We’re incredibly proud to share that we’ve been named MSP of the Year, in the 2026 APSCo OutSource Awards for Excellence. 

This recognition means a great deal to us because it reflects something that’s at the heart of everything we do: building trusted, long-term partnerships with our clients and helping them solve complex contingent workforce challenges. 

For us, an MSP is never just about managing recruitment processes. It is about understanding our client’s business and working with them as one team to implement solutions that deliver. This is why winning this award is such a testament to our commitment to outstanding service delivery and the value of our partnership approach. 

This award reflects the trust our clients place in us and the dedication of our teams across the whole of the Sanderson group, who work hard every day to provide exceptional service. A special thanks to the APSCo team for recognising us in this fantastic awards category.

We’re proud to support organisations at every stage of their journey, from implementing first-generation MSP programmes, to full-service talent solutions, our focus is on building partnerships that deliver long-term value. Find out more about our MSP approach and all it has to offer. 

There’s a moment every hiring manager in defence and security knows well. A role opens up, it’s urgent, and someone says the words: “let’s go to market and see what’s out there.”

That’s usually where the problems start.

Why vacancy-led hiring fails in NS&D

In a sector shaped by shortages, particularly around emerging skillsets, the businesses that wait until a vacancy exists before they start looking are already behind. Clearance requirements shrink an already small talent pool before you’ve even had the chance to think about skills, experience, or cultural fit. Add location constraints on top, and the pool shrinks again.

Some businesses understand this. They keep talent pools warm, they’re willing to flex on requirements when the right person doesn’t tick every box, and they treat hiring as an ongoing relationship with the market rather than a one-off transaction.

Others don’t. They wait for the vacancy, then spend weeks building searches and approaching candidates only to discover the people they need don’t exist in the numbers they hoped, cost more than expected, or aren’t quite right after all. By the time that becomes clear, weeks have gone by. Work is delayed, budget is wasted, and the search starts again from further behind.

What talent-led recruitment looks like in practice

A better approach is simple. Map the market before the vacancy exists.

That means knowing who is cleared, who is good, and what it will take to fill a gap before that gap becomes urgent. It also means knowing where a business may need to flex, whether that is skillset, location, salary, contract route or permanent hire.

Done well, this changes the recruiter’s role. A good recruiter tells a business what is realistic before it commits to a plan that will not work. Keeping relationships warm and growing a genuine network of suitable candidates will always outperform starting a fresh search every time a role opens. It’s the difference between working smart and just working hard.

The real cost of slow, reactive process

Every extra week adds risk. A strong candidate rarely waits quietly while a business arranges a second or third interview. They are speaking to other employers, and those processes will not slow down out of politeness.

Salary works the same way. If pay isn’t benchmarked to where the market actually sits, by the time a business is ready to flex, the market has shifted and good candidates may no longer be available. We’ve seen strong candidates fall out of process, not because they weren’t the right fit, but because someone else simply got there first.

What hiring managers should ask their recruiter

The best recruitment partners already know the market. They know the market, roughly how many people exist with the right skills, locations, and clearances.

A good way to test that, before committing to a search, is to ask a few direct questions:

• Do you already know who’s out there, or are we starting from zero?
• How many of these candidates do you have a genuine, warm relationship with?
• What timeframe is realistic, given clearance and current market conditions?
• Would this hire be easier on a contract basis, or as a permanent role?

The answers tell you fast whether you’re working with a recruiter who’s been paying attention, or one who’s about to start from scratch on your time.

Case study: reasy-pipeline vs cold-start

Two examples show the difference.

Example A. A business approached us to find a highly cleared, technical cyber consultant for an MOD client based in Cambridgeshire. It was a reactive search from the start, and the client had underestimated how tight that specific market was. We found several strong candidates based elsewhere, but well matched on skills and clearance. All were rejected on location alone.

Six months later, the same business urgently needed someone in one of those other locations. The candidates we’d previously shared were exactly the people they now needed. The market had moved on, and none of them were still available. A pipeline that already existed had been left to go cold.

Example B. A company was hiring software engineers in London with a niche skillset. We introduced a candidate who matched several of the requirements. He interviewed, and was rejected.

A few months later, we asked a simple question: is there anyone you look back on and regret not progressing? The candidate they had rejected was a strong cultural fit, genuinely interested in the business, and, luckily, still on the market. A quick conversation brought him back into the process. This time, the business chose to flex on the exact skillset and invest in upskilling instead. The offer was accepted, and they hired an extremely talented engineer who fitted the culture and the role, because they were willing to look again instead of start again.

