- What is your name and what is the name of your business?
My name is Jack Stovell and I work for Clements Young.
- What does the business do and who are your customers?
We were formed in 2018 and our business is recruiting for mechanical and electrical trades, both white and blue collar – so anything from project managers down to electrician and plumbers on a temporary or permanent basis. We work all over the UK, both from here at Freshmill and up in Lincoln where are head office is. We cover all types of construction sites, both residential and commercial and from this office we specialise mostly in the aviation industry recruiting for both Heathrow and Gatwick airport.
- What’s the history of the business & what’s your role within the business?
I am one of the recruitment managers down here in Sussex and my role is to help deal with the aviation side of the business which is about 70% of our business from here. Our directors are based in Lincoln and they started the business up there. As it grew, they opened a southern office down here in Haywards Heath. The new runway at Gatwick is likely to bring in plenty of new work and the airports – both Gatwick and Heathrow are continuously upgrading and extending so there is always jobs to be recruited for.
- How long have you had an office here at Freshmill and why were you looking for a space like this?
I joined Clements Young in February 2024 and they had arrived not long before. The location for us is key. Being so close to Gatwick makes it very easy to pop up there for meetings and the excellent rail service from Haywards Heath also means we can go on into London without any difficulty. A lot of our candidates and clients are London based so it is great that access is so easy.
- Why does Freshmill work well for you and your business?
Freshmill is great because everyone is so friendly, and it’s a lovely environment to work in. It also gives us the opportunity to grow into a larger office as and when we need it. We are growing fast – when I joined there was only a handful of us and we are now well into double figures.
- What is the most important lesson you have gained from your career so far?
This is difficult because I have been in quite a few different roles – before recruitment I was in insurance for several year but ultimately I think for me it is all about enjoyment. The old adage is true – time flies when your having fun! And if you can have fun at work and enjoy what you are doing, I think that is probably the key to a happy life. Obviously, we all have good days and bad days at work, but it is all about enjoying the good days when you have them.
- Where do you hope to be in 5 years’ time?
I have a young family so I think in five years I want to watch them grow and enjoy the journey. When it comes to my career, I want to continue to grow the office at the rate it currently is – and increase our aviation work, with more airports on board and doing more projects with them.
- What advice would you give your younger self just starting out?
I think it resilience is really important – so I would encourage my younger self to be more resilient – in recruitment you have to be tough, you get told ‘no’ a lot and it is all about pushing through, keeping going and recognising it is part of the job.
- What is your favourite quote/mantra?
I am a massive fan of football and Pele is one of my hero’s. He once said, ‘Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love what you are doing’. It ties into what I was saying earlier, try to enjoy what you do in life and success comes to those who dig in, and work hard!
- If you could, who would you switch places with for the day, and why?
Like I have said, I am a big football fan and I support Manchester United so I would love to be Sir Alex Ferguson for a day – to see his leadership, how he manages the team, motivates his players as well as the whole club! He is so well respected. And I would love to lead the team out on match day, perhaps playing Liverpool, and we would win by 5 or 6 goals to nil. That would be the dream!
