PROFILE
TEES UP !
Name
: Maureen Wright Age : 62 Born : Teesside Lives : Durham
Organisation & job titles : Founder and MD , Westray Recruitment
When I was at school , I wanted to be … a vet . I have a great love for animals and always wanted to work with them . However , after careful consideration and being a big softie , I knew I couldn ’ t deal with the emotional side of seeing them in distress .
The best business decision I ever made was … hiring Steven Hodgson , my financial director . You can ’ t underestimate having the right support in place and Steven is , without doubt , the best hire I ’ ve ever made . He ’ s given me the ability to focus mainly on the operational side of the business without having to worry too much about the finances . I trust him implicitly and all major business decisions are taken together .
The worst business decision I ever made was … well , I ’ ve made a few , but that ’ s how you learn , right ? But I would have to say that opening a number of offices across the region - we had five at one point - without having the right infrastructure and team in place . I found myself being run ragged and having to be all things to all people , which just wasn ’ t workable . I took the decision to consolidate to just two offices - Stockton and Gateshead .
The best part of my job is … changing people ’ s lives . Helping someone secure their dream role and develop their career is so rewarding and , equally , so is helping our clients find great people to grow their business . I ’ ve always enjoyed helping those who need more support .
The biggest downside of my working life is … there isn ’ t one . Now that I ’ m winding down after 40-plus years in recruitment , I wish I was starting all over again . I have loved and still love every minute !
If I could change one thing to help my organisation it would be … to change the perception that people have of recruiters . Unfortunately , we ’ re sometimes seen as not adding value , when in fact that couldn ’ t be further from the truth . We help businesses
source their biggest asset , which is its people . We ’ re not a transactional business , we like to build solid , long-term relationships and really get under the skin of the businesses we work with . We do this very well , which is why we ’ ve worked with many of our clients for in excess of 25 years .
Four words to describe me are … my business coach and mentor , Dr David Cliff from Gedanken , came up with passionate , tenacious , caring and diligent , all of which I will gratefully accept . My kids , who no longer live with me , came up with strong , selfless , resilient and empathetic . However , had they still been living with me , those words would probably be annoying , bossy , uncompromising and nightmare .
My business mantra is … to ensure we help businesses and people grow .
My greatest achievement is … running a business as a single parent to three kids . It hasn ’ t been easy , by any stretch , but I made it work and managed to raise three ( reasonably ) welladjusted adults . That said , I did forget to collect them from school on a couple of occasions , but I ’ m pleased to say they weren ’ t neglected during the process .
The advice I ’ d give to business start-ups is … be prepared to give it your all . Setting up a business isn ’ t for everyone and a lot of sacrifices have to be made along the way . Get the very best people on board at the outset and don ’ t forget to think about succession planning .
The biggest character on the Tees business scene is … there are so many inspirational business people across this region , many that we work with , but I have to give a shout out to Rob Tindle from Tindle ’ s Chartered Accountants . We have worked together for the lifetime of my business . Like myself , he tends to fly under the radar , but he is one of the best business advisors and financial practitioners out there .
70 | Tees Business