Shawbrook Bank, a growing challenger bank established in 2011, plans to considerably grow its 600 strong work-force in the space of four years in order to achieve the company’s ambitions. In order to do so, Shawbrook has partnered with RPO (Recruitment Process Outsourcing) provider, Cielo, to deliver its Total Talent Acquisition goals in line with its good-sense values that challenge the conventional approach of the mainstream banks and have made it a competitive savings and lending Financial Services destination for SMEs and individuals in just over five years.

At this stage in the specialist bank’s lifecycle the talent acquisition drive will support the growth of Shawbrook’s offices across the U.K including their main sites in Brentwood, Dorking and Glasgow. Shawbrook has the unique status of being a bank with the majority of its sites outside London, offering sought after talent within the Financial Services sector positions outside of the capital.

Previously, Shawbrook relied heavily on traditional recruitment agencies to fulfil their resourcing needs. One of the key reasons for appointing Cielo is the RPO’s innovative approach and integration within the organisation – which not only focusses on the recruitment process but also on developing a bespoke strategy in order to attract the right talent.  By working as part of the Shawbrook HR team, Cielo contributes to the total talent acquisition strategy, delivers cost reductions and speeds up the hiring process while maintaining a core focus on quality of hire – a key goal for the bank in order to be successful in its ambitious recruitment plans.

Cielo will manage the talent acquisition of permanent and non-permanent workers for Shawbrook Bank. Cielo has already worked to redefine the employee brand and develop a comprehensive careers site which clearly highlights Shawbrook’s Employee Value Proposition to inform prospective candidates about what is special about a career with Shawbrook.

Lee Shaw, Head of HR Service Delivery & Change of Shawbrook Bank commented:“We have always taken a bold whilst pragmatic approach to growing our business.  We believe our specialist knowledge and personalised approach to our customer relationships sets us apart from our competitors, and we realised the best way to meet our growth goals was to apply this same mind-set to our talent acquisition strategy.  We identified Cielo as having the specialist understanding and personal commitment to help us make the best hires for our business by working as part of our team, and we are confident that the partnership will allow us to hit our ambitious targets.”

Seb O’Connell, Managing Director EMEA & APAC, Cielo commented: “We are proud to be partnering with Shawbrook Bank, a great example of a progressive and growing company in the competitive financial services sector, and are delighted to be helping them deliver their impressive plans for growth.  Our focus on the experience we deliver to each person involved in talent acquisition closely aligns with their own values, and we are excited to be building this long term, strategic relationship.”