Innovantage is delighted to announce that Helene Checketts has joined the team as Business Development Director.  Helen joins the team with fantastic experience of the recruitment sector and will play an active and leading role in the exciting times ahead as the business moves in to the next phase of international growth.

We caught up with Helen to find out about her background in the recruitment sector and to understand her ambitions for Innovantage in the coming years.

Hi Helene, so what was it that drew you to the role at Innovantage

My experience within the recruitment sector over the last 20 years has seen me build up a fantastic network. One thing which I have begun to realise that cropped up as a recurring theme with all of my friends and colleagues is that knowledge of the recruitment sector is lacking and ultimately knowledge is power.

When I was approached by Innovantage I was astounded by the quality of their data, the intelligence behind their platform and ultimately the huge problem they are solving.

With huge growth plans Internationally in the next 12 months it is certainly an exciting time to be involved with the business and it is something I am relishing.

With the boom of technology in the recruitment sector what is it that you think helps Innovantage stand out from competitors?

Easy, the quality of the data! It really is unparalleled, and yes, I know I am paid to say that but in reality there is nobody in the marketplace that comes close to what Innovantage have.

Technology really has become a centre piece of the recruitment industry, with the rise in specialist CRM systems, lead generation tools and time tracking platforms. With this in mind, the fact that Innovantage has managed to stay as an industry leading platform for both recruitment data and vacancy lead generation is testament to the hard-work and dedication of the team behind the scenes. The millions of roles that are collected on a monthly basis, and the speed and quality at which this is done is phenomenal – ensuring all of our clients are given what they need in real-time with the click of a button.

Where do you see the recruitment sector moving in the next 2 years?

Tough one. The sector has changed so much since I began my career over 20 years ago. I think agencies are beginning to come to terms with the fact that they need to be creative in order to attract candidates to the roles they are searching for. The boom of digital marketing, in particular social media and the generation Z effect has had a dramatic effect on this as lots of companies are able to recruit through their own channels. This however opens up new avenues of opportunity for the sector and it will be interesting to see what appears.

With regards to the bigger picture, I feel data and the knowledge of the sector will become even more paramount. The biggest players worldwide need to understand where the value and opportunity is within the current marketplace, and where technology can influence their business in the future. This is something that data can support and I am interested to see how this area develops.

And finally, if you could be a biscuit, what would you be and why?

Oh god, that sounds like some sort of Google interview question! I’ll have to say chocolate bourbon, they’re a firm favourite with a sweet centre!