Our Singapore office is celebrating for a very good reason. It is their 10th year of operation, and that deserves to be recognised. A decade is one of those watershed points that really mean something because it is a remarkable achievement for any business. It is also a time for reflection on the past and looking to the future. That said, and to play devil’s advocate for a moment, while an anniversary such as this is a milestone, one cannot help but wonder what it really means. So, let’s take a moment to look at what the Singapore office represents and see if this is really cause for opening the champagne.
In terms of achievements, we have gone from strength to strength. Certainly, you would expect growth over a period of 10 years, but there is more to that than just adding bigger numbers to the ledger. Our original presence as a recruiter in the technology space has now increased to take in some cutting-edge areas. Our clients look to us not only to provide appropriate talent but to provide that talent for market leaders in an array of fast-growth technology markets. We are now considered as a ‘go to’ in the areas of e-commerce and cloud computing teams, as well as developing high-tech markets such as artificial intelligence development, blockchain and machine learning. Our in-house team of specialists are respected for the ability to source the right talent with the skills needed to supply amazing teams that are leading the world.
Growing year on year
If you are looking for benchmarks for success and growth, then they are easy to find. Years 9 and 10 were exceptional. Both were record years. Let’s take a breath to absorb what that means. Our 9th year was a record-breaker and then year 10 broke that record, which is impressive but to have done that in the prevailing circumstances was incredible. During both these years, we were dealing with a worldwide pandemic. To make such headway in an unsettled and challenging global situation is frankly astounding. The team that did that can only be considered exceptional. Our contracts team deserve a special mention here. In these challenging circumstances, they managed to not only thrive but to triple their book in two years. As a measure of success, these facts cannot be doubted. Rather than look back, though, if you ask any of the team about that success, they will tell you it is just a reason to do even more in the coming year.
What is a measure of success?
All the success we talked about in the last paragraph comes down to one thing, the team. It is easy to point to numbers and growth, but none of that would happen if it wasn’t for the people who contribute to our achievements. Henry Ford is attributed with saying that ‘If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself.’ That is where the real achievement happens. You cannot grow a business without growing a team, so we invested in our people, gave them the support they needed and then, most importantly, trusted them to grow. They did everything we could have asked for and more, and we now have more senior advisors than we could have ever imagined possible.
As part of our 10-year reflection process, we asked some of the team to describe what it was like to work for Nicoll Curtin, and I want to share some of the words and phrases used.
“We have a work hard, play hard mentality.”
“I have been allowed to grow at my own pace.”
“A culture of cooperation and support”
“Leadership listens”
“Strong advocate for supporting talent”
“The team supports each other”
If we were to really measure success, it is in these, and the many similar responses, to what it is like to be part of the business. Our people have been our real success story for the last 10 years, and they will continue to be for the next 10. No matter what the world throws at them, no matter how the market changes, whatever challenges come along or what technology develops, these remarkable individuals will continue to succeed.
Some milestones like a 10-year anniversary are always worth celebrating. Some things, such as the incredible team that made that decade such an outstanding time, make those milestones worth celebrating twice.
