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We are delighted to announce that our founder and CEO, Adie McGennis has been recognised for his remarkable career, personal and professional standing, and in particular his achievements over his twenty-year tenure as Sigmar’s CEO. On Friday at the Employment & Recruitment Federation Awards, hosted at The Shelbourne Hotel, Adie was presented with the James Kilbane Lifetime Achievement Award. Our Sales & Marketing team were also the winners of the “Best in Practice – Sales & Marketing Recruitment” award on the night. Beginning his career in recruitment in the 90s with Interstaff Recruitment after a brief stint in London, within a few short years, Adie became Managing Director of Marlborough Recruitment. It went on to become the largest recruitment agency in Ireland and the first Irish professional services company to be listed on the stock exchange. In 2002, he left to help set up Sigmar Recruitment and since then, Adie has built Sigmar into a thriving, global company that has won over 60 awards. Adie is the ultimate servant leader; humble and sincere, measuring himself by the leaders he creates and not by his own achievements. His ethos has undoubtedly shaped Sigmar’s culture and purpose. Commenting on Adie’s achievement, Frank Farrelly, COO of Sigmar Recruitment said:“I am absolutely delighted that Adie has been recognised by the Employment & Recruitment Federation. Adie is one of the most recognizable and well-liked recruitment professionals in Ireland. In a career spanning over 30 years, he has made numerous lifelong friends and he has been one of the most collaborative and helpful people to many in the industry be they colleagues, competitors or members of the ERF. He truly embodies the spirit of this award and I am delighted to see him being awarded by his peers. Through Adie’s leadership, values, and entrepreneurial spirit, Sigmar has continued to grow and evolve as a business and will continue to do so! Thank you Adie, for all that you have done! Huge congratulations on behalf of all team Sigmar!” Find out more about Sigmar’s story here. Find out more about the Employment & Recruitment Federation Awards here.
We're delighted to announce that Sigmar CFO, Dervla Owens is on the Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA) 2022 list of the Global Power 150 – Women in Staffing. In its eighth year, this annual list recognizes women for their outstanding efforts and achievements in elevating the workforce solutions ecosystem.Sigmar CEO Adie McGennis comments: "We are all delighted that Dervla is rightly included in this prestigious list. It is great that the global industry recognises the huge contribution that Dervla makes to Sigmar, the industry and business in Ireland. Always 100% professional and willing to support, many of her initiatives have driven growth in our Temp business, as well as supporting the development of Sigmar for last eleven years. Congrats Dervla!"“These forward-thinking women have turned challenges into springboards to success. From heading up impactful organizations to steering essential projects to fine-tuning the hybrid model, they have led with grace and empathy,” said Subadhra Sriram, SIA’s editor and publisher, media products. “Congratulations to this year’s honorees who are navigating, adapting and innovating in this new world of work. The remarkable women gracing our 2022 Global Power 150 list exemplify strength and leadership in the staffing industry.”SIA’s research consistently shows that despite women dominating offices worldwide in the staffing industry, only a few women make it to the top roles in organizations. The Global Power 150 – Women in Staffing shines the spotlight on female leaders making a difference inside and outside of boardrooms. The 2022 Global Power 150 – Women in Staffing debuted today with profiles highlighting each honoree now available online here.
Following on from 10 of our staff raising €42,775 on the Paris2Nice cycle, over 40 of us descended on Saplings Special School, Kilkenny to take part in our first-ever Difference Day, to put the money raised into action. Our goal was to help transform the outdoor areas of the school to enhance the environment for the children and teachers of the school. A total of 5 projects were carried out on the day including building 2 outdoor classroom spaces, new seating and planters, painting the playground area and constructing a fence to make the front area of the school safe for the kids.There was lots of hard work but the fantastic principal Sandra, her staff and the wonderful pupils of Saplings kept spirits high throughout the day. It was extremely rewarding when the team were able to reveal the completed projects to some of the teachers, parents and pupils at the end of the day. Their reaction made all the manual labour worth it!A huge thank you to Difference Daysand Outdoor and Spaceswho helped us bring this project to life! It was an absolute privilege to be able to undertake it.
