News & Events

​​MorePeople has been in business for 20 years in 2020. As part of our celebrations for hitting this milestone, we’re asking some of our valued clients and candidates from over the years to look back at some of their highlights and challenges and make predictions for the next 20.We spoke to Steve Maxwell, CEO of Worldwide Fruit, an international fruit marketing and distribution company.1. What do you see as your biggest accomplishment of the last 20 years?I don’t want to be cheesy but for me there’s a really easy answer – it’s the team we’ve built at Worldwide Fruit. Genuinely believe we have Best in Class people with a fantastic mix of skills and attitude.Answer B is the success of Jazz apples!2. What has been your most memorable career moment of the last 20 years?It would be the lightbulb moment when we realised the benefits that ‘Lean’ could give us. Lean isn’t just a production thing, it’s a way of working that enables you to be a better supplier. Continuous Improvement is our engine.3. What’s the biggest challenge you have faced in the last 20 years?There have been many over the years; losing business, an expensive packhouse closure, ethical issues in the supply chain, people. Sometimes the issues can be spotted and sometimes they blindside you; the key thing is how you respond. We try to lead courageously, be honest and transparent, do the work, be resilient and stay positive.4. If you could go back to the year 2000, what one piece of advice would you give yourself?Learn about Purpose, People, Process.And back Red Marauder to win the 2001 Grand National!5. What do you predict will be the big trends in the food/fresh produce industry in 20 years’ time? How and where we, as consumers, buy food will continue to evolve. Digital channels will grow. I think Wellness will be hugely important and Fresh Produce will benefit from that. There will be personalised plans advising what is right for you as an individual. That doesn’t mean Health trumps Taste. They will be equally important.6. What do the next 20 years look like for your business? Exciting!!7. What is the best piece of advice you could give to a 20-year-old candidate just starting their career in the industry?Be obsessed about learning. Ask questions. Be really helpful. Embrace the ‘boring’ work as it will give you real insight. Always aim high.8. How long have you been a client/candidate of MorePeople?For nearly as long as MorePeople have been going.9. Where/how did you meet MorePeople? I can’t remember not knowing Guy and Peter.10. In 20 words or less, how would you describe MorePeople?Great people, passionate about our business and our industry, who are really good at their jobs.Read more Q&A's:- Steve Murrells- Nigel Trood- Tony Reynolds- Guy Moreton

Meet the team! Our Marketing Manager Claire Smith recently celebrated her 2 year anniversary with MorePeople. Congratulations!Here she talks about how she got into recruitment marketing, eating seasonally, top dinner dates and more!​​

​MorePeople has been in business for 20 years in 2020. As part of our celebrations for hitting this milestone, we’re asking some of our valued clients and candidates from over the years to look back at some of their highlights and challenges and make predictions for the next 20.We spoke to Steve Murrells, CEO of the Co-op Group since 2017 having previously led the Co-op's Food business since 2012.1. What do you see as your biggest accomplishment of the last 20 years?Saving the Co-op from going under and turning around the Group and its Food business from being the laggards of the Industry to 7 years of growth.2. What has been your most memorable career moment of the last 20 years?Becoming Group CEO at The Co-op and being recognised by my peers as Retail business leader in 2017.3. What’s the biggest challenge you have faced in the last 20 years?My biggest challenge would have to be steering the Group through the Covid-19 Pandemic. Running a Food, Funeral, Insurance, Legal Services and Health business has meant we have fed and cared for the nation at a time where we needed to look after our colleagues and help communities.4. If you could go back to the year 2000, what one piece of advice would you give yourself?Bring about change faster and identify and develop people capability sooner.5. What do you predict will be the big trends in the food/fresh produce industry in 20 years’ time? The food trends ahead are e-commerce, Hyperlocal and VFM – Value For Money.6. What do the next 20 years look like for your business? The future looks bright for the Co-op - our ethical model of doing business in a different way and focusing on social issues in society and communities plays into the genre of what people are looking for, and they can see Co-op leading in this space. Our Vision of ‘co-operating for a fairer world’ and recognising that ‘doing good is good for business’ holds us in good stead for another 180 years!7. What is the best piece of advice you could give to a 20-year-old candidate just starting their career in the industry?Go and work for a business that has a purpose-driven strategy and goes way beyond CSR.8. How long have you been a client/candidate of MorePeople?On and off for the last 10 years. 9. Where/how did you meet MorePeople? I have known Guy for nearly 20 years, first getting to know him when I was Trading Director for Produce at Tesco.10. In 20 words or less, how would you describe MorePeople?Authenticity and focused sum up the culture and approach of this business.Read more Q&A's:- Nigel Trood- Tony Reynolds- Guy Moreton

Morten Andresen from our Commercial team recently celebrated his 9 year anniversary with MorePeople. Congratulations!Here he is talking about some of the highlights and answering some of our favourite interview questions, such as 'if you were an animal, what would you be and why?'!​

