We recently interviewed Chris Redmond, CEO of RedHolt. The human capital consultancy services provided by his company set a global benchmark with their ambitious aim to create compelling client and candidate outcomes. As the CEO of RedHolt, his focus lies on bringing high-value products to the recruitment landscape. He also expresses a deep passion for bringing value to recruitment in broadcasting and streaming as the area he has a specific specialism in. Besides that, he is a well-known MBA guest speaker and presenter of the OTTRED Spotlight Podcast on Spotify. Let’s learn more about Chris and his journey through this interview below.
Beginning Of The Journey
We started the interview by asking, “Which career path led you to where you are today?”
Chris Redmond replied, “I started my career as a data network engineer working in telecoms. After spending many days in node rooms plugging in cables and watching flashing lights, I realized I needed human interaction. Then I moved into project management and gained my qualifications in PRince2 and MSP, the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) standards at the time.
It was the dot com boom time, so one day, I was inspired at 19 to start my own company by helping other companies hire Project Managers. I called it Projectory as a blend of my love for Project Management and Golf, the trajectory of a golf ball being one that rises! The company traded successfully for 3 years before being purchased by a management consultancy owned by Barclays Venture Capital. It was my first taste of the benefits of being an entrepreneur and allowed me to buy my first property and a nice car.”
Chris Redmond continued, “At 23, that was more or less all that mattered to me at the time. I then embarked on a corporate chapter of my career. Eventually, I worked my way up to being group head of Professional Services for a £1.6b telco called City of London Telecoms. I also spent 2 years as Operations Director. I also spent 3 years as Global VP of Indirect Sales for a Swedish VC-backed firm evolving their entire channel network and infrastructure. It was a period of my career where I was lucky enough to work frequently in places like Moscow, Caracas, Atlanta, Bogota, and for a year in Sao Paulo.
Almost 10 years ago, in July 2013, I started as chief of staff for the fastest-growing recruitment company in the UK called NP Group. Within 6 months, I was promoted to Global MD of the Recruitment Process Outsourcing division. Since then, I have also been MD EMEA of SALT Recruitment, the largest pure-play digital recruitment company in the world, and 7 years ago started RedHolt with my wife Amanda as our own company. The last 7 years have been the best of my career, and RedHolt continues to go from strength to strength in London and the Middle East based from our office in Dubai.”
Underlying Inspiration
We were intrigued to learn about the significant factors that inspired him to build this company. So we asked, “What inspired you to develop the idea of your company?”
Chris Redmond shared, “I realized that developing a forensic methodology that can be repeatedly executed for clients would bring high assurance and quality. I also recognized that embracing technology extensively would require an investment in our profits but would significantly advance our proposition. This step alone has also meant that we have taken tangible steps to increase our offering compared to many of the local and global entities on our competitive horizon.
Whatever sector you’re in, a company offering a product or service should be able to articulate the characteristics of their offering in precisely understandable terms and in a way that isn’t unique. I am confident that we have always done that at RedHolt and will continue to innovate on behalf of our clients and candidates.”
Evolving Priorities
It is often observed that businesses keep on updating their priorities and change their functioning accordingly. We asked, “How have your priorities in terms of business evolved since you first started?”
Chris Redmond shared, “When we first started, it was straightforward. Make enough money to pay our mortgage and the bills. Amanda and I had left full-time, well-paid jobs to start, so we had to make it work. I religiously made 50 calls a day; the next day, I’d make another 50 and carry over whatever needed to be followed up on. I’d offer that as advice to anyone starting up; very rarely (in fact, never in my experience) does a deal get done with one call.
Usually, it takes at least 4 follow-ups of various types. Since then, it’s become about creating value. Creating value for our staff, our clients, and our candidates. I am also heavily focussed daily on creating reputational equity; we secure traction through several activities we pursue in the sectors we serve.”
Overcoming Challenges
Every business faces challenges in its course of functioning. We were interested to learn more about the challenges faced by Peter’s company and what steps he adopts to handle them. We asked, “What are the most challenging situations your company overcomes?”
Chris Redmond shared, “Our product is humans, the most unpredictable and changeable product on earth! The challenges we have to be prepared for are the changes associated with our clients and candidates.”
“What’s the key strength to overcome it?”
