Brad Stott, Marketing Manager interviews newly promoted Associate Director Phil Storey on his approach to consistently delivering high performance and his bluewaveSELECT journey so far.
Congratulations on your promotion! What’s your secret?
Haha! No secret really; hard work, doing all the right things along the way – like building key relationships with clients & candidates – and, of course, good knowledge of the SAP Contract market.
That makes sense, why would you say you have been so successful in delivering a consistent service to SAP Users, where others have failed, and in a really competitive market because we keep hearing about massive skill shortages in SAP, particularly with S/4 HANA?
I would say – going the extra mile for clients, being the best in terms of SAP knowledge, and adding value across the whole recruitment process.
Ultimately it is the ability to provide what clients require quickly, but also with SAP contractors that have relevant experience, in addition to good references so we can ensure they are trusted to deliver.
I specialise in the Manufacturing, Aero & Def and Engineering industries so I know the market very well and often clients are recommended/referred to me which is great.
How would you describe typical customer engagement for your team?
To begin, a quality conversation with the Line Manager/s and/ or HR to really get a feel for what they are looking for and why.
Once we fully understand the position we can confidently provide a shortlist of 2 – 4 SAP contractors that fit the brief, we usually know them well and rate them highly – or they are recommended by our trusted network.
Time-wise, we can confidently deliver the right people within 24 hours, and often immediately.
We will also help clients by providing extensive research around day rates on other S/4HANA Projects so they know what the market is paying.
All of this ensures we build confidence and key relationships from the start and throughout the SAP project which results in repeat business, exclusive work, headhunting, market information and market trends to inform clients.
Phil Storey - Associate Director | Enterprise Client Partner
I’m really passionate about working with Manufacturing and FMCG clients to help them get the best out of their SAP and S/4 HANA programmes. With a real focus and hunger to deliver the best SAP experts for some of the UK and Europe’s leading manufacturing and FMCG companies, my aim is to be easy to work with, knowledgeable, genuine and to deliver a quality experience.
This all sounds good – how long have you been at bluewaveSELECT now and how has your career developed?
Almost 5 years at bluewaveSELECT, and WOW has it flown by!
I’ve been in recruitment for 15 years and always tried to be a sponge, learning from those around me. I’ve met fantastic people along the way, and always focused on continuous improvement & growth.
From day one at bluewaveSELECT, its been about learning and delivering consistently high-quality SAP Contract recruitment, consultative advisory, and exceeding customers’/candidates’ expectations.
This ensures that we gain repeat business; they refer us to colleagues, friends and trust us to support and add value.
My recent promotion to Associate Director for SAP Contract delivery is fantastic and I’m looking forward to the continued growth of our contract business, more success with existing/new clients, and meeting SAP Leaders along the way.
"I have worked with Phil for several years in facilitating our SAP Resource requirements, and every time he has gone above and beyond supplying the very best resources and tightening our relationship. I look forward to working with Phil in the future."
SAP Programme Manager
Wow, that’s impressive, how do you feel about it?
Great! It has been such a fantastic journey so far with bluewave, and the opportunity to work closely with global brands, as well as some of the largest SAP Implementations & Transformation Projects in the world, is quality!
Looking forward to a great future as well as passing on some of my knowledge and experience to the new consultants here.
Now for a couple of interview staples – what would you say your particular strengths are?
I’d say it’s a good mixture of: building quality relationships, honesty & integrity, hard work, and having a wealth of SAP Recruitment experience ensuring I can really add value.
And development areas?
Always, I’m a true believer in “every day’s a school day” – there are always things to learn and improve on in any job.
Finally on the traditional interview questions – where do you see yourself in 5 years’ time?
Wow, 5 years! Who knows, haha!
I think over the next couple of years the focus is to grow our contract business, which ties directly to growing the team at bluewave.
Personally, I want to do plenty more travelling with my wife and two boys – so will be back California this summer! Also keeping up with both playing football and coaching my kids at their local club for as long as possible.
Let’s finish with some quick-fire questions:
What’s your favourite thing about your job?
A real sense of achievement for clients and candidates when it all comes together.
I also love the team we work with here; we have fun, work hard and get on really well – it’s a great team.
Oh, Monday football with work is always a good laugh too.
What’s the best thing about working in the SAP sector?
Diverse work, really interesting projects, fast moving and the ability to work with global brand names.
How do you describe bluewaveSELECT to your friends and family?
SAP Specialist recruitment, contract & perm on a global scale.
Benefit from volume rate cards, reward schemes, a dedicated account delivery team, 24×7 support, Statement of Work models, RPO & MSP
