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In Q3 of 2021, we decided to launch our second German office based on the client demand for talent across the DACH region. For the LHi Group, our DACH footprint is a focus area of real growth and as such we are committed to investing in the region significantly over the next 3 years.
The Berlin office, although only 7 months old has gone through such a journey already; after physically opening the doors to a brand-new office on Friedrichstraße in January 2022, we are delighted to report an outstanding 2022 so far. The need from our customers for freelance professionals in our core markets has exceeded our expectations and as such, we are forecasting a huge first year and we are already looking to secure a bigger office for 2023.
The market strategy was clear; build a robust German freelance business with a focus on technology across three defined core markets.
Right now, as we move into the second half of the year, our verticals are as follows:
- Business Applications – With a specific focus in SAP.
- Data - Analytics, Data Science, BI, Data Engineering, Data Architecture.
- Cloud Infrastructure – Cloud Architecture, DevOps Engineering, etc.
This niche, specific go-to-market proposition gives us a clear direction in an extremely buoyant market. However, as a client focused business, we have also been able to support our clients across a few other technology stacks offering a well-rounded business focused service.
For the remainder of 2022, we have some clear objectives, and this all revolves around solidifying our foundations in order to continue our rapid growth into 2022:
Hiring Senior Talent – It’s no secret that hiring Senior talent right now is a difficult task for all recruitment companies, however, we feel our proposition is strong and we look to secure two senior hires before 2022 is complete to lay the foundations and continue our headcount growth in 2023.
Upskilling Internally – With four associate consultants hired this year, already we have a big focus on investing in the development of these individuals so that through the back end of 2022 and into 2023, they continue to move through the business. The expectation is for all four of these associate consultants to achieve at least one promotion each before the end of the year.
Cementing Client Relationships – Naturally as an office that’s only been open for six months, the majority of client relationships are in their infancy and we look to develop those partnerships through the 2nd half of the year, so we can move into 2023 with some strong, key partnerships in place.
Expanding our footprint – It’s imperative for us that we continue expanding our network and building a reputation as a German business in the clearly defined verticals we have set so that we are viewed as a trusted/respected partner in the DACH recruitment industry.
What 2023 has in store…
NEW MARKETS
As the Technology landscape continues to change based around client needs and the need for innovative technology, we will continue to expand our services and offering. 2023 is set to be a year of continued growth and I am excited to see how our proposition evolves.
PERMANENT DIVISION
Whilst our initial proposition in the Berlin office has been focused on Freelance & temporary hiring, our permanent offering is something we will look to explore based on client demand and finding the right talent. Currently, we service any permanent openings for our German clients from our London office, however, as the client demand increases, we will look to bring this division into the Berlin office.
CONTINUED HEADCOUNT GROWTH
With a further two hires, the team has reached a headcount of 6 people with a target of 10 by end of 2022. We are in the fortunate position that after an incredibly successful year so far, we are already in the process of securing bigger office space to accommodate the growth plans outlined above. This is an exciting year and provides the base we need to scale to 18 – 20 people by end of 2023.
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