Booming business
Andy Morrell is not afraid of a challenge. In early 2007 he was asked to join a failing recruitment company as a director to turn the business around.
And ten years later, Manchester-based Oscar Associates (http://www.oscar-associates.com) is now a thriving international company with offices in America, Singapore and New Zealand, specialising in providing talent for the technology and energy sectors.
“The brand had been failing, the company was not making money and the previous MD had been terminated,” says the 36-year-old, who is now a co-owner and global board director at Oscar. “It was quite a daunting task but one I was very excited about.
“At Christmas 2007, we moved to city centre offices with just seven staff and since then we have had year on year growth.
“By May 2015 we have opened our latest international office in Christchurch, New Zealand, and have a headcount of more than 85 staff. We have placed professionals in new roles in over 50 countries across six continents, so it’s been quite a journey so far.”
Strong foundation
Andy, who lives in Cheshire, graduated from Staffs in 2000 having studied a four-year business management course, spending his third year working in industry.
Before being approached to turn around Oscar Associates, he had worked his way up in a small recruitment company from a trainee position to running a division of the company.
He feels his time at Staffs provided a strong foundation for his success in business.
“Staffs has had a big influence on my career,” says Andy, whose favourite memories of university include the people he met and drinking Kangaroos in the Union on a Wednesday night. “Educationally I learnt a lot across the spectrum of business and the variety of modules provided knowledge that I have used in multiple situations during my career.
“I also enjoyed the company of individuals from extremely varied backgrounds including international students, which helped me understand people more, communicate well and I believe gave me confidence to build relationships outside of my circle of friends. This has proven invaluable.”
Future plans
Andy is still friends with many of his Staffordshire peers, and some of these friendships have also become business relationships.
“A lot of my peer group have gone on to have successful careers and are decision makers within their businesses, so I guess I was networking without realising it,” he laughs.
He chose Staffordshire for a number of reasons, including its central location, the reputation of the Business School, the course itself and the student facilities.
“The first thing that struck me when I attended an open day was the layout of the Leek Road Campus,” he says. “I loved the fact that the halls, lecture theatres, classrooms, Student Union and sports facilities were all so close together and in such good condition – the place had almost a family feel to it and it was clear that investment was being passed down for the benefit of the student body.”
His professional ambitions centre on further success and growth for Oscar, with new international offices planned in the Middle East and Europe.
But he’s happy to tackle personal challenges too. “I would like to retire by 50 and I plan on getting my golf handicap back into single figures,” he says.
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