Parkinson Lee are delighted to announce the appointment of Adam Dickson who joins the Executive Search team as Associate Partner.
Adam has over 20 years’ experience in recruiting executive & board level appointments across the UK (Yorkshire, East Midlands, London, Thames Valley), and internationally across Australia, New Zealand, Asia Pacific and the UAE.
As an Associate Partner at Parkinson Lee, Adam will deliver executive assignments on behalf of the Parkinson Lee’s every increasing client base of PLC’s, Private Equity & Venture Capital, SME and Not For Profit / Public Sector organisations.
Following his recent appointment, Adam has given an insight into his extensive career in executive search and why he joined Parkinson Lee.
Interview with Adam
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What initially attracted you to Parkinson Lee?
Having done some research it was clear that Parkinson Lee has an unrivalled reputation in the Yorkshire & North East Lincs, and Derbyshire regions. Once I had met Lee Bhandal (Co-Founder & Managing Partner of Parkinson Lee), Emma Noble (Operations Director), and Greg Parkinson (Chief Executive), I felt we shared the same vision and values in terms of how to successfully operate within the search market.
Having run my own business overseas I have a strong track record in the identification, assessment, and attraction of strong leaders and I understand how important the cultural fit can be to the success of a business. Joining Parkinson Lee, I felt assured that I would be able to continue my career with an executive search business that is thorough, dedicated and meticulous in the way it delivers its searches.You only have to look at the amount of testimonials the business has received over the last few years to see how satisfied the client base has been with service delivery, and as someone that shares these principles this was something that was very attractive to me.
I want to work with likeminded individuals who share the passion, core values, principles and ambition as myself. I have no question the team of people at Parkinson Lee do that, and since joining the team, I can clearly see we are completely aligned.
I am really looking forward to extending my network of C level professionals across the region and working closely with the team here.
Can you give us a whistle stop tour of your career?
After initially starting my recruitment career as a Manager of Industrial Recruitment. I quickly moved into more senior specialisms in London and Windsor.
In 2006, I relocated to Australia as a leader within a Specialist Finance Recruitment Business. This was a great opportunity as the company had a global reach, with sites in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan. After 4 years, I set up their Executive Search brand and expanded that side of the business for a further 2 years. This lead on to me being appointed as Director at Pinnacle Executive Search between 2011 and 2017.
In 2017, I relocated back to the UK and prior to joining Parkinson Lee was Managing Director of a specialist senior recruitment business.
What do you enjoy most about working in executive search?
What initially attracted me was the human collective element that comes with recruitment, the people that survive in this industry are those that have built great relationships and I see that as one of my key strengths.
What has kept me dedicated to executive search is the challenge. I meet with people that are extremely qualified, that have built, sold and invested in businesses and projects, and those that are going though huge transformations or change in their careers. Nothing ever stands still. There is always an opportunity to talk about what the next project is, and that’s what makes it interesting.
I am passionate about working with, and intimately understanding the business I am recruiting for, and what is the right cultural fit for that company. Having successfully delivered key mandates for hundreds of businesses over the last 20 years, for me, there is nothing better than seeing that person thrive in a role and business in which I have placed them.
In addition to my executive search experience, I have also set up and run my own business in Australia. I feel I am highly qualified to advise and guide senior business leaders, not only in developing their own career, but also successfully providing them with senior professionals to add to their executive teams.
Looking through Parkinson Lee’s portfolio of completed mandates, we work with businesses of all sizes, with a variety of ownership models across various industries, but the common theme is that these companies are striving for investment and serious growth in a number of years. I take great satisfaction in seeing how the people I placed have greatly impact these companies.
I still have a great network of people that I have helped in Australia, Asia and the UK because of the natural relationship transition from ‘just a recruiter’ to a ‘confidant’. I’ve helped to shape the careers of many executives, and I’m proud to consider many as friends.
I pride myself on building long term relationships that last.
What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
Family is so important to me, I have a 12 month old son and being a doting father, he takes up pretty much all my free time now. He was born in lockdown, so we have not been able to do all the fun things we would have liked.
I’m a huge football fan, I used to play a high-level up until I was 40. I managed a semi-professional team out in Australia and played in their reserves. I’m a Manchester United fan, I try to go and see them around 3 or 4 times a season in Manchester and more so when they’re playing near my home. I love most sports, I watch football, boxing, tennis, rugby and formula 1.
I love socialising, going out with friends, going to the races, Doncaster races are always great fun and so is Ascot. I love music, so I go to gigs as much as possible. I’m really missing those kinds of activities since Covid.
Travelling is what I enjoy most though, I’m on a race to get to 100 countries, I’m currently on 76. I try to go on holiday 3 or 4 times a year with a mix of new places and my favourite places.
What job would you do if you weren’t in Executive Search?
The job would definitely involve working with people and have an international flavour to it. It would be driven by the same principals of my existing career, doing something I enjoy, getting to meet interesting people and making a good living from it.
Unless I could go back 20 years and become a professional footballer and retire at 30.
For more information on how Adam can help you in your career, or with your next hire, you can view his profile here or contact him via email a.dickson@parkinsonlee.com or by mobile on 07935 502 755.
