Where it started
My parents split when I was three, and choosing to live with my dad took a different turn at the age of 7 when he went self-employed, running various retail & property businesses. From then on the calendar aside from football, was all business related.
Evenings, weekends and school holidays were spent in the businesses, days regularly ran from seven in the morning to ten at night. Looking back, in truth, it was probably not the ideal childhood. It did give me two things I have never lost: a work ethic that does not switch off, and a real taste for running something of my own.
“A work ethic that does not switch off, just like the industries we support today.”
Why the name Loom
Loom was my grandmother's surname.
She was a real shining light in my childhood and, regardless of her lack of understanding around recruitment, she always believed in me, encouraged me to follow my ambitions and make a positive difference to others.
“She always believed in me, encouraged me to follow my ambitions and make a positive difference to others.”
Into recruitment by accident
I am yet to see anybody that has dreamt of a career in recruitment, or done a relevant industry degree. The reality for almost everyone is, you fall into it, then get hooked.
Leaving NatWest based on my National Director's advice because "you've got a bit about you", whilst PPI claims challenged sales opportunities in banking, cheques were almost gone, cash was on the decline and the presence of online banking was ever-growing, the concept of recruitment arrived.
“You fall into it, then get hooked.”
Loom - Correcting the 20%
Some of the big recruitment firms do 80% of stuff absolutely brilliantly. Be it training & development, process, networks structure BUT... the other 20% is the bit businesses of scale find hard to change.
Differing levels of service cross region or sector creating confusion & inconsistencies, internal politics, legacy reward & bonus challenges, right sizing promotional criteria's, high attrition, the list goes on. The impact is far greater than to candidates and clients, even the company they work for. This is people's lives.
People become corporate vehicles for someone else's numbers. That, more than anything, is where the fuel for Loom came from.
“People become corporate vehicles for someone else's numbers.”
Why Loom, in three parts
Nobody owns this market.
There is no market-leading logistics and supply chain recruiter in the UK, and I am not sure there is one internationally. Around 75% of the UK economy passes through a warehouse or a lorry at some point. That gap felt like an opportunity worth building a business around.
Fix the 10% we can fix.
Recruitment is a hard job. It is the most unpredictable sale I know of, selling people to people, and no firm changes that. But clarity on bonuses, clarity on promotion, and treating people like adults are all fixable. It sounds basic. In our industry it is not.
Do it honestly.
We do not put someone in a role for the fee. Our consultants are incentivised on account management and repeat business more than one-off placements, and it shows in our retention and fill rates. We work exclusively or retained, we meet clients in person wherever we can, and we would rather turn a brief down than take it on and get it wrong.
What that means for the people who work here
Loom is built to be a landing place for experienced recruiters. The hiring rule from day one has been five years minimum in your specialism, because the network a client is paying for has to be real. In return the deal is simple: rewarded properly, developed properly, and a future you can see ten or fifteen years out.
Founded in 2023, we are already built on 130+ years of industry experience. When a major 3PL needed 48 management hires for a new site against one non-negotiable customer go-live date, that team delivered it from a standing start. That is the standard.
Loom Talent are a valued extension of our own Talent Acquisition team. Their professionalism, respect for commitments, and collaborative approach have made them a trusted international partner throughout our business. They consistently deliver quality while maintaining strong communication and a genuine understanding of our business needs. I highly recommend them to organisations looking for a recruitment partner who truly feels like part of the team.
Kate was amazing from start to finish, providing clarity and explanation about the job role that I was interested in and keeping me regularly updated throughout the process and progress, including supporting me on the outcome and offer stage and checking in as I approached my start date. Professional but personal approach throughout
We would rather turn a brief down than take it on and get it wrong. That is the whole job.