The difference between those outcomes was whether the relationship and the pipeline survived the gap between “not right now” and “right now”.

Need a more proactive way to tackle these hiring challenges?

If reactive recruitment is slowing delivery, limiting access to cleared talent, or making workforce planning harder than it needs to be, a Talent Solutions approach could help. Speak to James or Mollie, our Head of Talent Solutions, to explore how a more planned, pipeline-led strategy could help you solve these issues before they become urgent.

If you would like to get in contact with us directly please click here.

Contractors give challenger banks, fintechs and scaling financial services organisations access to the specialist skills they need to move quickly. But when contractor populations grow without consistent oversight, the true cost can become difficult to see. 

The visible costs are easy to recognise: day rates, agency fees and supplier invoices. The hidden costs are harder to track. They sit in fragmented supplier management, inconsistent rates, unnecessary extensions, consultancy premiums, compliance risk and missed opportunities to plan the workforce more strategically. 

Left unchecked, these costs compound over time. What starts as a flexible way to meet demand can become a growing source of commercial leakage, operational complexity and reduced workforce visibility. 

Why Hidden Contractor Costs Build Up 

Hidden contractor costs rarely appear all at once. They build gradually as hiring becomes more decentralised, teams move quickly to fill urgent gaps and suppliers are managed in different ways across the business. Before long, leaders may be asking: 

• Why are we paying different rates for similar skills? 

• How many suppliers are we actually using? 

• Where is contingent workforce spend increasing most rapidly? 

• Are we over reliant on contingent workers? 

• Could some of these roles be filled more efficiently? 

Without central oversight, these questions can be difficult to answer. 

These questions matter because they point to the same underlying issue: without central control, the real cost of contractor management is often higher than the numbers visible on a monthly invoice. 

The Hidden Cost of Limited Control 

When contractor workforces are planned, sourced and managed in separate pockets of the organisation, cost optimisation becomes reactive. Savings are missed because there is no single view of demand, supply, rates, tenure or supplier performance. 

Following our recent blog, “MSPs Aren’t Just for Big Banks”, one theme generated more discussion than any other: the cost of managing contractors without full visibility. 

Those costs are not always obvious, but they are often found in five key areas. 

Understanding where they sit is the first step towards reducing them. 

1. The Hidden Cost of Agency Dependency

For many organisations, third-party recruitment agencies remain the default route to securing contractors. 

The hidden cost appears when agency supply becomes the default, even for roles where an organisation could build its own talent pools, reconnect with known contractors or redeploy proven workers. 

This can include curated talent pools, contractor communities, alumni networks and redeployment programmes, helping organisations maintain access to specialist skills while reducing agency dependency. 

When implemented well, the impact can be meaningful. 

For example, in an MSP partnership with one of the UK’s largest general insurance providers, Sanderson supported direct sourcing initiatives that generated: 

• £1.7 million in savings during Year One 

• Reduced reliance on second-tier agencies 

• Greater control of talent pipelines and improved resource quality 

As direct sourcing capability matures, organisations can reduce agency usage further while improving control of talent pipelines. 

2. The Hidden Cost of Inconsistent Rates

One of the most common sources of unnecessary spend within contractor populations is inconsistent rate management. 

Without a structured approach, rate inflation can gradually occur through: 

• Contractor extensions 

• Urgent hiring requirements 

• Departmental buying behaviours 

• Limited visibility of market trends 

The hidden cost is not simply that some contractors are expensive. It is that similar skills can be bought at different rates across the organisation because there is no consistent benchmark, approval process or market view. 

This ensures contractor day rates remain aligned to genuine market conditions rather than individual negotiation outcomes. 

In practice, this can quickly translate into measurable savings. For a global insurance client, Sanderson delivered more than £900,000 in cost benefits through rate card management. 

A major retail organisation achieved savings of more than £665,000 through a similar approach. 

For organisations implementing an MSP for the first time, rate standardisation is often one of the quickest routes to visible savings. 

3. The Hidden Cost of Paying for Predictable Downtime

While many organisations carefully manage permanent employee leave during quieter business periods, contractor populations are frequently allowed to continue working uninterrupted, even when demand naturally slows. 

The hidden cost emerges when contractors continue to work through predictable periods of lower demand, even where activity could be paused without affecting critical delivery. 

