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Marble Group
- 1. 1. The CEO Magazine - July 2015 theceomagazine.com.au In The Office EXECUTIVE INTERVIEW H aving a consistent desire to surprise its marketthats the focus of leading technical recruitment agency Marble Group. From its offices in Sydney, Perth, Melbourne, and Brisbane, Marble continues to evolve and to expand its reach into new market sectors as the integral cog between Australias leading technical employers and the best talent in the market. Marble Group was founded in 2006 by Gary Denton and Lee Corbitt to provide permanent and contract staffing solutions to a number of specialised market sectors in the construction and property, design, infrastructure, and resources industries. Gary, who is managing director of the group, says he and Lee initially noticed there was a need for a new way of thinking in recruitment. We really felt as though there was a huge gap in the market between what people had come to expect At the core of it, we are a people business. Were very much aware that when people come into contact with Marble, its how we leave people feeling that is the truest measure of our success. - Gary Denton Marble Group has been a trailblazing recruiter throughout Australias technical industries for nearly 10 years, consistently raising the bar and setting new benchmarks for the industry. Images by Scott Ehler EXPERT from the industry and what we could really offer if we let our imagination run wild, he recalls. At the core of it, we are a people business. Were very much aware that when people come into contact with Marble, its how we leave people feeling that is the truest measure of our success. We know that as a recruiter we only really have one stock, and thats our reputation. How a candidate or client describes their experience with usthats what really matters. We may not place every candidate whom we come into contact with, but if we exceed their expectations then we just might have another Marble ambassador out there in the marketplace. By concentrating on becoming a business of value, we knew we were on the right path to achieving our goal. The fast-moving recruitment world that we are in today means competing not only on service but also speed. We need to stay ahead of the pack: always innovating, always thinking how we can do it better, doing it faster, and leaving an even bigger smile on the faces of our candidates and clients. Operations started in Perth with four staff members before Marble Group expanded into Sydney in 2008. Two years later, the Melbourne office opened, and then in 2013 a base was also set up in Brisbane. With around 50 staff and growing, Marble Group now has its sights on hopping across the pond into New Zealand later this year. In the middle of Marble Groups early period of growth, the GFC hit. Like everyone else, we werent immune to that, Gary says. But during the years of the GFC, we actually doubled our turnover. I think that was due to several reasons. The first was the companys ability to remain nimble and innovative Recruitment
- 2. theceomagazine.com.au The CEO Magazine - July 2015 4. due to its flexible structure, and the second was because it had a great team who were focused on the right outcomes. We very much value original thought as a beautiful thing, and we embrace it at all times, so in essence we have acted like a brand-new business every day, Gary explains. At the heart of Marble is a constant desire to innovate. We empower all of our team members to grow, evolve, and contribute. All levels of the business are encouraged to open themselves up to fresh ideas. Whether it be a success series focused on how to add further value to our clients or a candidate smile creative board, we embrace the abundance of fresh ideas available to us at any moment. I enjoy seeing the impact that our original ideas have on the client experience. Throughout each market that we work in, we have in place a bespoke set of assessment tools tailored specifically to each individual job role. This is something that has gone down exceptionally well and is unique in the marketplace. Indeed, on the flip side, when we are sending a candidate to a client, they have full and complete knowledge of what to expect on site, the knock-on effect of this being a greatly reduced dropout rate for new employees. Its tools like this that signify our intention to the market, our intention to be the kind of recruiter that people want us to be. Consistently going above and beyond for our clients very much forms part of the fabric of Marble, providing clients with a constant flow of industry insights and advice, and in some sectors we even supply project and tender leads. We were the first company in Australia to develop an online drug and alcohol educator for our staff working on minesites, an innovation that has since been taken over by a number of our clients. No doubt, fundamentally, the key to our success is having the right people with the right habits. If we havent got the right people in place, we obviously wont be successful in our market. The recruitment business is an ever-changing, incredibly dynamic landscape with a myriad of moving parts and challenges. It certainly isnt for the faint heartedyou need to be as tough as a boxer, as gentle as a surgeon, and have the heart of a lion. Its one thing to be blessed with a great team, but weve been blessed with incredible people too. According to Gary, the concept of leaving a positive trail with clients, candidates, and the world at large is a core brand initiative. It very much flows right through the business. Every month, we recognise different members of the team who make a positive impact in the world at large, voted by all of the staff. Theres an extra incentive, as the winners get $250 to donate to a charity of choice. Gary says there are two roles that people have when they enter into the businessbeing a recruiter and being a future leader. Internal and external training programs are in place to develop these roles as well as to instil the core values of the group. You have got to be a great motivator for your team, you have to be a strong assessor, strategist, and planner, and finally you need to be an innovator and a solutions coach. They are broadly the three main areas that we coach and mentor people on throughout their journey into leadership. Our company values are relatively clean and simple. We have four that we hold dear: to be exceptional in everything we do; to be entrepreneurial and lateral thinkers with an eye on the prize; to be courageous; and to be nimble. We back ourselves, we back our leaders, we back our winners, we back our delivery to the market, and we back our skills. Our core values basically live and breathe right throughout the business. For a couple of years running, the business has received a BRW Great Place to Work award, which is based on an anonymous survey completed by current employees. Other significant achievements have been when it supplied its 3,000th client with recruitment services and when it hit a turnover of $45 million. Gary says he is also extremely proud of Marble Groups involvement with the national childrens cancer charity Camp Quality. One of the best parts about being in business is being able to make a difference where you can, he explains. A few years ago, we decided that we wanted to align ourselves with a cause we were passionate about. It was also important for us to be able to give both time and financial support. A straw poll of all the team saw both cancer and disadvantaged children in Australia come back as the preferred choice, so our relationship with Camp Quality was born. For a number of years now, we have been involved with putting on day camps throughout Australia for kids and families who are affected by cancer. The eagerness from the team to volunteer for the day camps is fantastic, and a great reflection of our people. Some of the feedback that we get from the families is just beautiful. To be able to have more of a positive impact outside of the jobs we do really resonates well with the whole business. Gary believes that as technology advances, Marble Group will continue to adapt its strategy and embrace the changing marketplace. We have to stay at the cutting edge of technology. Mobile recruiting and socially integrated candidate tracking technologies are in play at present. In the next five years, Marble Group aims to achieve a turnover of $100 million and have multiple offices in its key states. It will remain a trans-Tasman company, and plans to stay within its core market as a technical recruiter. Every month, we recognise different members of the team who make a positive impact in the world at large, voted by all of the staff. - Gary Denton