Our People

An Interview with Nnenna Kalu, Recruitment Manager - London

An Interview with Nnenna Kalu, Recruitment Manager - London

Can you share a bit about your background and where you're from?

At 8 years old, I kicked off my school days at a boarding school in Worcester. It was one of those famous spa towns, where I managed to create lifelong friendships with my classmates as we grew up together. People are always surprised that I actually have a legal background. After completing my undergrad, I went into law school, diving into criminal law. My shift to events came about during my legal stint when I crossed paths with a “HelloFresh” client. After that, I joined their events team, and the rest is history!

What motivated you to work in the events industry?

My initiation in events happened during my time at HelloFresh, as they were dabbling in experiential events (mostly housekeeping). From there, I worked my way up with a focus on music events. Sadly, the COVID-19 lockdown hit the entertainment industry hard. Tough times, but they prompted me to take a different path for my career.

What does your current role involve day to day?

As Recruitment Manager, my days revolve around steering all things recruitment at CloserStill. While having a main focus on the UK, I also lend a hand to our global offices, sorting interviews, tracking data, and dealing with recruitment analytics. On the flip side, I'm also collaborating on our internal communications, branding, and handling some of the management training; all alongside another mix of hands-on recruitment projects and learning programmes, including DEI best practices and graduate prospecting.

What is strategic game plan for 2024?

In 2024, my focus is on homing in on CloserStill’s Diversity Ethnicity and Inclusion (DE&I), while also reserving more time for working with young and early-starter talents. Another important area for me will be our data-driven recruitment procedures; on interpreting available data insights and encouraging transparent internal career progression within the company and ensuring our newest team members feel instantly part of our CloserStill community, regardless of experience level.

What aspects of your role do you find most fulfilling or enjoyable?

My day-to-day job highlights lie mostly in offering the appropriate roles to deserving candidates, especially in the sales department, where having a recruitment gap can bring stress to managers. Getting both parties excited about the opportunity, and matching candidate and management expectations is both a challenging yet rewarding part of my role. Helping candidates take the next step in their career, ensuring their growth, and sealing the deal is also fulfilling.

What are your perspectives on professional growth?

I feel that the autonomy of my role fuels an ongoing learning curve, especially with regards to expanding our UK success across our shows in the different countries. For me this means establishing a recruitment process less reliant on external agencies and instilling trust in it globally and especially within our acquisitions’ management. This involves supporting managers who are unfamiliar with working with recruiters. Moreover, I'm keen on intensifying our employee value proposition. For me, this means gaining more insights so that I am better equipped to contribute across various aspects of the business.

How would you describe the team culture at CloserStill?

The team culture at CloserStill is undeniably close-knit, characterised by a hard-working attitude that ends up being extremely rewarding. We understand the importance of teamwork and recognising each other’s efforts; leading to what feels like seamless collaboration among various departments and creating a sense of unity. There is a great youthful energy in the team that makes for a vibrant friendly environment. Our open-door policy also ensures that everyone gets the support they need because, at CloserStill, success is a collective effort, and we're all invested in each other's success.

Life Beyond your 9 to 5?

Beyond my professional role, and when I'm off the clock, my friends are all involved in the creative space ranging from social media to podcast hosts. This part of my life sparked thoughts on how I can support people in entering the creative industries through recruitment, like helping them become artist’s managers or coaches, and establishing personal connections with artists in my personal time. I am a proud dog mum and enjoy spending time with my Pomeranian Teddy.

What do you want people to know about CloserStill as a business?

CloserStill’s ethos is approachable and inclusive, as we are open to having a chat with everyone! Whether it's a casual question or a career inquiry, we are happy to answer it (even informally). There are always exciting opportunities with us, and even if we don't have the perfect role for you today, your dream job might be on our horizon tomorrow. We welcome all conversations, including feedback from our candidates; to be self-reflective on our processes continuously, and to ensure we improve and provide the most thriving culture in the sector.

What parts of the rest of 2024 are you are looking forward too?

I am buzzing about the drop-in training sessions for managers and staff. Three tailored types – one for new managers, one for managers seeking interview skills refreshment, and one for staff eyeing internal roles. All of them providing opportunities for staff to upskill and develop and create the best outcome of any recruitment situation; whether that’s picking the right candidate or progressing to another job.

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