A successful furlough programme usually includes: 

• Critical worker identification and exception management 

• Early stakeholder engagement and approval processes 

• Contractor communications and planning 

• Business continuity assessments 

• Governance and reporting oversight 

By coordinating this centrally, organisations can reduce contractor spend without impacting critical projects or operational delivery. 

For growing fintechs and challenger banks, furlough programmes can provide a practical way to reduce costs without losing access to key skills when they are needed. 

The value comes from applying the approach consistently and with clear oversight. 

4. The Hidden Cost of Consultancy Premiums

Consultancy spend can be one of the most significant hidden costs in the wider non-permanent workforce. 

Many financial services organisations rely on consultancies to provide specialist expertise during transformation programmes, technology change initiatives and regulatory projects. 

While consultancies can add value in certain circumstances, their commercial models often come with significant cost premiums. 

In some cases, consultancy resources can cost several times more than directly engaged contractors performing similar work. 

Some organisations use MSPs and project delivery models to identify where consultancy resources could be replaced with suitably skilled contingent workers. 

In one retail programme, this approach showed how targeted consultancy displacement can create both workforce control and cost benefits: 

• 29 specialist contractors deployed 

• Improved workforce visibility and governance 

• Estimated savings of £1.5 million within six months 

For organisations undertaking large-scale change, this can be a practical way to retain specialist capability while reducing unnecessary consultancy premiums. 

5. The Hidden Cost of Contractor Dependency

Contractors are essential for specialist delivery, transformation and short-term expertise. But the hidden cost appears when temporary roles become long-term dependencies because there is no structured demand planning, workforce forecasting or review of whether a permanent role would be more sustainable. 

This requires visibility and workforce intelligence, including analysis of: 

• Contractor tenure and extension patterns 

• Long-term contingent workforce dependencies 

• Critical skill requirements 

• Future workforce demand forecasts 

• Opportunities for permanent hiring 

Rather than treating every requirement as a contractor hire, organisations can identify where a permanent employee may provide a more sustainable and cost-effective solution. For growing challenger banks and fintechs, this can create two benefits: 

• Reduced contingent workforce costs 

• Increased retention of organisational knowledge and capability 

This does not mean eliminating contractors. Specialist contingent talent remains important for change, transformation and niche expertise. The aim is to use contractors where they add the greatest value. 

One way this is achieved is through contractor-to-permanent conversion programmes. 

When a contractor has demonstrated their capability and wants to continue with the business, a permanent transition can reduce ongoing contractor costs and future agency fees while retaining proven knowledge. 

The financial impact is often modest at first, but it can build when conversion opportunities are reviewed consistently. 

For one customer, Sanderson facilitated multiple contractor-to-permanent transitions, generating more than £61,000 in agency fee savings while strengthening permanent capability across the organisation. 

Broader contractor reduction initiatives can also deliver material benefits. At a London Markets organisation, targeted programmes to reduce contractor reliance and increase permanent hiring delivered approximately £1.2 million in cost savings within the Business Transformation division over a 12-month period. 

In this context, workforce planning supports better commercial outcomes by combining demand forecasting, talent pipelining, permanent hiring strategies and contingent workforce optimisation. 

Why Hidden Costs Need a Managed Response 

The challenge with hidden contractor costs is that they are rarely solved by a one-off procurement exercise. They need a managed response that continually identifies where spend, risk and inefficiency are emerging. 

That response should bring together governance, workforce intelligence, supplier oversight and continuous improvement, so cost control becomes part of the operating model rather than an occasional intervention. 

This might include: 

• Tenure-based fee reductions 

• Contractor-to-permanent conversions 

• Periodic rate reviews 

• Workforce composition analysis 

• Supplier rationalisation 

• Ongoing consultancy displacement initiatives 

Over time, these savings compound. 

This is where a managed approach can create longer-term value. In one long-standing Sanderson partnership, cumulative savings exceeded £27 million across the lifetime of the programme. 

Those savings were achieved through a combination of direct sourcing, rate governance, contractor management and broader workforce optimisation rather than a single intervention. 

How an MSP Helps Reduce the Hidden Costs 

This is where a Managed Service Provider can help. An MSP gives organisations a structured way to uncover, manage and reduce the hidden costs that sit across contractor management. 

Through centralised governance, rate benchmarking, direct sourcing, supplier management, furlough planning, consultancy displacement and workforce optimisation, an MSP creates the visibility needed to control spend without limiting access to critical skills. 

