When I started Snedden Campbell Ltd as a retained search consultancy back 2001, it was with the idea that we would be different – not for the sake of it but because I could do things better. Nearly two decades later that’s still the way I think.I’m a specialist in finding senior skilled people and making board placements in medical technology right across Europe. Sometimes we work directly with company management sometimes we’re engaged by external investors. I’ve kept my curiosity and passion for medical technology and have made a lot of good friends along the way. People want to work with people, not robots. It’s never about filling a space, it’s about adding real value for everyone concerned.I never liked the “Rolodex method” of recycling the usual suspects as candidates for every project. I always work to make my searches as wide and inclusive as possible. If I’m talking to you it’s because you know what you’re doing not because you know the right people. If you’re client receiving one of our shortlists – you can be sure that these are the best people you’re likely to see.My job is essentially persuading people to take an interest in roles that they never expected to be talking about when they got up this morning. This means that I have to spend a lot of time with clients on site before I even think of talking to a candidate so that I can articulate as accurately and interestingly as possible what my clients want.From our mountain HQ (yes, really – although I’m next to it rather than in a hollowed out space in it) I can meet any client anywhere in Europe with 24 hours notice – (perhaps I should have bought shares in EasyJet!). The Highlands give me space to think and breathe and help me to provide consistently good results but we’re not so remote that we’re cut off from reality. Our location gives us perspective.Feel free to call…whoever you are in medical technology, I’ll always take the time to talk.

Over the years I have worked in a variety of recruitment business making my way up from running a desk in a generalist high street agency to management roles. I have specialised in sectors as diverse as oil and gas and IT contracting. Headhunting has been my primary focus since 1994.Key learning points:• Your boss is much less likely to be right than your customer• You’re right more often than others might let you believe• Persistence pays• Never forget that you can actually have fun at work• Time spent in reconnaissance is seldom, if ever, wasted