​MorePeople has been in business for 20 years in 2020. As part of our celebrations for hitting this milestone, we’re asking some of our valued clients and candidates from over the years to look back at some of their highlights and challenges and make predictions for the next 20. We spoke to Nigel Trood, Non-executive Director/Adviser in the fresh produce industry and former Managing Director of The Fresh Produce Centre, part of Fresca Group. 1. What do you see as your biggest accomplishment of the last 20 years?Whilst there are many, I would have to say building and leading successful teams in business to deliver sustainable profitable business growth. I have been fortunate enough to manage a major global branded company and own label businesses working in partnership with most of the major UK retailers. I enjoyed challenging the various business models to improve their relevance in the market and ultimately create greater commercial momentum.2. What has been your most memorable career moment of the last 20 years?Prior to joining Fresca, I was Managing Director of Red Bull UK. We wanted to host events at some of London’s most iconic venues and, despite significant bureaucratic challenges, I made this happen. A huge amount of planning and logistics went into getting them off the ground, but we held live events at places like the Battersea Power Station and the O2, attracting crowds of around 40,000.3. What’s the biggest challenge you have faced in the last 20 years?To be honest, I find my current situation the most challenging. When I left Fresca, my plan was to live between Austria and London, working as a non-exec or adviser for a number of businesses. While I can still carry out these roles, the Covid-19 pandemic has made travel really difficult so I’m having to rely on video and phone calls. I know many of us are facing the same challenges, but produce is a real people industry and I much prefer to work face-to-face with people and teams. I think many of the great business ideas are generated when people are mentally and physically together. 4. If you could go back to the year 2000, what one piece of advice would you give yourself?Be more open-minded to what goes on outside your particular area of expertise. You can pick up so many ideas from other industries that can be applied to the fresh produce industry. 5. What do you predict will be the big trends in the food/fresh produce industry in 20 years’ time? Covid-19 has created huge momentum for the healthy eating agenda and I think this will continue to grow. People are becoming more interested in where their food comes from and a preference for local produce is emerging. 6. What do the next 20 years look like for you? I plan to carry on working with businesses on an advisory basis, and I’m also keen to give something back to the sector through either a charitable initiative or a not-for-profit business. Marcus Rashford’s free school meals campaign has really inspired me. 7. What is the best piece of advice you could give to a 20-year-old candidate just starting their career in the industry?If you’re not passionate about the industry, then it’s not for you. Working in food and fresh produce is something that, in my experience, is in your blood and it’s more than just a job. 8. How long have you been a client/candidate of MorePeople?I’ve known Guy for well over 20 years, but met him as a candidate back in 2012 when I was looking to leave Red Bull. He helped me secure a role in the fresh produce sector with one of the major players in the industry, which was the Fresca Group.9. Where/how did you meet MorePeople? I started life as a fresh produce buyer for Sainsbury’s and met Guy when he was a flower trader. Despite not dealing with him directly, I knew who he was as he lit up the office when he was around. He was so passionate… and still is! 10. In 20 words or less, how would you describe MorePeople?Passionate about the market. Caring about people. Always wanting to learn more. I consider Guy to be a real friend, however I have to say that when it comes to choice of football teams I have no respect for him! Read more Q&A's:- Tony Reynolds- Guy Moreton

​Back in early May, I was almost lost for words after witnessing the impact that the pandemic was having on people and businesses, including our own (read that article here). Recruitment all but ground to a halt, whether because clients had been forced to temporarily close their businesses or were just too busy coping with the unprecedented increase in demand. Fortunately, despite the lockdown lasting longer than any of us expected, hiring became a priority again as things started to calm down and people were keen to ‘get on with it’. Video interviews and virtual onboarding became second nature and life started to feel more ‘normal’ as lockdown measures were gradually eased. We found ways to thrive as a team despite remote working, but it was great to have everyone back together in the office. Having gone to great lengths to make the office ‘Covid safe’ with screens between desks, hand sanitiser everywhere and new office ‘rules’, we were extremely disappointed when the guidance changed again so quickly. No more office camaraderie for a while, which is what I will really miss. So, now that we’re all back to remote working for the next four weeks, it would be easy to feel like we’re back to square one, but I really don’t think we are. It feels very different this time – we’re better prepared, more savvy and determined to keep the momentum going. We’re lucky to be part of a really great sector with clients who are innovative, hands-on and excel at solving problems. And our team are all set to help wherever we can with that problem-solving. I’ve seen lots of posts sharing tips for surviving another lockdown, so I won’t try to add to those. If you want to run every day, that’s fine. If you want to hibernate and watch Netflix, that’s also fine! Personally, I’m looking ahead to 2021 and feeling positive as we restart our business growth plans and look to strengthen our team. Stay safe everyone. As you probably know, I love to talk, so am here if you need to!