Our Blogs

1. What we do at Morgan McKinley Sydney

We are a specialist recruitment consultancy that has operated globally for over 30 years, and locally in Sydney for nearly 12.

We regularly analyse what the biggest issues are that our clients and candidates are grappling with, how we can set ourselves up to ‘go beyond’ and really help them to solve those issues, and to achieve their strategic goals.

Delivering service excellence is the fabric of what it means to work at Morgan McKinley and we are convinced that it is a key reason why our clients and candidates continue to come back to us and refer their friends.

We don’t just say that, we measure it (through a feedback system from our clients and candidates) and we reward it.

2. Our size

We are global, yet with a boutique feel in each local location: people often have a pleasant surprise in finding out how global we are. What started out as a meeting in a basement in Cork City (Ireland) in 1988 has grown continuously and we now have offices in Australia, Canada, China, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Japan, Shanghai, Singapore and the UK, and are strategically placed at the heart of key financial centres, giving us thorough coverage of all the markets in which we operate, with a global team of over 800.

That being said, it might come as a surprise that locally in each location we are not a huge corporate beast where you are simply another cog in the machine.

In Sydney we are a team that totals around 50, of around 40 Consultants as well as our awesome support functions, like the Marketing division, who make every day easier and more fruitful for our Recruitment Consultants. We’re a close-knit bunch who work collaboratively and have each others’ backs; being that ‘Goldilocks’ size works perfectly for us!

Ultimately, this gives us global reach and reputation, yet with a boutique feel locally where we can really add value. To find more about joining #teammmk, get in touch with Steph!

3. Areas we recruit in:

Morgan McKinley was created from the vision of an accountant, and our founding MDs in Sydney also had an Accounting & Finance recruitment background so we are well known in that world, specifically within Financial Services. However, it’s a common misconception that this is the only space that we operate and excel in. About 60% of our business in Australia is made up of revenue from our Commerce & Industry and Government clients, and 40% from Financial Services clients. Within that broad client base, we cover all the below disciplines:

• Accountancy & Finance
• Business Analysis
• Change & Project Management
• Data Analytics
• Executive Search
• IT
• Risk, Compliance & Audit
• Strategy & Innovation

In each area we ensure our consultants are as specialised as possible in how they work, as we believe this is key to success as a recruiter. It allows our team to build genuine expertise and deep talent pools within their space, enabling them to quickly build their brand and credibility, and be seen as the ‘go to’ by their clients and candidates.

We are always open to new joiners coming from a different discipline, so long as they are willing to learn and demonstrate their passion for the area they come into!

3. What some of our clients say about working with us:

• “I have worked with Morgan McKinley over the last two years, both as the Group Executive, Strategy and Technology at Qantas and now as CEO, Jetstar Group. Over this time Morgan McKinley has consistently provided us with very high quality candidates from the top tier consulting firms for senior level strategy vacancies. They have successfully sourced talent from local and international markets for "Head Of" level roles. I would highly recommend Morgan McKiley to any business looking for the best candidates in the market for their strategy teams.” - Jetstar, Leading Travel Company

• “Morgan McKinley is one of the few agencies that I have consistently received high quality candidates from, particularly in the Business Analyst space. They actively engage with the brief and are not afraid to ask clarifying questions, leading to a better result” - Leading Insurance Company

4. What do we offer our people at Morgan McKinley?

• We are a Multiple award-winning agency with an enviable global brand reputation, and an established and impressive leadership team. Our senior leaders in Sydney all have extensive Recruitment experience, and many have been promoted from within, with an average tenure in the business of over 6 years...we must be doing something right!

• This is a trusting environment with no micromanagement or KPIs; we have the flexibility to structure how we work best including options for working from home.

• Industry-leading training & development, as part of our onboarding process and ongoing at every level in the business. We benefit from having the infrastructure that comes with a larger business (e-learning platforms and an established L&D function), as well as a management team that really care about developing our people. Our MDs are not just figureheads of the business, they are involved day to day and run a number of our internal sessions for our team.

• There is a focus on career progression with a clear pathway to promotion, tailored to their strengths & aspirations (around 33% of our consulting team having been promoted in the last 6 months alone).

• We have lots of incentives including our annual ‘Go Beyond’ trips overseas to Bali and Queenstown, high performers' lunches (Cafe Sydney, Balmoral Bathers’ Pavillion etc), 4 hour Fridays and travel vouchers.

• The ability to run your own marketing events and partner with external associations, to grow your network, build up your personal brand and be seen as a genuine expert in your space.

• Monthly/quarterly team nights out at the likes of Catalina and Bennelong, whole-business quarterly events (for example a round of indoor golf at Holey Moley!),  fresh fruit in the office, and beer and wine in the fridge!

  

   

• An additional day of leave per quarter to use how you see best, whether that’s adding on to an additional trip, or for a day of life admin that is hard to fit in at the weekends, it ensures that every few months we take at least 1 day to refresh ourselves.

• Encouragement to give back to the community through our award-winning Corporate Social Responsibility program and 2 annual volunteer days; our mission is to raise €1 million globally for charity through our fundraising events and we’re well on track to reach that this year!

5. The kind of people you’ll find here at MMK:

Annalise Neal, Consultant (IT) - joined us in November 2018 as a recent graduate and was promoted in 3 months from Associate Consultant to Consultant.

Josh Hawkins, Associate Manager (Accounting & Finance) - joined us with 4 years’ recruitment experience across London and Sydney and has now started his leadership journey in MMK, having been promoted to Associate Manager at the end of 2018.

Eloise Seidelin, Principal Consultant (Change Management) - having joined us less than 3 years ago without any prior recruitment experience, Eloise has been promoted three times in as many years and was our 2018 Top Performer.

Jonty Plewes & Helen Lovering, Associate Directors (IT & Business Transformation) - jointly head our largest and consistently highest performing division, which includes Project Services, Change Management and Business Analysis. Helen and Jonty joined as Senior Consultant and Consultant respectively and have been promoted into their leadership positions.

Vanessa Harding & Louise Langridge, Joint MDs - our two inspirational leaders started the business from scratch nearly 12 years ago and have built it into what it is today. They are down to earth and still very much part of the team. With a flat structure and open plan office they are always approachable to support us in our careers.

Vanessa Harding-Farrenberg

• APAC Regional Managing Director
• +61 (0)2 8986 3104
• vharding@morganmckinley.com