News & Events

​​​Name: Sarah WantRole: Consultant, Horticulture & AgricultureJoined MorePeople: April 2019​​​1. Describe your job in three words: People, phone calls and plants 2.What’s the coolest thing you’re working on right now? I’m currently working with a global seed business who are looking to bring in someone to support in new product development and aid the UK business! It’s super interesting. How cool would it be to say you’re someone that supported in bringing a brand new variety of veg to the supermarket shelves? 3.Which famous person would you love to meet? Adele 4.Favourite drink? Spiced rum and coke but if I’m on holiday it’s got to be a Fanta Lemon. 5.Best holiday destination? So far Canada was the best! We spent one of the weeks travelling through and staying in the Rockies. Got to see some breathtaking views, went white water rafting and hiked around Lake Louise. 6.What are you currently reading? Tim Weaver – The Last Goodbye 7.Current favourite song? I’ve recently discovered the artist Luke Combs and listening to anything by him 8.If you weren’t a recruiter, what would you be? My dream, if money weren’t an issue, would be to open up a dog rescue centre and help to rehome dogs from all over. Although I’d probably end up being a crazy dog lady and keeping them all. 9.If you had to watch only one tv show over and over forever, which one would it be? This is a tough one! I rewatch The Walking Dead, Greys Anatomy and Brooklyn Nine Nine over and over so probably one of those. 10.What's your biggest claim to fame? I have absolutely no claim to fame 11.Where were you born? Peterborough – I haven’t strayed very far from home! 12.What’s your proudest moment? Probably going back to Ghana for the second time volunteering. I got to stay in the place I built the last time and saw over 100 children learning in a school I helped to build. 13.Dogs or Cats? Dogs, forever. I’m dog-obsessed – even have a small tattoo of my pooch! 14.Which football team do you support? Brentford. They won me about three bets in a row 5 years ago and been a fan ever since! 15.What skill do you wish you possess? I’d love to be able to speak multiple languages 16.What’s your guilty pleasure? TV series. I have watched an unhealthy amount of TV and I’m always asking for new recommendations! 17.What did you want to be when you were a kid? I can’t remember what I did yesterday, let alone what I was thinking when I was a kid 18.What three things are you taking to a deserted island? Bottle of water, firelighters and a knife 19.Do you have any phobias? Needles – which is ironic given I have a fair amount of piercings and 3 small tattoos 20.Where are you next going on holiday? Agadir in Morroco. Counting down the weeks for some winter sun! 21.What’s your least favourite household chore? Hoovering – I pass that job on! 22.Describe MorePeople in three words: Friendly, busy and fun 23.What do you love most about your sector? I think I say it over and over but I love the people. Trade shows are the best place to be and everyone genuinely loves what they do. Even on bad days Horticulturalists find a positive. 24.Who inspires you? My parents 25.What is the worst job you ever had? I haven’t had a job that I’ve genuinely hated before. There are always parts to a job you don’t like. I always dreaded managing my Waitrose branch's annual stock take

​Over the past couple of months MorePeople have welcomed 5 new faces to the team.Hannah joins us with five years experience in recruitment and in August joined the MorePeople team continuing her career as a consultant. With her history in recruitment and her love of gardening, naturally Hannah is working as part of the horticulture desk!Our marketing team also welcomes a new member! Olivia is a recent graduate and begins her marketing career at MorePeople. On successful completion of our assessment centre, India, Ben and Michail join the team. They are currently in our MorePeople academy learning the ropes of the industry and how we operate here at MorePeople.Find out more here and be sure to connect with them on LinkedIn.​​

