Steve is the current APSCo advisor of the year, providing support to recruitment agencies with a particular focus on ‘next generation’ thinking
His professional career spans almost 40 years, both growing and managing global recruitment firms at board level as well as advising high potential businesses on strategy, innovation & optimising performance.
Starting his career in Australia, Steve was initially responsible for a business relaunch/turnaround project but was seconded to lead a project to bid & secure the exclusive recruitment rights to the Sydney Olympic Games.
Steve moved to Singapore to head up the company’s South East Asian operations. This created a ‘once in a career’ opportunity to be part of the team that brokered a deal with the Chinese government to setup the 1st licensed employment agency in China.
Following a merger he moved to London, eventually becoming UK Managing Director of listed US company Robert Half, growing the business dramatically over 5 years. He has subsequently invested in global recruiter Morgan McKinley , serving on the board for 10 years.
In 2015 Steve launched his consulting practice and earlier this year he transformed his practice into The Satori Partnership (www.thesatoripartnership.com) which provides agency owners and directors with strategic direction on critical issues including process innovation, agile business structures, tech transformation, data & AI and digital marketing and demand generation programmes.
Steve was recognized by the UK Recruitment Industry in 2023 as Advisor of the Year and in 2024 was presented with the prestigious Individual Contribution Award.
After meeting Paralympian Liz Johnson through his consulting work, they co-founded The Ability People, an organization committed to creating ‘parity of opportunity’ in the world of work for disabled people and in 2019 was awarded a fellowship of the Royal Society of Arts for his work in social change.
What are your core areas of expertise?
Innovation & Transformation - ensuring agencies are set up to succeed by adapting their current operational processes, business structures and tech stack.
EBIT & Business Value Optimisation - developing revenue growth strategies and identifying efficiencies to create improved EBIT and business valuation.
Effective use of data & technology - going way beyond the standard CRM and 'bolt-ons' to create a tech infrastructure that effectively automates processes and allows the professional staff to perform higher-value tasks.
What size companies do you consult to?
25+ consultants & managers.
I do make exceptions for interesting smaller agencies/start-ups, and the Satori team are currently working with an agency with a £1 billion turnover and 1500 staff.
How do you work with businesses?
Anything but a conventional NED. I get hands-on, and work with owners, directors and leaders to make change happen.
I always kick off with a 'no obligation discovery' session to establish key issues and whether there is a mutual connection on priorities etc. I am not trying to drag people & businesses up, I want to empower and enable those that are focused on growth.