Sigmar led a delegation of 50 Irish and US business leaders to London last week for trade missionIreland Gateway To Europe, to promote US/UK/European trade. We hosted a number of events in the London over two days welcoming over 300 guests.We were joined by the team from The Hard Shoulder on Newstalk, who broadcast live from our trip.Boston College Global Leadership Dinner - RAF Club (19th Oct 2022)Sigmar CCO Robert Mac Giolla Phadraig was MC at the The Boston College Ireland Business Council Global Leadership Dinner which took place in The RAF Club in London. There were fascinating conversations with:Dame Sharon White, Chairman John Lewis & Partners;Conor McEnroy, Founder and owner Sudameris in Paraguay; Warren Zola,Executive Director, BC Chief Executives Club.The event was kindly hosted by Rosaleen Blair, CBE.Listen to Robert MacGiolla Phádraig, Conor McEnroy, and Neil Naughton The Hard Shoulder on NewstalkBoston College CEO Club Lunch at Bloomberg (Oct 20th 2022)There was a full house for the first BC CEO Club lunch ever held in the UK, hosted at the amazing offices of Bloomberg. Guests from London, Ireland, the US and a number of Boston College alumni attended to hear about global economic trends and Europe's energy crisis from our speakers:Fernando Vicario, CEO, Bank of America EuropeRobert Mac Giolla Phadraig, CCO, Sigmar RecruitmentSonya Twohig, Secretary-General of ENTSO-EGerard Reid, Co-founder, Alexa Capital Warren Zola, Chief Executive, Boston College Chief Executives Club.The London Irish Centre (Oct 20th)The delegation visited the London Irish Center, an established charity offering advice, support, culture and community services to the Irish in London from our centre in Camden. It was absolutely amazing the scope of what they do and the difference they make.Listen to Séamus MacCormaic, CEO of the London Irish Centre on The Hard Shoulder on NewstalkReception at The Embassy of Ireland, London (Oct 20th)We were delighted to end our trip as guests of Ambassador Martin Fraser at the Irish embassy in London.
This year 7 members of our team along with 3 of our French counterparts in Groupe Adequat are cycling from Paris to Nice (750km over 6 consecutive days) in a bid to raise much needed funds for our chosen charity this year – Saplings School, Goresbridge.Saplings is a special school for children aged 5 to 18 with autism and complex needs in Goresbridge, Co. Kilkenny. All students have a primary diagnosis of autism and a secondary diagnosis of a mild, moderate, or severe/profound learning disability.Our target is to raise €30,000 to help the school create sensory rooms and build specialized indoor and outdoor play areas for the students, that will help the students to grow, learn and develop.Sigmar’s Marketing & Communications Manger and Kilkenny native Julia Purcell said, “I’m delighted we’re able to undertake this project for Saplings Goresbridge. Having met the kids and staff members of the school, I’m more determined than ever to help them hit the fundraising goals to complete the project. The staff and kids of Saplings are inspirational and deserve a facility that reflects this.”The team are not just cycling 750km to fundraise but once the target is achieved, they will help complete the manual labour involved in the project along with 40 colleagues. This will be done in partnership with Difference Days who organise CSR initiatives. CEO, Dennis O’Reilly said, “This is a really worthwhile and much needed project. Everyone in the school is absolutely brilliant, but we can see that the facility can be transformed, so we’ll do that… in one day. We’ll involve the students, parents, teachers, and staff of Sigmar to roll their sleeves up and be a key part of the project.”Sigmar CEO, Adie McGennis said, “We are thrilled and honoured to run this project. The team are training hard for the cycle, but that may be the easy bit! We are covering all our own expenses, but need to raise €30,000 to cover the costs of the project. Having seen some of the Difference Days team’s other projects and spoken to Julia about the school in Goresbridge, it will be an incredible but emotional project, that I’m thrilled we are supporting.”If you would like to give your support please visit www.idonate.ie/SigmarForSaplings.
