Omega Ingredients Limited Steve Pearce, Chief Executive

Retained HR Consultancy Case Study – Last updated April 2021

Omega Ingredients Limited – Going for Growth

Innovative and ambitious, our client Omega Ingredients is a trailblazer of a business, based in Great Blakenham and producing flavours and fragrances.

Who?
A rapidly expanding and globally acclaimed business, manufacturing and supplying flavours and fragrances for food and beverage markets. Headed by Steve Pearce.

The background
Established two decades ago, this cutting-edge bio-chemistry business has been responsible for bringing you many of the flavours and scents you’re used to recognising in mainstream grocery products.

Founder Steve has extensive insight and experience gleaned from the flavour industry and has quickly helped shape the company into an international player.

Not only does Omega work with a wealth of young entrepreneurial food and beverage ventures, and with blue chip businesses, but also with more unique project teams – including capturing the ‘Smell of Space’ for astronauts.

The company has extensive specialised lab facilities and a growing team of dedicated and passionate staff.

“Above and Beyond”

“MAD-HR goes above and beyond your typical customer service experience.” Read the full review

The case for support
Having experienced significant growth and momentum, by 2020, Omega was in need of a greater structure and strategy to its HR approach.

Steve was keen to adopt a more comprehensive ‘system’, and knew he wanted to carry out some swift and successful recruitment in order to swell the team.

He was keen to build a professional ‘partner’ relationship with an HR provider and felt the ethos of MAD-HR represented a perfect fit.

The approach
With Steve eager to carry out a much needed recruitment drive in order to gain factory based staff as well as senior managers, MAD-HR became the retained provider for Omega, and wasted no time in getting systems and structures in place.

Carole and Charlotte led the direction of a programme of work which included developing candidate packs, guiding interviews, onboarding, psychometric testing, and even conceiving a unique ‘arrival pack’ including chocolate bars, a fire extinguisher and a fire-blanket!

The approach led to an incredible increase in headcount by 18 to 37 in just 12 months, allowing Steve to fully concentrate on his expanding global customer base.

The MAD-HR team were a vital component throughout the first phase of the pandemic, ensuring the mental wellness of the Omega employees was fully considered, and recommending counsellors and appropriate services.

Carole and Charlotte were also able to aid Steve in recruiting a Compliance Manager, who can now work within the business and liaise as needed with MAD-HR.

The verdict
Steve is in no doubt as to the positive impact MAD-HR has had on Omega over the last 12 months of his retainer contract:

“I’ve such confidence in the team at MAD-HR and fully recognise that had we not have instructed them when we did, there is no way we would have been able to recruit at the pace we did.

“In fact, their part has been so key, in everything from recruiting to onboarding, training and managing employee wellbeing, that I think in the long run, they have saved us hundreds of thousands of pounds.

“Thanks to their team, I have been able to keep more focused on our markets and opportunities, safe in the knowledge that they were fully committed to delivering exactly the right strategy for me.  When it came to renewing the retainer, I had absolutely no hesitation.”

Top client tip
Steve says:

“I think an HR function is often seen as something of a ‘luxury’, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.

It’s invaluable and we would have found it impossible to grow and succeed the way we have in the last year if the HR hadn’t been taken care of so well.”