Based on the Terrace in the heart of the commercial district, the new presence has resulted from repeated requests from Potentia’s existing client base to deliver the same innovative service to their Wellington operations. Initially one Senior consultant has been hired to spearhead the new branch – Simon McOscar. With five years of recruitment behind him, across the UK, Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland, McOscar is well placed to develop a presence in this market through both existing Potentia contacts and re-establishing his own from days gone by.

Josh Comrie, The MD of the company is enthusiastic about the growth of the Wellington presence: “In our four years of business we’ve seen consistent and sustainable growth across the Auckland market. Our clients have responded well to our innovative approach and continued refinement of our processes”. Last year Potentia entered the Deloitte Fast 50 competition and won the business services category (coming 10th overall), and in 2008 they’ve become a finalist in the Seek Annual Recruitment Awards. “The time was right to continue our controlled growth path, and whilst initially the business plan called for the new office in early 2009, I knew Simon already, and when he’d indicated an impending move to Wellington, the opportunity was too good not to pursue” Comrie says.

Potentia operates in the highly competitive ICT Recruitment market, and with five consultants in Auckland and one in Wellington, they fall into the boutique niche agency space. Differentiation has been achieved through combining Personal Effectiveness Coaching with their recruitment service. Providing three complimentary coaching sessions with each placed candidate has provided real dividends for both the hiring company and the new employee. Real results include a reduction in time to productivity, an increased sense of ownership and creation of key relationships quickly. “We’ve boosted our coach numbers to two, each having a different background and approach, but consistency in the outcomes sought.” Says Comrie. “We’re working on the introduction of new services which will compliment what we already do, geared more towards refining the selection process. The recruitment offering is not cheap, so my mantra is “How do we provide additional value to our clients?” according to Comrie. “Too many recruiters seek only to attain a greater share of recruitment spend rather then create greater client value”.