​​​​Name: Hannah RobsonRole: Consultant, Horticulture & AgricultureJoined MorePeople: August 2023​​​1.Describe your job in three words? Busy, exciting, rewarding 2.What’s the coolest thing you’re working on right now? Lots of really exciting and different grower roles in Lincolnshire! 3.Which famous person would you love to meet? Morgan Freeman 4.Favourite drink? Negroni 5.Best holiday destination so far? New Zealand, for the one off lifetime experience but type of holiday, skiing hands down. 6.What are you currently reading? The Family Remains, Lisa Jewell 7.Current favourite song? Follow the Sun, Xavier Rudd 8.If you weren’t a recruiter, what would you be? Hotel critic, free overnight stays, free food – what better?! 9.If you had to watch only one tv show over and over forever, which one would it be? Suits 10.What’s your biggest claim to fame? Winning my race in the Caribbean Swimming Championships, aged 8. 11.Where were you born? Huntingdon 12.What’s your proudest moment? Completing my first half marathon. London Marathon pending in April 2024!!!! 13.Dogs or Cats? DOGS all the way!!! 14.Which football team do you support? NONE! Why is this question never which Rugby Team!? 15.What skill do you wish you possess? The ability to sing – I am genuinely awful. 16.What’s your guilty pleasure? Rightmove, not a day goes by when I am not being nosey! 17.What did you want to be when you were a kid? Actress, obviously! 18.What three things are you taking to a deserted island? My partner, a yacht and a bottle of champagne! 19.Do you have any phobias? None that I’ve found yet! 20.Where are you next going on holiday? Lake District 21.What’s your least favourite household chore? Dusting! Takes forever and is always left till last 22.Describe MorePeople in three words: Supportive, brilliant and busy!! 23.What do you love most about your sector? The people and the passion they have for horticulture 24.Who inspires you? Lilith – the best border terrier to grace the earth! 25.What is the worst job you ever had? Genuinely never hated a job I’ve done ​

​​​​Name: Max JohnsonRole: Consultant, Rural ProfessionalsJoined MorePeople: January 2023​​1. Describe your job in three words: Rewarding, fun, transformative 2. What’s the coolest thing you’re working on right now? A Head of Land Management role for a regional Wildlife Trust 3. Which famous person would you love to meet? I’d love to meet Brian Cox. A fascinating chap and his talks on the scale of the universe have me hooked 4. Favourite drink? A proper pint of Guinness, but with a meal a nice Merlot goes down a treat 5. Best holiday destination so far? Skiing in Norway, or Japan for the RWC 2019 final but most of that trip was sightseeing in Beijing airport… 6. What are you currently reading? The Cassandra Sanction by Scott Mariani 7. Current favourite song? Foreign Language – Nothing But Thieves 8. If you weren’t a recruiter, what would you be? – A Surveyor or Farm Manager 9. If you had to watch only one tv show over and over forever, which one would it be? Top Gear 10 .Where were you born? Hexham, Northumberland 11. What’s your proudest moment? Every day watching my son grow up. He’s 2-and-a-half at the moment and it constantly amazes me the things he can do and say. 12. Dogs or Cats? Dogs, definitely. 13. Which football team do you support? If I had to choose one, probably Newcastle as I grew up in the North East, but I’m more of a rugby man (Tigers) 14. What skill do you wish you possess? I’d love to be passable in a couple of languages other than English 15. What’s your guilty pleasure? Cheesy songs from the 90’s 16. What did you want to be when you were a kid? An airline pilot, which was still the case until I took a football to the face which caused minor damage to my left eye. Hasn’t affected my eyesight but I was advised it’s presence on my medical record would make getting my licence very difficult. Maybe why I dislike football! 17. What three things are you taking to a deserted island? A book, music and a penknife 18. Do you have any phobias? Not really, though unduly restrictive spaces can have the potential to freak me out a bit 19. Where are you next going on holiday? Tenerife in April 2024. Unless I make a few placements and can take a last minute skiing trip this winter 20. What’s your least favourite household chore? Cleaning the bathroom. Limescale is the devils doing! 21. Describe MorePeople in three words: Progressive, exciting, supportive 22. What do you love most about your sector? Talking to people who are really similar to me in a lot of ways and the idle chit chat that can ensue. 23. Who inspires you? My parents; anyone who can put up with me for 29 years is inspirational in my book! 24. What is the worst job you ever had? I had a pretty terrible job as a barman in a small country pub which was so quiet I was often the only one working. It was just dull! It’s now closed, sadly, but unsurprisingly. ​