Chris Redmond replied, “We do this through being very forensic and demonstrating high levels of emotional intelligence and intellectual professionalism in approaching our assignments. At each stage of our 5 stage process, we also have several substages depending on what’s happening. We call this our process roadmap.
In total, 84 steps must be taken to execute one of the RedHolt assignments flawlessly. Many of these include tools that help us map the market for talent in terms of gender and ethnicity, we also use AI to perform predictive psychometric evaluations on stakeholders and candidates, and we use video technology extensively in the composition of our digital shortlists. We also have a clear project plan with dates for every assignment, so we never lose control even if unexpected things happen.”
Unique Features Of The Company
Amanda Redmond, RedHolt COO & Chris Redmond, RedHolt CEO
Amidst the tough competition, uniqueness gives the companies a strong position, unlike others, and makes them perform better. So we asked, “What makes your company stand out from all the other businesses in your industry?”
Chris Redmond shared, “Several things; it isn’t just one aspect that makes us different. The blend of things we have tried and learned about has created our process today. For example, the way we take a role briefing is very bespoke and very distinct. Some small things make a big difference, like the specific dates for everything we always do, including when the interview day will be.
But the main differences are how we created a digital shortlist, including an AI-based psychometric profile of each high-potential candidate, videos of the candidates, our write-up (always in the format reflecting the candidate’s 6 dimensions of potential), and their resume. We have also become masters of orchestrating what we call a campaign day; all of the interviews with all of the candidates in one day with a professional kick-off to the day and a wash up where we help the decision-making team crystalize their decision.”
Available Services
“Tell us something about your services. What are you working on now?”
Chris Redmond shared, “We have specialist lines of business; the biggest is in the broadcasting and OTT arena. OTT is services like Netflix, Amazon Prime, OSN+, and Starz Play. In covid, that sector took off, and we were lucky enough to spot the trend and develop what has now become the leading proposition globally for clients and candidates in that space. We also have an established client base in aviation, FinTech, Market research and intelligence, and Customer Success Management.
Independent of all those, we have learned that being able to develop a fluent articulation of your client, their strategy, what they do, and their plans is agnostic of the sector. This is what candidates need to feel that the agency they are speaking to is credible enough to represent them. So occasionally, we consciously embrace opportunities outside of our traditional client base and apply the same methodology and approach that we always use to ensure quality for all stakeholders.”
Building Strong Bonds
Building good and strong bonds with employees is essential when aiming to build a successful business. So we asked, “How do you build trust with your employees and boost productivity without causing burnout?”
Chris Redmond shared, “Balance; that’s the key. Recruitment is an intense process and a very competitive industry. One thing we know to be accurate at RedHolt is that our methodology teaches our team how to do their craft well and professionally. It’s not easy, but we have a 15-module induction program and speak to all of our team every day. We also have a monthly kick-off with all staff where we share all numbers and a monthly wrap-up where we transparently talk about everything, good and bad.
We also have a monthly one-to-one with every staff member, and after 1 year of service, everyone becomes a shareholder. This is important as it creates a legitimate relationship with the brand that creates proximity to a sense of purpose. Most of all, we have a lot of fun. We take our team to an exotic destination for team building every quarter and always provide incentives to the top biller and Most Valuable Player every month.”
Adapting To the Latest Technologies
Companies must adapt to fresh trends and technologies to stay in the industry’s top position. So we asked, “How do you stay on top of new technologies and trends in your industry?”
Chris Redmond replied, “By constantly exploring and having my ears open! I get approached to help evaluate emerging tech and always take the chance. We were one of the first recruitment agencies in the world to embrace video technology for every search we do. RedHolt has also become the official partner for the Artificial Intelligence company we use for our AI-based psychometric evaluations.”
Advice To Beginners
Beginners starting on a similar path will find it helpful to hear from an expert like Peter. We asked, “What advice would you give to starting entrepreneurs?”
Chris Redmond shared, “You have to sell. Cash is king. Too many get wrapped up in developing their website and underestimate the necessity of getting clients. Focus on two things when you start up; firstly, develop a compelling and crisp proposition you are passionate about. Secondly, develop presence. Make calls, attend events, and use Linkedin to showcase your daily life. Being present will develop your confidence to do outbound business development and generate inbound leads.”
Connect with Chris Redmond on LinkedIn.
Find RedHolt on LinkedIn or visit http://www.RedHolt.net.