We’re thrilled to announce that Sigmar Recruitment picked up Recruitment Agency of the Year and Best in Practice – Sales & Marketing at the 2021 Employment & Recruitment Federation Awards on Friday 25th February 2022. In a year that Sigmar Recruitment will celebrate another major milestone; of being in business for 20 years, we are over the moon to receive this recognition. Speaking on the win, Sigmar CEO, Adie McGennis said; “It is a great testament to every single person in Sigmar and the professionalism, coolness and positivity they displayed over the challenges of the pandemic. Their ability to get involved in not just providing excellent service to our clients and candidates but initiatives such as Talent Summit and Ireland, Gateway to Europe, I’m so pleased for the team to receive this recognition. It has been a record-breaking year and this is the crowning achievement.” Alan Murphy who accepted the Best in Practice – Sales & Marketing Award added, “We are delighted to have won this award again after what has been a challenging but ultimately rewarding year in recruitment. It’s a testament to how the team adapted to the demands of the market and will inspire us to continue to grow our high performing team and offer a best-in-class service to our candidates and clients alike!” The postponed ceremony took place in the Shelbourne Hotel and was attended by over 360 guests. The awards are designed to identify and reward excellence in recruitment in Ireland and is judged by an independent panel, including representatives from the international recruitment sector, the National College of Ireland and DCU. A huge congratulations to all of our fellow ERF Award winners and nominees. Visit the Employment & Recruitment Federation website to see a full list of the 2021 winners.
Sigmar Recruitment today reports a record high number of job placements over April, May, and June 2021. The number of placements during this period is higher than any other quarter in the recruitment company’s 20-year history. Current figures are up 6% on the previous record set in 2019 before the pandemic. As one of the largest recruiters in Ireland, Sigmar has offices across the country and is present in all professional sectors. The first half of the year saw strong, consistent growth with job placements breaking all records in the month of May, with June accounting for the second-highest month ever. Commenting on the rebound of the labour market, Sigmar founding Director, Robert Mac Giolla Phádraig says: “The jobs market in Ireland has never been stronger or more buoyant than it currently is. We’re seeing several macro trends converge all at once, which is creating significant churn in the market. Remote working has literally opened up a world of new opportunities no longer bound by location. This is coupled with a rising tide of consumer confidence, as many professionals find themselves in a stronger financial position than before the pandemic. “The last 18 months has asked big questions of us all, and the humdrum of lockdown has created a desire for change which is now resulting in unprecedented numbers of people moving jobs. Employee loyalty is increasingly under question, with remote work being less enjoyable, many workers are now committed to the experience of work over the employer, adding further to the current levels of churn.” IT accounted for one-third of all job placements throughout the quarter, followed in order by Financial Services, Sales & Marketing, Accountancy, Life Science & Manufacturing, Office Support, Public Sector, Construction, Professional Services. Business confidence has also grown steadily over the course of the year, as vaccination gathered momentum. The “low-touch economy” is booming is sectors such as e-commerce, digital, and logistics. Says Mac Giolla Phádraig: “The resurgence of permanent recruitment is somewhat unique to how we’ve rebounded from previous downturns, where we typically saw flexible work return quicker.” Although the vast majority of job placement in Q2 were understandably remote, Sigmar reports that the tide is beginning to change with the majority of employers now committing to hybrid work over the coming three months. Mac Giolla Phádraig advises: “As we now choose our workplaces, at a time when the power dynamic has shifted to the employee, employers need to ensure adequate work practices to reconnect the workforce with the workplace equitably. There is an inherent risk that new workforce inequities may emerge, such as “proximity bias”, where those closest to the centre of influence get greater recognition and therefore promotion opportunities as opposed to remote workers. When it comes to individual contribution the opposite could be argued that remote workers get the benefit of having less in-office distractions and their output is therefore greater.” Mac Giolla Phádraig likens remote work to long-distance relationships, which in many cases don’t work out. “We’ve gone from “living” with our employees in an office environment to long-distance relationships, which often sees commitment recede over time. The context of location also opens up new experiences and possibilities, which are now being explored on a scale never before seen.” He adds, “if we thought the war for talent was tough, just wait for the battle of attrition. It’s now emerging as the number one challenge for businesses across the globe.”
As restrictions lift and choice of workplace emerges, how we lead our distributed workforce needs to be geared differently to ensure equity amongst our workforce. Watch back this session on the emerging thinking and practices to ensure high touch leadership for low touch work. This session was run by France Ireland Chamber of Commerce, moderated by Michelle Fogarty (COO, Peptalk), and welcomed Robert Mac Giolla Phádraig (Founder Talent Summit and COO Sigmar Recruitment) and Aine Murray (Head of Marketing, Communications, CR & Bid Support, Veolia).
Eoin Langdon has been promoted to a Director at Sigmar Recruitment. Eoin Langdon has been an Associate Director of the recruitment firm for the past four years. Before that, he was manager of the IT division for five years. A massive congratulations from all your friends and colleagues at Sigmar - so well deserved!