When botanical drinks manufacturer Fentimans needed to hire a financial controller to oversee ambitious growth plans, the Hexham-based firm turned to Edward Reed Recruitment to identify the ideal candidate.
Trading since 1905, Fentimans is a household name in artisan soft drinks and mixers, with stockists across the globe. As part of the company’s five-year plan for further expansion, which includes more than tripling its top line by 2020, Fentimans is creating a number of new job roles.
Managing director at Newcastle-based Edward Reed Recruitment, Chris Stappard, said:
“We were approached by Fentimans at the end of 2016 with the task of recruiting a financial controller. This is a new role for Fentimans as they wanted to bring somebody in-house who could manage the day to day financial reporting and support the executive team as they focus on growth and strategy.
“Fentimans were looking specifically for a qualified financial controller who had previous experience of working within the manufacturing industry, so that they could come in and hit the ground running to establish the necessary processes to help drive the business forward.
“After a number of meetings with Fentimans’ chief operating officer, David Charlton, we were confident that we understood the business and we could start our executive search and selection process to find candidates who would not only meet with the criteria for the job role, but would also be a good cultural fit for the business.”
David Charlton added:
“We have very ambitious plans for the growth of the business and we need a strong team in place to help get us there.
“Edward Reed really took the time to get to know and understand our business and provided us with a very strong shortlist of candidates as a result. One of the candidates shone above the rest however and as such, we found our new financial controller.”
The successful candidate, Craig Whitfield, saw the job vacancy advertised on an exclusive, industry-specific job board and contacted Edward Reed directly for more information.
As financial controller, Craig is responsible for monthly reporting and financial forecasting at Fentimans. Craig is also tasked with the optimisation of the company’s Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system and will help to deliver continuous improvement programme efficiencies throughout the business.
“Having worked for a number of large manufacturing companies in the past, I recognised that this was a great opportunity to join a growing business,” Craig said.
“Chris at Edward Reed supported me throughout the recruitment process so I was delighted when he called to offer me the job at Fentimans.”
Founded in 2015, Edward Reed is an independent recruitment firm which specialises in mid to senior level management recruitment across the finance, HR, operations, sales and marketing and IT sectors.
The firm prides itself on its personal, flexible approach to recruitment, where staff take the time to understand clients’ and candidates’ needs in order to make perfect placements.
For more information about Edward Reed Recruitment, visit: www.edwardreed.co.uk.