This is us

Simply put

Our

story

We believe in the proverb “Give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime”.

We exist to inspire, educate and support organisations to find and retain the right talent by delivering Employer Brand and EVP projects in-house.

That’s what we live for.

We provide learning to fill skills gaps, support to fill resource gaps and expertise to fill capability gaps.

Our vision is for in-house Employer Branding teams to become as skilled, respected and valued as Corporate Marketing teams.

Our

process

Combines over 25 years’ experience of successfully developing Employer Brands. Tried and tested methods. And a step-by-step approach that delivers every time. That’s our Competitive Edge Employer Branding Success System™.

Our

people

David Thompson -

Director

I’ve worked for over 20 years’ in employer marketing shaping EVP and Employer Brand strategies for many well-known blue-chip companies including Asda, LV=, The Telegraph, Autoglass, Royal Horticultural Society and AXA, as well as a number of important government offices and local authorities.

I’ve also led some of the most respected employer marketing agencies, winning a host of creative awards along the way.

I’m a regular blogger and speaker on all things EVP & Employer Brand. When I’m not doing that, you can usually find me halfway up a Welsh mountain on my bike.

Sara Hockenhull -

Director

Helping businesses to thrive by bringing together ideally matched job applicants and employers, and enabling people to find work they love, is my passion.

I’ve helped many businesses and hundreds of job applicants to create and promote strong brands. These days, my work involves running EVP research projects and helping shape Employer Branding propositions.

I’ve worked in the Career Development space as a specialist Consultant & Coach for market-leading organisations over 20 years, delivering bespoke learning events and 121 mentoring for a wide range of FTSE 100 companies.

Outside work I love festivals and countryside walks with a pint of Cider or a G&T at the end!

Rolo -

Chief Keyboard Sitter

A recent addition to the team, the unbelievably handsome Rolo helps out by frequently sitting on our keyboards, providing inspiration and encouraging tea breaks when the team are hard at work.

Our Associate

Team

Why pay big-agency fees for resources you don’t use? We work with a highly experienced, flexible team of award-winning Independent Associates. And you only pay for their time when you work with them.

Nick Ball -

Creative Director

Nick has a portfolio that has graced the award ceremonies for over a quarter of a century. He’s an expert at developing creative ideas that best connect people to businesses and marketing strategies to results.

Lauren Garner -

Creative Director

Lauren’s background is as an expert Wordsmith, crafting compelling copy and imaginative content that illuminates employer cultures and captures the imagination of target audiences.

Carl Wagstaff -

Creative Director

Carl’s creative talents have seen him transforming brands, winning awards and putting together stellar creative teams for over 27 years. He creates strong, consistent and compelling brand communications that inspire and deliver great results.

Mark Beavan -

Website Developer

Mark heads up That Little Agency, out digital partners. He has almost 20 years’ experience working with clients on how their brand, technology and the web can help them attract, engage and retain the best talent. His understanding of career site best practice has led to many award wins.

Marc Drew -

Audience Research Partner

Marc heads up Talent Research firm Cogito, our research partners. He and his team conduct our external audience interviews and surveys, providing show-stopping audience data and insight that form the critical foundations of our EVP and Employer Brand strategies.

We're

not

for everybody

Looking for a big-name agency with a ‘cool’ image? Want to see some pretty pictures and snappy headlines on day one? Think research and insight are nice-to-haves? Time to call someone else.

We’re not fans of “style over substance”. We’re pragmatic. We’re deep thinkers. We believe in the power of research to drive inspiring, but relevant creative work. It’s an approach that really sets us apart. And it gets better results.

Courses“Your go-to resource if you want to learn the intricacies of EVP and EB. Thank you for creating a highly informative, engaging and accessible course with tons of hints, tips and valuable insight. This has truly added value to my skill set. Please keep up your excellent work!”

Project Delivery ““We were very aware that Futaba is a business that hasn’t traditionally focussed on external and internal culture communication, so this was new ground for us. David and the team have worked closely as partners to help us understand and illuminate the Futaba story. Their ability to align themselves with the way we do business has allowed them to really understand us. The result – the Futaba Life framework has been really well received and is a big step forward for us in helping to shine a light on our culture for employees, new hires and our local communities.”

Project Delivery “When I was asked to lead a global project to create an EVP I needed some expert guidance and was very fortunate to find David. David has a wealth of experience but more than that he has been quickly able to assimilate our business environment and the inevitable variance in stakeholder requirements. As a result we have a very authentic output to share with the business leadership that I know they will recognise and feel comfortable with. This puts us on a fast track to telling our story. Thank you for your very sensible, insightful and down to earth input on our project.”

Project Delivery “Employer Branding Made Easy certainly stay true to their name – working with them has been straight-forward and no question is a “silly” question – their hands-on and flexible approach has worked well for us, proving to me that you can build an EVP on a budget and without the need to work with a larger Employer Branding agency.”

Courses “The two courses provided me with very manageable modules that I could work through to enhance my understanding of Employer Branding. They were easily relatable back to my organisational needs with the documents that I could complete and then share internally with the project team. A very personal and practical learning course. I would highly recommend.”

Project Delivery “David has been instrumental in helping us to shape our EVP and Employer Brand. His ability to get under the skin of our organisation and to understand how we should connect with our target audiences has been a great help. We’ve really enjoyed working with him.”

Courses “After completing both the ‘Engage’ and ‘Elevate’ courses from Employer Branding Made Easy, I can confidently say that I am better prepared when working on Employer Branding projects for my organisation. The courses were broken down into easily digestible modules, that were structured in such a way that they related well to ‘real life’ scenarios. The courses included template documents to help put the learning into practice, which have proved very useful. Overall I would highly recommend the courses from Employer Branding Made Easy - very engaging and practical!”

Mentoring "I was struggling to find a company who offered both training and support in the Employer Branding Space. From the first contact through to delivery of our strategy, I have found working with David to be a thoroughly enjoyable and educational experience. The training offered is first class and leaves no stone unturned. It really provides the foundations of how you should plan and prepare your strategy. The one-to-one support was not only necessary but also clear on the steps to take to bring the strategy to life."

Mentoring "We have been working with David and EBME for 3 years now and consistently he is the highest ranked Speaker and Masterclass Teacher among our audience of Employer Branding Experts. His knowledge of EB, and way of teaching is second to none!"

Courses “I've been in the Resourcing and Employer Brand sphere for over 20 years and seen many courses in that time. These courses are informative and easy to undertake. Above all, they are refreshingly practical! Providing straightforward guidance throughout alongside transferable templates. They are undoubtedly added value - and good value!”

Mentoring "We were delighted to have David leading a module on Employer Branding for our cohort of over 100 students. His knowledge of how to research, shape and implement an Employer Brand is deep and his module was informative, engaging and highly relevant. We simply loved it!"

Courses “I found the courses enjoyable, engaging, comprehensive and great value. The video/audio format makes them really easy to follow and to retain the information. I was able to complete the courses comfortably in two weeks and the editable supporting resources are very helpful too. I would recommend these courses to anyone looking to build Employer Branding skills quickly, enjoyably and easily.”

Project Delivery “I had the pleasure of partnering with David on an EVP and careers website project when I was a Recruitment Manager at Topps Tiles Plc. From the outset, we developed an open and honest relationship built on trust and mutual respect. David has exceptional interpersonal and communication skills and high levels of integrity. He has significant experience and expertise in Employer Branding, career website development, recruitment marketing, and communications - he knows his stuff.”