Shelley Kendrick
Managing Director, Kendrick Rose / Founder, Club NED
This has been one of those years where on the surface there doesn’t seem much to smile about, yet, when you look back, there are still a lot of things to be thankful for and feel optimistic about.
There have been highs and lows professionally and personally for all of us. Recruitment has suffered during the pandemic, but it has forced us to become more innovative. We would never have known how well we could work from home, and at the same time, how much we would miss seeing our colleagues or clients face-to-face. But we have got to know people in different ways and developed a new relationship with technology and the physical spaces around us.
In some ways 2020 was about hunkering down, looking after the people around us – family, friends, and staff. It was about saying ‘no’. Not going out. Not travelling. Not doing many of the things we normally enjoy – not just because you couldn’t, but because sometimes they were not the right things to do.
But in other ways, 2020 was about being open minded, and saying ‘yes’. Yes, to going out of your comfort zone. Yes, to helping your community. Yes, to kindness. And yes, to the future.
When we set up Kendrick Rose over 10 years ago, the world was in the middle of another crisis. Banks were crashing, unemployment was rising, and there was a great deal of uncertainty about whether the global economy would recover.
Fast forward a decade and the global financial crisis is long forgotten as we worry about a global health crisis and all its repercussions.
Some might think it’s strange to launch a new venture in this climate, but just as Kendrick Rose filled a gap in executive recruitment in 2009, we believe Club NED addresses a gap in the market for non-executive director recruitment today.
Warren Buffet once said: ‘Be fearful when others are greedy and greedy when others are fearful.’
I’m not sure we’re being greedy, but we believe there are times when you must be bold and keep moving forwards otherwise you stagnate – both as a business and as an individual.
We are confident because we believe that the people who live and work in Jersey also want to embrace the future, sharing their skills with the organisations here - both businesses, and not-for-profits - who can benefit from their talents.
So, this is why I keep smiling. We send 2020 away with a wry smile. And welcome 2021, and all the challenges and opportunities it will bring.
