Paul's Story

Paul’s relationship with Greystone was founded off the back of his previous role where he leveraged Greystone’s network to find talent for his previous firm. He had been in his role for nearly 10 years and there were a lot of positives; but his role included a lot of time away from home, travelling. The days were long and the time he had with his family was lacking.

The level of trust that he built with Greystone, as an employer, was what led him to strike up a conversation where he could express his concerns about his role and use us as a sounding board.

“Having employed people through Greystone, I knew the level of talent they dealt with. Those that were placed with us were really good people. When the pandemic hit and I actually got to see my kids in the morning and in the evenings, I was given the opportunity to sit back and evaluate what was more important to me and what I wanted from my career. I knew Greystone would be able to help.”

Paul spoke of how he got to such a low point that he even considered leaving the industry. He told Greystone Director, Simon Wilson, how he ‘just wanted out’.

“I trusted that Greystone would do the right thing by me and not just speculatively send my CV around the industry,” says Paul. “But the bit that really stood out to me was the advice and coaching that Simon gave me around my situation. Having someone to listen to me, help order my thoughts and coach me in to asking yourself the right questions surrounding what I want from my career. This was the most valuable part for me – the time that was given to me. I was able to air frustrations that no-one had really listened to before.

Those discussions took me from a position where I felt powerless to a position where I felt I had control. This is something that’s uniquely Greystone. From interactions I’ve had with other recruiters, Greystone stands out like a sore thumb.”

Through conversations with Paul it became clear that he desired the opportunity to create something of his own, so Greystone leveraged the relationships we have in the building services industry to find an established business looking to branch out.

In our search, we uncovered opportunities that would not have been known to Paul otherwise, and set him up with a number of conversations with building services businesses; however, it was Ridge & Partners LLP, who decided to invest in Paul and open a Cambridge office, near his home, that he could lead and grow, who Paul felt were the best fit.

Paul was offered a role as Partner at Ridge where his responsibility was to open a new office in Cambridge, build the team and develop their business. He says, “Ridge have got a really long term view which is hugely powerful and important. They made me realise that that’s where the future is for me and it’s really exciting to be able to lead the Cambridge office.”

Now 3 months in, Paul is actively seeking building services engineers through Greystone to join him on this hugely exciting journey for Ridge. Paul says, “People that join the Ridge team in Cambridge have the unique opportunity to help shape something. We’re all building on each other’s skills and personalities and helping the business to grow; and the opportunities that come with that are endless.

I think for anyone to be able to look back in 12 month’s time and say ‘I helped build that’ is something truly special.”