For challenger banks, fintechs and scaling financial services organisations, the value is not simply in reducing cost. It is in building a more efficient, scalable and sustainable contingent workforce model that balances quality, compliance and commercial control. 

The question is not whether your contractor population is large enough to benefit from an MSP. It is whether your current operating model gives you enough visibility of the hidden costs already present. 

For organisations managing a growing contractor population, an MSP can turn hidden costs into visible opportunities for control, savings and long-term workforce improvement. 

Ready to uncover the hidden costs in your contractor workforce? 

Sanderson can help you identify where contractor spend, supplier complexity and workforce inefficiencies may be creating avoidable cost. Our MSP solutions are designed to give financial services organisations the visibility, governance and control needed to reduce spend while protecting access to critical skills. 

If you want to understand where hidden costs may be sitting in your contractor management model, speak to our team about how an MSP could support your organisation. 

When we think about great leaders, what picture comes to mind?

For many of us, it’s still remarkably similar. We picture someone charismatic. Outspoken. Decisive. The person who commands the room, has all the answers, and never seems to doubt themselves.

It’s an image we’ve inherited over decades, and despite the progress we’ve made, it’s one that still influences how leadership is recognised, rewarded and developed.

Last week at Women Empowering Defence (WED26), Tara McGeehan posed a simple question that has stayed with me ever since.

What do these six women have in common?

• Boudica
• Florence Nightingale
• Amelia Earhart
• Edith Cavell
• Edith Smith
• Noor Inayat Khan

At first glance, they couldn’t be more different.

They lived in different centuries. They came from different backgrounds. Their careers, personalities and circumstances bore little resemblance to one another. Yet each became a remarkable leader.

Not because they all possessed the same qualities, but because they embodied entirely different ones. Boudica demonstrated fierce determination in the face of impossible odds. Florence Nightingale transformed healthcare through compassion, resilience and relentless commitment to improving the lives of others. Amelia Earhart challenged expectations with extraordinary ambition, proving that the boundaries placed around us are often the very ones worth pushing. Edith Cavell’s leadership was grounded in conscience and principle, choosing humanity even when the personal cost was unimaginably high. Edith Smith, Britain’s first female police officer with full powers of arrest, showed quiet resilience and humility while breaking barriers in a profession that had never expected someone like her. And Noor Inayat Khan displayed exceptional courage, serving as a wireless operator in occupied France during the Second World War despite knowing the risks she faced.

None of these women led in the same way. None shared the same personality. None fitted a single definition of what a leader should look like.

And that’s exactly the point.

Leadership has never been one-size-fits-all

Too often, leadership is still associated with confidence over competence, volume over substance, or visibility over impact.

The loudest voice is assumed to be the strongest leader. The most assertive person is often seen as the most capable. Yet when we look across Defence, National Security and technology, many of the people making the biggest difference don’t fit that stereotype at all.

Some lead through technical excellence. Others through empathy and trust. Some inspire by bringing calm during uncertainty. Others challenge convention and encourage innovation. Some are natural communicators.Others prefer to listen first and speak only when it matters.

All of these approaches have value. In fact, the complexity of today’s challenges means organisations need all of them.

Diversity of thought starts with diversity of leadership

In recruitment, we’re often talking about diversity of experience, diversity of backgrounds and diversity of thought. But perhaps we spend less time talking about diversity of leadership.

If every leader in an organisation looks, thinks and behaves the same way, we inevitably narrow the perspectives around the table. Innovation suffers. Teams become less representative. And talented people can find themselves wondering whether there’s room for them to progress if they don’t fit the traditional mould. One of the most encouraging things about the Defence and National Security sector is seeing that perception begin to change.

We’re meeting more leaders who are collaborative rather than commanding. More leaders who are curious rather than certain. More leaders who create psychological safety instead of simply directing from the front. Those qualities aren’t weaknesses. They’re increasingly becoming strengths.

The importance of authenticity

Perhaps the biggest lesson these six women leave us with is that leadership isn’t about becoming someone else. It’s about becoming more of yourself. Each of them leaned into the qualities that made them unique. None tried to imitate another style of leadership. None waited until they perfectly matched society’s expectations. Instead, they led with authenticity, conviction and purpose.

That’s a lesson that extends far beyond history. Whether you’re managing a team, mentoring a colleague, leading a programme or simply influencing those around you, leadership doesn’t require you to be the loudest person in the room.

It requires integrity. It requires courage. It requires empathy.

