We catch up with David Tubb, Senior Consultant at Spinnaker Global who heads up our Sales and Marketing desk – and who has been on a winning streak in 2017. But what does 2018 have in store for shipping recruitment?
1. Tell us about your specialism here at Spinnaker
I specialise in recruiting for organisations that have a requirement in their business for individuals with skills and/or experience in either Sales, Marketing, Business Development or Customer Service. This doesn’t just have to be pure sales, for example is could be a General Manager role where a large percentage of the position requires strong Business Development skills, alongside the ability to manage an entire office and the associated functions – see our General Manager, Japan role for example. I also assist those with these skills to find their next challenge.
2. The eternal question… how’s the market at the moment?
It’s always good to be positive, and therefore the market is good. It’s not great in that there is still an underlying feeling of hesitation for growth and the associated risk. On one hand we see contraction and consolidation, but on the other aggressive expansion. Either way, companies are looking to build the best teams to continue to develop business. Disruptive technologies are hot topics, as well as automation and various other software solutions.
3. Are you finding that there are certain candidates who are hard to find?
There are always difficulties with finding a candidate with the exact experience that is prescribed. However, with Sales, Marketing, Business Development or Customer Service there is the ability to transfer the skills an individual has. Not to sound cliché, but it’s about presenting the right solution to a client based on the availability of candidates in the market at that time in line with their current needs. The biggest difficulty we tend to face is finding the right experience in the right location combined with a specific language skill. You need to be inventive in suggesting a different solution to a client’s needs. This has been the biggest difference for recruiting for strictly Technical positions, where it is often the case that if the specific experience is not there, there is no alternative.
4. What’s the most rewarding thing you’ve achieved this year?
Personally, it had to be being awarded Employee of the Year (closely followed by winning the social media cup for the 3rd time!). There are so many parts to this job that are rewarding, but to see the rollercoaster ride that 2016/2017 was culminate in such an achievement made it all worthwhile.
5. What do you see as trends and insights for 2018?
I believe we will continue to see a lot more consolidation and acquisitions in the industry in general as the supply and demand continues to find equilibrium. More hype and discussion around LNG as a fuel and the ongoing debate of vessel automation as well as continued growth in the presence of SaaS and disruptive technology companies. I think we will continue to see more companies looking for localised Sales & Business development representatives in their organisation to capitalise on market share and service provision. The understanding of SMEs to strengthen and evaluate their marketing strategies within the shipping sector will also continue to increase.
Find out more about David’s current vacancies at www.jobs.spinnaker-global.com/sales-jobs-shipping and connect with him on LinkedIn and Twitter.
