Placing people first

Jun 17 2008 The Journal

LED by chief executive Lorna Moran, NRG has been a familiar name on the North East business scene for more than three decades and has developed a reputation second to none.

Over the last five years NRG has been building its position in executive search and selection and is now the region's premier player in this field.

The team is branded NRG Executive.

Clients no longer have to bring in head-hunters from the City to find business-critical board level talent.

The head of the executive search practice, Mike Dixon, is passionate about the service his team delivers – "It's a real privilege to be importing new talent into the region, making appointments that fundamentally change organisations for the better.

We combine national reach and networks with a local, client-responsive approach and we have a proven track record of delivering to challenging briefs."

Operating across both the public and private sectors nationwide, NRG Executive delivers non-executive as well as executive appointments.

NRG Executive managed the recruitment of chairs and board members for all of the UK's regional development agencies, including One NorthEast, and has managed the appointment of chief executives for the North East Assembly, Dale & Valley Homes, Hadrian's Wall Heritage Ltd., Northumberland National Park, the NECC, NaREC and St Oswald's Hospice and recently recruited the HR directors for the House of Commons, Northumbria University and Dickinson Dees.

Over the last three years, the team has adapted to meet the region's requirements, managing appointments as diverse as senior regeneration professionals, destination marketers and social housing leaders.

The team has also recently recruited senior executives for several corporate firms including Northgate plc, TSG, and SCS plc as well as the new and emerging technologies sector.

Perhaps the best showcase for the breadth of NRG Executive's activities is Business Link North East (BLNE).

BLNE went live on April 1 last year replacing four previous sub-regional organisations.

Charged with becoming an innovative business support organisation capable of meeting the real needs of existing and potential businesses across the whole region, BLNE faced some high expectations.

On the basis of its proven track record and experience, NRG Executive was commissioned to recruit both the executive and non-executive team to shape, lead and direct the new venture, all to a strict deadline.

Stage one was the appointment of a chair and 14 board members reflecting the entire geography of the region and a balance of skills, gender and ethnic background, as well as sector experience.

This new BLNE board, now chaired by Roy Stanley, is truly business driven and stage two was the search for a like-minded chief executive.

The appointment of Alastair MacColl, managing director of the Gazette Media Company in Teesside, sent a strong signal to key stakeholders and a declaration of intent to the business community.

MacColl is confident, ambitious, focused, yet down to earth and defiantly committed, and these qualities were reflected in stage three, the appointment of his senior management team.

Alastair is confident that the resulting mix of individuals and skills is very strong: "With this team in place Business Link North East is set to build something that can become the gold standard for business support, not just in the UK but across Europe."