Sometimes it requires ambition. Sometimes humility. Often, it requires all of those qualities at different moments.

Looking beyond the stereotype

For organisations looking to build high-performing teams, perhaps the question isn’t simply ‘Who are our future leaders?’ but ‘What qualities are we recognising as leadership?’

If we’re only rewarding one style of leadership, we’re almost certainly overlooking people with different strengths who could have an even greater impact. The organisations that thrive over the next decade won’t be those led by people who all think, communicate and behave in the same way. They’ll be the ones that recognise leadership in all its forms.

The six women Tara McGeehan spoke about remind us that there has never been a single blueprint for leadership, there never will be. That’s something worth celebrating, because the strongest organisations aren’t built by leaders who all think alike they’re built by people with different strengths, different experiences and different ways of inspiring those around them.

Leadership doesn’t have one face. It has many, and perhaps the best leaders are simply those with the confidence to lead as themselves.

If this topic resonates with you and you’d like to learn more about our partnership with WED, visit our Women Empowering Defence page to discover how we’re helping to create space for more diverse voices, leadership styles and experiences across Defence and National Security: https://www.sandersonplc.com/women-empowering-defence. Alternatively, you can get in touch with Alice, our WED ambassador.

Here’s a pattern I’ve watched repeat for twenty-four years.

A critical programme is launched, exceptional people, cleared, capable, committed, every seat filled with someone qualified, and the programme still overruns. Still overspends. Still fails to deliver what it set out to achieve.

So, what went wrong?

Nothing was wrong with the people. It’s the model.

The model nobody wants to defend

The way most of this market works: identify the requirement, find the people, place them, invoice by the day. Success is measured in utilisation. In headcount. In days billed.

Follow that logic to its end and you reach an uncomfortable truth: talent without accountability for outcomes is just cost.

Nobody owns the result. Nobody is accountable for whether the programme actually delivers. And when it doesn’t, and too often it doesn’t, everyone points somewhere else. The supplier delivered people. The consultancy delivered advice. The client is left holding the outcome.

I’ve had a front-row seat to this for two and a half decades. I founded Sanderson Government & Defence twenty-four years ago; for the last ten I’ve led it full time, growing it from fewer than 100 workers on assignment to over 800, across government, defence and national security, the most complex and sensitive environments in the UK.

Which is exactly why I can say this with confidence: the market doesn’t need more suppliers. It needs partners willing to stand behind the result.

What we’re doing about it

Sanderson Government & Defence is evolving from a specialist talent business into a full capability partner, able to staff, consult, manage and deliver across the most demanding programmes in government and defence.

The distinction matters. A supplier provides people and steps back. A capability partner puts skin in the game: defined outcomes, fixed scope, and someone at the table who says, we will deliver this, and we stand behind it.

This autumn, we’ll introduce a distinct delivery brand built specifically for that promise. More on that soon. But I wanted the people we work with to hear the direction from me first, not from an announcement.

“Are you becoming a competitor?”

A few clients have asked me this directly and it deserves a direct answer.

No.

We are not building a management consultancy. We’re not assembling a pyramid to chase the same transformation programmes as the firms you already work with. That’s not our model and it’s not our ambition.

What we are is the same trusted partner we’ve always been, with more skin in the game.

For the consultancies and primes we work alongside: we make your delivery stronger. The cleared, specialist talent nobody else can reach at the same depth, plus a partner who can carry defined delivery accountability when the brief calls for it.

For government clients: one partner who can staff, manage and deliver, with full accountability for what comes out the other end.

The relationships don’t change. The commitment doesn’t change. The depth of what we can offer does.

The commitment

The UK’s most complex and sensitive programmes deserve partners who are accountable for outcomes, not activity. That’s the business we’re building, and we’ll be measured against it.

If any of this resonates, as a client, a partner, or someone thinking about where your career goes next, please visit our consulting page to learn more about the work we do, or get in touch with me directly. I’d genuinely welcome the conversation.

Delivery-led. Talent-fuelled. Built for outcomes.

Sanderson is delighted to announce that we’ve been shortlisted for two awards in the 2026 South West Business of the Year Awards.

We’ve been shortlisted for both Large Business of the Year and Social Impact.

These awards celebrate the South West’s most innovative and successful companies, so being recognised is a fantastic achievement and a testament to the dedication, passion and hard work of all the Sanderson team. It reflects not only our growth and continued success as a market leader in recruitment solutions, but also our commitment to making a positive difference in the communities where we live and work.

