The client

Owned by Deutsche Bahn, Arriva operates 19,850 buses across 14 European countries, covering everything from taking passengers to school and work, to the airport and even on sightseeing tours. They have over 15,000 employees and a billion pound turnover, with their largest market remaining in the United Kingdom.

More than 95 per cent of their UK buses are low-floor for easier passenger access and as part of their commitment to green energy they’ve also introduced 153 hybrid double-deck vehicles. In London, they run around 17 per cent of the bus services and cover over 60 million miles, providing 400 million passenger journeys in the capital every year.

The relationship

The Arriva business is going through a major digital transformation, with marketing moving to the fore-front. Their e-business has grown in recent years at 60% year on year and the long-term ambition is to achieve 30% of turnover through digital channels.  

Working directly with the HR Director and Commercial Director, Arriva approached Heathcote Recruitment Group (formerly ESA Group) to recruit for various roles to reshape the entire senior marketing team. These included a search for a Head of Marketing, Digital Channel Director, Revenue Strategy Director and Head of Commercial, with the salaries across these roles ranging from £60k to £110k.

The challenge

With a wide a variety of senior roles to acquire in the search, it was unlikely that the right people for the roles would be available on the open market. A thorough and in-depth head hunt would be required to unearth the best talent. We therefore worked with Arriva on a retained basis, which enabled us to work on roles across multiple locations, but still have allocated time to meet all candidates before submitting them.

To fully understand who would get the backing of the senior stakeholders at Arriva, it was vital that the team accurately recognised the requirements of the company’s Commercial Director. The successful shortlisted candidates would be interviewed by senior stakeholders at board level and would be making a real impact to a large brand named business.

The result

We were pleased to have placed multiple roles to the business, including the Channel Director and Head of Commercial. By moving quickly and focusing on quality, we were able to find a high calibre of talent for the market-leading operator. We look forward to working with Arriva again in the future and to partner with them for any further recruitment needs.

To find out how we can help you find the best talent in the industry, please contact us to arrange a no-obligation consultation.