At Phoenix, we source and match the best people to work in the Professional Services Sector, and with our expertise it’s important that we also find the best people to join our growing team; the Phoenix Family!
Meet Emir Allen - Managing Partner of Phoenix UK.
1. What do you do at Phoenix?
I’m currently setting up the U.K office, leading everything recruitment and operational related on the U.K side.
2. How did you get into recruitment?
I started out in Investment Banking in 2008 during the credit crunch and quickly realised it wasn’t really for me, I prefer dealing with humans rather than spreadsheets.
After doing a second degree in Business Management and Entrepreneurship I set up an ecommerce business of my own which I later sold on to James Caan. From there, I wanted to get back into the city but not necessarily work in banking and accidentally fell into recruitment, so started recruiting for people like myself for banking clients.
3. Why did you join Phoenix?
The Recruitment world is all about people and the synergies and similarities in my approach to recruitment versus “The Phoenix” approach are scarily the same! We share the same vision, have the same objectives and approach to market and come from a very similar culture in terms of how we view recruitment and what we want to build long-term.
4. What is your main vision for the London office?
The brand and level of service we deliver will be a complete replica of what is offered across the pond. Purely because it is very much in line with what I want to do and what I have done in my recruitment career throughout.
Here in London, I will build a brand that's recognised and well respected for its professionalism and quality of service. I would like to branch out more into the financial services world with the long term vision to delve further into the European market, particularly the Scandinavian countries where there’s a large demand for talent, and then later into the US.
5. What is the best part about being part of the #PhoenixFamily so far?
At Phoenix, we’re all aiming for the same thing and that’s to build long standing healthy working relationships.
First of all, what makes Phoenix stand out, is the level of service we offer, the approach we take and relationships we’ve built over the years. We act as an extension of a client's brand and truly treat every candidate as an individual whilst taking the role we play in shaping their career very seriously.
Equally the “family mentality” at Phoenix really shines through and there are no egos (rare for recruitment)! The collaborative nature stood out from the start and it’s extremely refreshing to see and be part of.
6. What do you think are the most important aspects to look for when sourcing talent? Describe your top 3:
1. Interpersonal intelligence
2. Market knowledge/expertise
3. Ambition + drive
7. Podcast/ TV/ Book recommendations?
Peppa pig in the morning with my daughter and son is the only TV I get but there are a few books that have influenced me which I highly recommend. I tend to gear more towards factual books and mentally stimulating and challenging books, so firstly Can't Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds by David Goggins centred around pushing boundaries and striving to achieve more.
Secondly, a book that surprised me was Utopia for Realists by Rutger C. Bregman. He’s one of my favourite writers and his second book, Humankind is also very good!