We would like to thank our all our clients, candidates and colleagues who continue to join us on our journey and help us create meaningful impact.

Congratulations to all the other finalists, and we look forward to the next stages!

If you’d like to find out more about the South West Business of the Year Awards, you can see a list of this year’s finalists here: https://businessoftheyearawards.co.uk/#southwest

We’re pleased to present Sanderson’s brand-new Hiring Trends Report focusing on Digital, Technology, Change and Transformation hiring in the Financial Services sector during 2025.

This much anticipated report provides an overview of which roles saw hiring surges and the most demand during 2025, insight into hiring conditions throughout the UK, our expert opinion on where demand might be headed for 2026 as well as data to help guide companies on where they can gain competitive advantages in the market to help them obtain the best candidates out there.

The beginning of 2025 saw many employers demonstrate hesitancy towards their permanent hiring, largely driven by budget restrictions and wider uncertainty in the economic environment. However by the end of the year thanks to factors like a prioritisation of digital transformation causing a surge in demand for AI skillsets, we were seeing hiring conditions improve significantly, even a permanent market that was 44% more active year on year by December 2025.

With market-wide data indicating that 2026 should open with more a more optimistic hiring outlook, now may be the time to reassess your hiring strategies, enhance your understanding of emerging technologies and then address your skills gaps with the right blend of permanent or contractor talent.

This report, using data from VacancySoft and LinkedIn and reviewed by Sanderson’s market-leading experts, reflects on how these trends have shaped hiring throughout the Financial Services sector in 2025, as well as providing predictions on how it may evolve throughout the remainder of 2026.

On Wednesday 8^th October from 10am – 2pm we’re excited to be hosting a brand-new event with Atradius Collections, Women in Tech: Inspiring Stories, proudly sponsored by Perago.

Bringing together inspiring women leading the way in digital, engineering, transformation and data, the event will feature a live panel discussion, company spotlights, and time to connect with peers from across the industry.

The event will create a space for open, honest, and thought-provoking conversations that challenge the norm, spotlight brilliant women driving change, and inspire the next generation.

But it’s not just for women, you’ll be sharing the room with professionals who are championing diversity, supporting inclusion, and want to help shift the dial in a meaningful way, regardless of gender, to build more inclusive teams. This will be a fantastic opportunity to network with like-minded peers and build connections for the future.

Why This Matters

This event is building upon our ongoing initiative exploring the real experiences of women and AFAB in tech. Through a series of interviews with professionals at all stages of their career, common themes began to emerge, including those around imposter syndrome, confidence, and feeling of being along in those challenges.

Women in Tech: Inspiring Stories will give those conversations a platform. It’s about sharing honest stories, building confidence through connection, and reminding attendees that they are not along, no matter where they are in their career. For employers, we hope this event will inspire them to reflect on how they can create environments where confidence is nurtured, inclusion is intentional, and people feel empowered to grow.

What To Expect

• Real Talk: Leadership, Resilience & Women in Tech – A 75-minute panel conversation with women in senior roles across the sector, sharing stories and strategies around confidence, growth, and career development.
• Company Spotlights – Short talks highlighting exciting tech work and inclusion efforts from organisations across the region.
• Networking – Connect with peers across the tech and digital community.
• Lunch provided – Stay and chat after the panel during our informal lunch and drinks reception.

Our Panel of Speakers

• Claire Owen – Claire is an innovator technologist with a proven track record as a founder of multiple ventures and a product leader.
• Shelby Wilson – Shelby has years of experience as an Agile Scrum Master and Product Owner. Utilising her strong facilitation, communication and organisational skills to empower individuals and teams.
• Stephanie Darbin – Stephanie is a senior technology and change leader, with a proven track record in delivering large-scale transformation across technology and business domains
• Victoria Ford – Victoria is a Managing Director with over 30 years of experience in operational delivery, communications, digital and organisational change.
• Nicole Hardiman – Nicole is a Technology leader and storyteller with a background in scaling digital platforms and leading cross-functional teams.

The Details

• Date: Wednesday 8^th October 2025
• Time: 10am to 2pm (lunch provided)
• Location: Atradius, 3 Harbour Drive, Capital Waterside, Cardiff, CF10 4WZ

Secure your spot by signing up in the link below and don’t hesitate to reach out to Abigail Tittley if you’ve got any questions.

[email protected]

Keep an eye on our socials over the coming weeks as we share our sponsor highlights, speaker spotlights and the stories from the people behind the panel.

