Business Action August / September 2019

Cooper Golding’s Queen Street, Barnstaple team: (from left) Jessica Thompson, Paula Golby, Lorri Stamp and Katie Pullen
From one laptop to a team of eight
A recruitment consultancy
started by two women with just
a laptop has grown to a team of
eight with two offices in Barnstaple
and one in Somerset.
After her business partner
decided to return to Jersey,
owner Paula Golby was
determined to develop the full
potential of Cooper Golding,
which has its head office in
Queen Street, Barnstaple. Paula
invested heavily in the business
in 2017, when she set up its
temporary division, which has
since fuelled significant growth.
Originally from the
Midlands, with family in North
Devon, Paula has 20 years’
recruitment experience and
started Cooper Golding in 2011.
“The opportunity to set up
my own business has been
exciting,” says Paula. “I really
wanted to create a high quality,
professional environment so
that anyone who gets in touch
has a positive experience.
Following on from the success
of last year’s Manufacturing
Talent Survey and Report,
manufacturing recruitment
specialist Cooper Golding, has
again commissioned and sponsored
the research for 2019.
The survey has been
distributed to more than 2,500
senior recruitment managers,
directors and business owners
of manufacturing, engineering
and production companies.
The reach of the survey
“I invested to grow it from
a one-person lifestyle business
into a consultancy that gives
added value in North Devon
and across the South West.”
Cooper Golding’s permanent
and temp recruitment
services cover factory and
production, engineering and
manufacturing, and many
other roles. Its Specialist
Talent service for engineering
and manufacturing companies
across the UK focuses on mid
to senior level appointments
in marketing, sales, quality
and technology.
High quality service
Paula is committed to a quality
service that attracts the right
talent: “We’ve learnt as we’ve
grown, putting in strong
foundations and developing
processes so that it is clear what
everyone does. Everyone is
really engaged.”
Paula works hard to ensure
the team is motivated: “We
have to keep it fun. We have
nights out, try to be as flexible
as possible and want everyone
to enjoy coming to work.”
She is equally committed to
making sure both clients and
candidates are fully satisfied:
“We are brand ambassadors
for our clients. Why should
people go and work for them?
What makes them an attractive
employer? What makes a
candidate attractive in terms of
skillset and values?
“We ensure candidates are
aware of the opportunity and
go into a lot of detail about
not only skill sets but also
cultural ambitions, including
the surrounding area, which is
important for staff relocating.”
Cooper Golding has the
flexibility and expertise to work
with global players and SMEs.
“We do resonate with SMEs
because we understand the
challenges of growing and
maintaining service.”
Cooper Golding 2019
Manufacturing Talent Survey
covers a wide spectrum of
disciplines from across the
South West and Midlands
regions, ranging from SMEs to
global manufacturers.
The aim of the survey and
subsequent report is to revisit
some of the common challenges
and opportunities that
exist within manufacturing,
engineering and production
at a crucial time for the sector
and the wider economy, not
least with the ongoing uncertainty
around Brexit.
Interestingly, last year’s
report highlighted a generally
optimistic view of Brexit, with
Expanding business
Paula’s drive to provide a
better recruitment experience
is now paying off. This has
included the opening of the
Somerset office in April, the
recent promotion of Jessica
Thompson to senior consultant
and the recruitment of sales
support consultant Katie Pullen
on a temporary basis, which
has changed to permanent.
Adding value
As well as its main services,
Cooper Golding offers resources
for candidates and clients.
Candidates can take advantage
of job search and interview tips,
while the firm’s annual Manufacturing
Talent report highlights
key challenges faced by
manufacturing and engineering
companies, and discusses
potential opportunities to
address the talent shortfall.
■■Details 01271 349745 or
coopergolding.co.uk
very little negative impact
experienced. In fact, partly
due to the export competitiveness,
the order books for many
of our regions’ manufacturers
were looking healthy.
In this year’s report due to
be published in August, we
will find out what a difference
a year has made to the sector.
See the October / November
issue of Business Action to
read the full results.
■■manufacturingtalent.co.uk
@businessactionm | August / September 2019 | business action 9