We have also welcomed an increased focus on corporate social responsibility, as this has always been at the forefront of our outlook at Moon. It has been a pleasure to support local non-profits again in 2022 and to sponsor a number of local events and award ceremonies.
Last but certainly not least, 2022 has seen the growth of our team! We have been joined by Benny Bruce, Helen Parker-Pow and Leighann Beck over the past 12 months – all of whom are proving their immense worth to our business. Meet our new Moons here.
We are looking forward to a bright 2023, full of new developments and opportunities in this exciting space. To all our clients, candidates, and partners, thank you for being part of our 2022 and we look forward to working with you in the future.