​The horticulture & agriculture team have still got a busy 3 months of the year left! We'll be attending the HTA Conference on 5th October, where Sarah will also be sitting on a panel called ‘Growing the Next Generation’ – focussing on development, careers, and leadership in our industry. The GIMA Awards on 19th October where we are sponsoring the charity raffle! We're also looking forward to attending WSGA Conference in Brighton on 9th November. Hannah and Sarah will also be doing a South Coast day the day before to visit our clients we don’t get to see often. And of course, the MorePeople Christmas Party! ​As a newly formed team we'd like to share a little bit of what each of us are covering. Hannah Robson has joined the horticulture team, she is a keen gardener herself with so much interest in the horticulture sector. She is going to focus on the Landscaping and Amenity sector. Alice Raven is still doing a great job covering agriculture, and Sarah Want covers a bit of everything! Between us, we cover a wide range of roles from graduates up to director level, including on farm roles, trials, growing, lab/seed roles, growers, agronomists, technical specialists, hard and soft landscapers, and gardeners. ​As a team, we like to get out of the office to visit clients and attend events as much as possible. It’s important for us to keep up to date with industry news, so we can truly be the best. So far this year, we’ve done: client visits up and down the country, from Lancashire, to Yorkshire, to Kent. We’ve also been involved in two podcasts, two university talks and two YPHA in person events. As well as attending Fruit Logistica, Fruit Focus, HTA National Plant Show, Chelsea Flower Show, Glee and Four Oaks. We've even visited the House of Lords! Our clients are all over the country and we never say no to a day out the office getting to meet the people we work with. If you want to meet to discuss how we can help, give us a call!​Call Hannah, Sarah or Alice on 01780 480530

​This year, we’ve held an Executive Club Dinner every month, sometimes even two per month!We’ve introduced a new venue in London to reach more clients, and are looking to continue changing things up as we plan for 2024. Last Thursday, our Garden Centre Team hosted their first dinner bringing together a range of directors and consultants from the Garden Centre Industry. Ben comments; “This was the first dinner I had been to/hosted, what a first one it was. The night was filled with very healthy debate around subjects that affect everybody in the industry in different ways, being able to hear different solutions from different parties as well. On a side note, the networking side of it meeting new people and learning how their business works is something I also enjoy.” Feedback from the evening was fantastic, as always…"I was very grateful to have been invited alongside such a group of influential leaders within our industry, The evening was a perfect balance of networking opportunity, round table discussions on key topics but also great food and surroundings at the famous George Hotel. All Expertly hosted and chaired by the MorePeople team."Chaz Ellis, CEO, C S Ellis / Rutland Nurseries"In this industry as in many you often feel you are steering the ship on your own but following a great networking evening last night its quite clear and sort of comforting to know we are all in the same boat"Andy Bunker, Director, Alton Garden CentreFelicity continues; “Our first dinner for Garden Retail professionals and we couldn’t have had a better turn out. Clients came from far and wide and I think I speak for all when I say it was an incredibly beneficial evening of networking and catching up! Now we’ve hosted one garden retail focussed dinner we plan to follow on with more in the future.” Want to attend a director dinner? We have a couple dates left for 2023, and will soon be getting planned for 2024. So please get in touch and click here to find out more. 

