Case Study: Recruiting a People Director for Bruce's

Founded in 2008, Bruce’s is an award-winning business and the UK’s leading dog day care operator. Their centres are like forest schools. Dogs exercise and socialise in acres of open, green space, under the attentive, loving supervision of well-trained carers. They offer heated log cabins, paddling pools, agility and sensory zones plus enrichment plans to keep dogs and staff engaged and mentally stimulated. 

The company is in an important growth stage, moving from eight to over twenty-five sites by 2024. Bruce Casalis (CEO and Founder) sought us out as a trusted partner on their first Director of People appointment. As a business with 200 employees and a plan to grow to 500 by 2024, this organisation needed a special people leader at its helm, with exceptional technical skill and vision (and a love of dogs), to drive all people-focused activities. This was a pivotal appointment to their SLT at a critical phase on the Bruce’s journey. 

Trapeze HR mapped the market of both active and passive talent, through various sourcing methods (known talent pool, branded job advert, LinkedIn and headhunting) to create a shortlist of six high calibre HR professionals. 

 

This opportunity required an individual who was seeking a unique greenfield site to create and embed innovative people solutions. They would also have the opportunity to drive inclusive people strategies in a somewhat unorthodox space! The location, physical and quirky constraints of the work environment and challenges around talent attraction and retention, made this a truly special opportunity for the right person. 

 

The feedback from Ben Mann, Operations Director at Bruce’s, was a great endorsement of our approach to this campaign: “The Trapeze HR team provided a great search service for us in our important journey to find our first People Director. The communication was timely, they were always available and their understanding of our business was excellent, as they took time to learn about what we do and what we needed. We’re very happy with our candidate and would certainly recommend Trapeze HR.” 

 

Amy Martin, now People Director at Bruce’s, also commented on the time, effort and commitment we put into all our assignments: “Jane was a terrific sounding board, career coach and cheerleader – everything you want from a recruitment partner. Her recruitment and wider HR expertise was invaluable in the recruitment process, as she was able to see the role from all sides – and truly understood the people challenges and HR skills needed to succeed.”