Senitor Receives Nomination for the Prestigious Onrec Awards

Last week at Senitor we were delighted to hear that we have been named as a finalist in the 2020 Onrec Awards, with a personal mention for our fantastic Finance Director Amanda Hawthorne. This prestigious event is now in its 15th year and is seen as the recruitment industry’s must attend event celebrating online recruitment. With nominations for some of the top recruitment agencies, HR functions and industry suppliers across the UK, we caught up with Amanda to find out more about her journey with Senitor and her award nomination for “Unsung Hero of the Year”.

2020 is set to be a big year for Senitor, and your 20th year working with the company also! Can you tell us a little more about your journey with Senitor? 

“I joined Senitor in February 2000 as a Finance Manager having never worked in the Recruitment Industry before, it was fast paced, and the company grew rapidly.  The group has now grown to seven companies of which I support six, so this certainly keeps me busy on a daily basis. The last 20 years (which have flown by!) have  been a huge learning curve from the outset, having to manage not just with the day to day company finances but also all the insurance, contract reviews, telecoms, payroll any anything else that comes my way.  It’s also my 20th Wedding Anniversary later this year, it’s most certainly going to be a year to remember from a personal and professional perspective!”
 
You head up the Finance Team at Senitor and as you’ve mentioned also look after accounts for six other recruitment brands – that’s a big workload to manage I imagine, how do you stay ahead?

“Having a great support team around helps tremendously.  It takes planning, dedication and commitment from all team members to ensure everything pulls together.  My team and I have to hit our targets each and every week to make sure strict deadlines are met for client invoicing, credit control, contractor payrolls and not to mention the monthly staff payroll for over 170 employees across all recruitment brands.  I have a great working relationship with all the company directors both and myself and my team pride ourselves on being able to meet with demands as and when they arise. We couldn’t do it all without the support of our Business Services team either they too are an integral part of what we do and offer amazing support to my Finance team and the rest of the companies.”
 
What would you say is your favourite thing about your role and where did your passion for Finance first come from?

“No day is ever the same, there are new challenges arising all the time and there is always something new to learn.  We are just about to branch out into the US and Europe, exciting times are ahead and I’m ready to take on a new set of challenges which will undoubtedly arise. I fell into my first Finance role at 16 when I left school not really knowing what I wanted to do as a career.  After job hopping around for a few years I gained a wider insight of what a finance role would entail, I got my first break of an all-round role working for a small family printing firm as a Finance Manager, where I taught myself payroll, HMRC reporting and VAT compliance.  I knew after my time there that I didn’t want just a Purchase Ledger, Sales Ledger or Payroll specific role.  My experience certainly helped when I had my interview at Senitor when Tom Parker (Owner and Director at Senitor) asked me ‘Can you do payroll?’, ‘Can you raise invoices?’, ‘Can you do VAT?’… of which I answered ‘Yes, of course’!”
 
In twenty years I imagine you have had some memorable career moments – can you share some of your proudest achievements?

“There have been plenty of memorable moments over the years, it is difficult to pinpoint them all.  I think my top two would be reaching my 10 year milestone in February 2010 and being presented with a Cartier watch and also my promotion to Finance Director in February 2018.  I am immensely proud to have been part of the Senitor journey and I’m looking forward to many more memorable moments in the future.”
 
Outside of work you are also extremely active and often take part in sport related challenges for charity – can you tell us a bit more about this? 

“I moved house 4 years ago to accommodate having my two ponies at home, that means a 6:15am start each day it’s extremely hard work but immensely rewarding.. I also love running, it’s a way to wind down although training can sometimes be tough with working full time alongside other commitments.  My love for running started in 2012 when I completed Movember 10k, it soon escalated to the Great North Run 13.1miles the following year.  Soon after I found I enjoyed cycling and in 2014 took part in a 55mile bike ride Cycle for Amy event sponsored by Senitor.  Ultimately one thing led to another and I decided to have a go at Triathlon.  I did my first Triathlon in 2014, The Sandman Triathlon, raising funds for the British Heart Foundation in memory of Harry Dubois, Harry was my daughter's friend at school who died suddenly at just 17 years old.   The obvious jump would be to challenge myself to a Half Iron Man distance Triathlon, which I completed in 2016 raising funds for HaTSupport in memory of John Browning, John was a valued member of Senitor’s staff and who sadly lost his battle against Leukaemia in 2016.  Raising funds for charity really helps give you that boost when you’ve ‘hit the wall’ and spurs you on when you think you’ve nothing left in the tank!   I’m proud that I have great friends and colleagues who have trained with me over the years and have given me the motivation to carry on.  I’m currently training for my 4th Wilmslow Half Marathon, I’m hoping to set myself a new PB this year.  The next new challenge I’m undertaking is a 5k swim along the Menai straight in May 2020, swimming is my least favourite and weakest discipline, but that won’t stop me taking on the challenge!”
 
In recruitment we often celebrate our “top billers” and recruiter achievements, but the employees who work in other areas of the business are also incredibly crucial to the company’s success – how did it feel to hear that you were listed as a finalist in the Unsung Hero Category at the Onrec Awards?

“I am extremely proud to have been considered and listed as a finalist for the award.  There are many other people integral to the smooth running of the businesses and I feel honoured to have been chosen.”
 
 You are up against some stiff national competition at the awards – how do you plan to celebrate if you win?

“I’d usually say I’d ‘open a bottle of Prosecco’ however if I win I will definitely upgrade to Champagne!  I’ll almost certainly be raising a glass to Tom and Anna Parker who gave me the initial opportunity to join Senitor 20 years ago and who have continued to support, trust and invest in me over the years.  Credit will also go to the rest of my team for their dedication and my work colleagues for their hard work generating the business to make what I do possible.”

The awards will take place at The Leonardo Royal London St Pauls on 5th March 2020 – keep an eye out to see who the winners are on the Onrec Website!