​MOREPEOPLE LAUNCH NEW INITIATIVE TO CHAMPION NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS Former CEO of Co-op, Steve Murrells contributes at inaugural eventFresh Produce, Food, Agriculture and Horticulture recruitment specialists, MorePeople are on a mission to highlight the value of Non-Executive Directors (NEDs) to the industry. Last Tuesday, the firm held an exclusive event for top-tier executives to launch their new initiative.Championed by Barclays Business Bank and the Non-Executive Directors’ Association (NEDA), the event welcomed representatives from both to speak – Adam White and Barry Gamble respectively. Industry big hitters, such as the former CEO of the Co-op, Steve Murrells, now head of Hilton Food Group, joined start-up entrepreneur, Charlie Guy of LettUs Grow and owner of the family-run Burgess Farms, William Burgess to give attendees real insight into the positive impact NEDs have had on their businesses. Steve Murrells had this to say: “Guy Morton asked me to share my experiences and learnings working with Non-Executive Directors as part of the event. I’ve always found them extremely helpful in many areas. In a way, they are the cheerleaders of any organisation because not only are they there to bring insight and experience, they are also there to make sure the management team feel motivated and supported.” Executive Chairman of MorePeople, Guy Moreton said: “We want to showcase just how invaluable a Non-Executive Director can be to a business, no matter how big or how small. This event helped us do just that. I was blown away by our speakers – we all were – they did a brilliant job of positioning NEDs as the ‘critical friend’ all business owners and exec teams need by their side.” Other speakers, including life coach and clean energy consultant, Jacqui Green and Chairman of Ingå Group, Neil Sanderson, both NEDs themselves, provided an honest and uplifting introduction into becoming a NED, explaining just how much you stand to gain both personally and professionally from taking up the position. Moreton adds: “At MorePeople, we’ve had a NED for over 20 years now and it was the best business decision I ever made. It transformed MorePeople. We want to help clients and other businesses reap the rewards and find them the right NED for the job. We also want to support those looking for NED positions find businesses where they can really add value and properly get stuck into the role.” Phil Cookson of Roythornes Solicitors completed the line-up with an “everything you need to know” presentation on the legalities of becoming or hiring a NED. The event was held on Tuesday, 19th September at Peterborough’s Kingsgate Conference Centre and was attended by some 100 food, agriculture and horticultural business owners and senior executives.

As the Garden Centre sector continues to change our Garden Centre Team, Ben and Felicity, are always looking for more opportunities to strengthen their network and broaden their knowledge to maintain the high standard of work we hold ourselves to here at MorePeople. ​Being held in October 2024 the Garden centre Expo is the perfect place to meet industry professionals and engage in discussions, that’s why we’re happy to be supporting and exhibiting at the event. ​Felicity adds “I’m really excited to that we’re exhibiting at the Garden Centre Expo in 2024. From speaking with Luke, the event will be highly beneficial to all involved within the garden retail sector.” ​The Garden Centre Expo 2024 comes from a background of industry experience. It focuses on delivering information and potential connections over a span of two days. Located at ExCeL London, the Garden Centre Expo 2024 is easily accessible by road and rail, providing a convenient option for those who wish to attend. ​The Garden Centre Expo 2024 could be a valuable experience for those with a measured interest in garden retail. It's a chance to learn, connect, and explore the world of garden-related businesses. ​For more information visit the Garden Centre Expo website​Want to start conversations about how we can help with your recruitment strategies and finding the perfect, skilled and experienced employees for your centre prior to the Expo? ​Call Ben or Felicity on 01780 480 530 ​

​MorePeople are delighted to have won Large Business of the Year 2023 at the Stamford Mercury Business Awards 2023 last Friday 15th September. Andrew Fitzmaurice, CEO, comments; “Recognition of hard work is always great to receive, even more so when it’s a coveted award which we know is rigorously judged and awarded truly on merit. The team has worked so hard over the past twelve months and the business has made some great strides with our growth plans. For a long time, it has felt like all the hard work was bound to pay off so it’s great to have the trophy for Large Business of the Year back in the office to show the team.” Richard Hanwell, Managing Director, continues; “Further to Andrew’s comments, we have only managed to achieve what we have in the last twelve months due to the amazing hard work, dedication and collaborative ways of working by the entire team. It filled me with great pride to watch just how much it meant to the team when we were announced as winners. It made all the sacrifices and hardships feel worthwhile whilst being incredibly proud of the team that we have built. On the night itself, the room was filled with some amazing, inspirational people so to come out on top at the end of an amazing evening, was incredible.” As a Stamford based recruitment company, we are keen to be known as a local employer working in a fascinating industry with great career options. Winning this award will hopefully raise our profile even more with the local community as we continue with our growth plans. If you’d like to begin a career in recruitment, please get in touch! 01780 480 530 info@morepeople.co.uk ​