Book Your Place Here

From Military to Civilian: Navigating Your Next Career Move

Transitioning from military service to civilian life is a journey filled with both challenges and opportunities. For many service leavers, the biggest question is: What’s next?

The good news? Your military experience has equipped you with leadership, discipline, and problem-solving skills that are highly valued in the civilian workforce.

Where do ex-military personnel Thrive?

Transitioning from the British Armed Forces to civilian life is a major life change, but it’s also a chance to build a new, rewarding career. Here’s how your military experience can translate into high-demand roles across the UK job market: Think about what you currently do, and the transferable skills you have in your locker for civilian life.

Public Sector

Your background in service, discipline, and leadership is highly valued in:

• Civil Service roles (e.g. Ministry of Defence, Home Office, Border Force)
• Local government and council operations
• Emergency planning and national security
• Police and prison services (many forces have veteran recruitment schemes)

The UK Civil Service offers a Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative, helping ex-forces personnel find meaningful roles.

IT & Cybersecurity

With cyber threats on the rise, your military training in communications and security is a strong foundation for:

• Cybersecurity analyst
• IT support technician
• Network engineer
• Digital forensics and threat intelligence

Look into certifications like CompTIA, CISSP, or BCS qualifications, and explore support from organisations like TechVets.

Skilled Trades & Engineering

If you worked with vehicles, aircraft, or infrastructure, you’re well-suited for:

• Construction and civil engineering
• Electrical and mechanical trades
• Utilities and energy (e.g. National Grid, SSE)
• Rail and transport engineering

Many employers offer ex-military training programmes and apprenticeships to help you transition smoothly.

Logistics & Supply Chain

Your experience managing operations, transport, and supplies is ideal for:

• Warehouse and distribution management
• Fleet and transport coordination
• Procurement and inventory control
• Operations management in retail or manufacturing

Major UK employers like Amazon, DHL, and Tesco actively recruit veterans for logistics roles.

Healthcare & Emergency Services

If you served as a medic or in a support role, consider:

• NHS roles (e.g. paramedic, nurse, healthcare assistant)
• Private healthcare and care homes
• Mental health support and counselling
• Emergency services (ambulance, fire, coastguard)

The Step into Health programme connects veterans with NHS careers across the UK.

Entrepreneurship

Many UK veterans start their own businesses, using their leadership and resilience to succeed in:

• Consulting and coaching
• Trades and services (e.g. plumbing, landscaping, security)
• E-commerce and tech startups
• Franchise ownership

Support is available through X-Forces Enterprise (XFE), The Prince’s Trust, and Start Up Loans for Veterans.

Tips for a Smooth Transition

• Translate Your Experience – Use civilian-friendly language on your CV.
• Upskill –Use your learning credits to gain certifications or degrees in your resettlement period and think ahead if you are looking to leave in the next couple of years. Give yourself time to learn.
• Network – Connect with military-friendly employers and mentors. Sanderson Government & Defence can support with this. Security Cleared Career Events, Career Transition Programmes.
• Get Support –Sanderson Government & Defence can help you find your next career; we are here to support military leavers, and continue to attend events and community workshops to help you transition smoothly. Give the Recruitment team at Sanderson a call discuss employers requirements, and what you might need to obtain that next career move.

Final Thought

Your service has already proven your value. Now it’s time to channel that experience into a new mission, one that brings purpose, growth, and opportunity.

If you’re a service leaver navigating your transition into civilian life, or someone who supports veterans on this journey, I’d love to connect and hear your story.

For employers looking to diversify their talent pool with highly skilled, disciplined, and mission-driven individuals, we have exceptional candidates actively seeking their next opportunity. Let’s work together to match great talent with great organisations.

Get in touch

If you would like to discuss this topic further please do not hesitate to get in contact with me directly.

Michelle Wright – Head of Sales – [email protected]

The Power of Empathy in a Talent Services Environment: A Coach’s Perspective

In today’s competitive job market, the role of a talent consultant goes beyond simply matching resumes to job descriptions. It’s about truly understanding the human behind each application and fostering meaningful connections. This is where I believe empathy is a superpower!

What is Empathy?

Empathy is the ability to recognize, understand, and share the feelings of others – the ability to put yourself in someone else’s shoes and see things from their perspective.

