As 2023 draws to a close, it’s a good time to reflect on the past 12months and what 2023 has brought for us here at H&P.
We asked our Head of People, Harry Elkington, to put together an open letter to the team outlining our growth and progress over the past year as well as plans for the future.
As we wrap up another excellent year at H&P, I want to celebrate the remarkable journey we’ve been on together. It’s been an exhilarating ride, with achievements that have surpassed our expectations.
Our growth has been unreal this year. By December, we’ve nearly doubled our headcount from 22 in January to 39 at the end of December, putting us well ahead of our anticipated growth rate heading into Q4 of the upcoming year. This trajectory is a testament to our collective dedication and hard work.
At the heart of our success lies our commitment to ambitious growth. We aim to achieve a minimum of 50% Year-on-Year (YOY) growth in both headcount and revenue, a goal we’ve consistently met since the inception of the firm. It’s an ambitious target, but one we firmly believe is within our reach, given the outstanding efforts we’re witnessing across all facets of our business.
Moving forward, our strategy revolves around two key pillars: expanding into new markets and jurisdictions while reinforcing our foothold in existing ones. This year, we’ve made significant strides in sectors like Accounting & Finance, Energy & Engineering, and Life Sciences, showcasing our agility and adaptability. The senior hires that we have made in this space are making an amazing difference to both our coverage as a business as well as our internal culture and will be the pillars of future growth across the brand.
Our approach to talent acquisition internally reflects our commitment to nurturing future leaders within our company. We’re constantly adding exceptional associate talent and working closely with them to foster their growth within H&P, our continued investment to organic hiring will always make up the majority of our hiring here in the business.
As shown already this year with the success of opening a variety of new market segments we will continue to make strategic acquisitions at the senior level. These acquisitions bring in established expertise to spearhead new market segments and locations as well as adding excellently to the culture of the business.
Our HQ function has also grown significantly this year. With the addition of dedicated hires into Operations, Graduate talent acquisition, Senior talent acquisition and Learning & Development. For a business of 39 people having a dedicated back-office function of 7, we believe, is a clear indication of the investment the business is making to support both our internal team and our clients.
On the technological front, our tech stack has seen significant growth. Our partnerships with LinkedIn, Lusha, Pirical and Pitchbook have really developed our capabilities across a multitude of our sectors internally. We’ve secured our largest deal to date with LinkedIn, investing in their platforms for the next three years to boost our recruitment, analytics, and internal business page functionalities. The addition of Lusha across all teams has enhanced our access to a broader pool of candidates and clients. Meanwhile, Pitchbook ensures we’re ahead in sector intelligence and investment insights. Bullhorn Analytics has also come onboard to provide deeper internal data insights, aiding in staff development and contributing invaluable insights to our People and L&D strategy.
This year, our efforts were acknowledged by numerous award bodies, being nominated as finalists in the Recruiter Awards, The SME National business awards and the Tiara awards. Finishing of the year we were just voted a great place to work based on internal surveys conducted across the entire business. I want to express my gratitude for your candid feedback, which has been instrumental in shaping our journey ahead. Your honesty enables us to implement necessary changes and continue sculpting our business for the better.
