Hamilton Bradshaw Limited

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Sponsor and Stakeholders

Hamilton Bradshaw is the leading investor in UK recruitment businesses currently chaired by entrepreneur James Caan CBE. They back high-performing individuals to start their own business in recruitment, or join some of the fastest-growing brands within the industry that Hamilton Bradshaw are invested in. They have a phenomenal hand-picked team across the Group; experts in every component of growing a successful businesses.

With James Caan as our sponsor, he recruited Zed Vakil to Hamilton Bradshaw at a time when it was experiencing phenomenal growth in its recruitment division, where James personally chaired many portfolio companies and was increasingly torn between them and his other growing interests. Zed's principal stakeholders were my internal board colleagues, investment and portfolio directors, department managers and all business principals and HODs.

Assignment

Zed was appointed as James Caan's right hand man, as Interim Commercial Director to provide oversight, process, accountability and direction of all non recruitment companies; the property investment portfolio, a new real estate division, social enterprise joint ventures and the James Caan charitable foundation.

Zed led the three person ‘James Caan Team’ working very closely along side James. I deputised for him, liaising with his leadership team across the whole business . I was responsible for triaging new deals with investment portfolio directors, and also act as a mentor to new and young leaders in the business. He also gave oversight to a whole office relocation which he project managed.

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Situation

Zed worked with James on all manner of running the non recruitment side of the business, essentially playing the role of his Chief Of Staff. He was responsible to James for the working of his private office, project management of an office relocation, management of a legacy property investment portfolio that had been neglected, direction and investment growth of a newly formed real estate sector private equity division and mentoring of the leadership team, direction and steer to social enterprise group, charitable foundation and mentoring leadership team in this division.

He was also tasked with designing and shortlisting options for a recruitment industry talent ‘hub’, driving the production of a new corporate web site, disposal of investments not required, and considering all manner of business opportunities canvassed to James because of his fame.

Result

Zed took full control of James’ non recruitment portfolio releasing him to focus on recruitment, culminating in successful growth in the HB Real Estate division . Zed set up a robust strategy for deal origination and assessment and mentored HODs and gave them the confidence to operate. Office relocation happened on time and to budget despite many factors conspiring to prevent it from doing so!