There are two main types of empathy:

•  Affective Empathy: This refers to the sensations and feelings we get in response to others’ emotions. It can include mirroring what another person is feeling or feeling stressed when we detect another’s fear or anxiety.
• Cognitive Empathy: Also known as perspective-taking, this is the ability to identify and understand another person’s emotions and thoughts.

Empathy is considered crucial for healthy social interactions and relationships, as it helps individuals connect with others on an emotional level and fosters prosocial behaviour.

How is Empathy Important in a Talent Services Context?

• Building Trust: Empathy helps build trust with candidates. When candidates feel understood and valued, they are more likely to trust the talent services provider and the organisation. This trust can lead to more open and honest communication, making it easier to find the right fit for both parties. Plus, who doesn’t want to be known as the recruiter who genuinely listens and cares as much about their candidates as they do about their bonus?!
• Improving Communication: Empathetic talent consultants can communicate more effectively. They can pick up on non-verbal cues and respond appropriately, making the interaction smoother and more meaningful. This can help in understanding the true motivations and concerns of candidates and ultimately save both parties from wasting time pursuing the wrong opportunities.
• Enhancing Candidate Experience: By understanding candidates’ needs, concerns, and aspirations, empathetic recruiters can provide a more positive candidate experience. This can lead to higher satisfaction and an elevated impression of the company, even if the candidate is not ultimately selected for the position. Happy candidates talk, and word of mouth is powerful.
• Making Better Matches: Empathy allows recruiters to better understand the cultural fit and personal motivations of candidates, leading to more successful placements. This not only benefits the candidates but also contributes to the long-term success of the organisation they’re placed in. It’s a bit like being a matchmaker for careers!
• Fostering a Positive Work Environment: Empathetic interactions contribute to a positive and inclusive workplace culture. This can improve overall employee morale and retention, as employees feel more valued and understood. Think of it as creating a workplace where everyone wants to bring their best selves.

Impact of Implementing Coaching Skills as a Talent Consultant

Incorporating coaching skills into talent consulting practices can significantly enhance effectiveness. Coaching skills can support in building stronger relationships with candidates, understanding their aspirations, and providing valuable feedback. This approach shifts the focus from merely filling positions to fostering long-term growth and development within the workforce.

• Building Relationships: A coaching approach emphasizes understanding candidates’ goals and potential, rather than just their qualifications. This deeper connection helps match candidates with roles that align with their career aspirations, leading to higher job satisfaction and retention rates.
• Empowering Through Feedback: Coaching involves providing constructive feedback, which helps candidates improve and grow professionally. This not only benefits the candidates but also enhances the overall talent pool available to the organisation.
• Identifying Growth Mindsets: Consultants trained in coaching skills are better equipped to identify candidates with a growth mindset—those who are eager to learn and embrace challenges. Such candidates are more likely to contribute positively to the organisation’s adaptability and success.

Benefits of Receiving Individual Coaching as a Talent Consultant

Just as consultants can benefit from using coaching skills, receiving coaching themselves can also be incredibly valuable. Coaching can help consultants develop greater empathy, improve their interpersonal skills, and enhance their overall effectiveness.

• Enhanced Empathy: Coaching helps individuals understand their own emotions and those of others more deeply. For talent consultants, this means being able to connect with candidates on a more personal level, which can lead to more successful placements.
• Professional Development: Receiving coaching can help consultants set and achieve their own professional goals, identify areas for improvement, and develop strategies to overcome challenges. This continuous development ensures that they remain effective and motivated in their roles.
• Improved Communication Skills: Coaching often focuses on enhancing communication skills, which are crucial for talent consultants. Better communication leads to clearer expectations, more effective interviews, and stronger relationships with both candidates and hiring managers.
  Conclusion
• Empathy is not just a soft skill: it’s a powerful tool that can enhance the recruitment process and contribute to the overall success of an organisation. By incorporating empathy into our interactions with candidates, we can build stronger relationships, make better hiring decisions, and create a more positive and inclusive workplace culture.

As a career coach, I am committed to helping talent consultants develop this essential skill and transform their practices. Together, we can create a more empathetic and effective recruitment process. And who knows, we might even have some fun along the way…

Next Steps

At Sanderson we offer Transformative Career Coaching services that are designed to empower individuals and teams to achieve their highest potential, ensuring that they are equipped to navigate career transitions with confidence and meet the demands of their roles, whilst feeling fulfilled by the work they do, with clarity and direction towards a future they are excited about.

You can find out more here

Any more questions? Don’t hesitate to reach out to Chloe O’Keeffe to find out more.

Email: [email protected]