People’s Champion finalist 2017: Wiser

Start-up name: Wiser
Founder: Fin O’Kane, Omar Habbal, Ari Ratnakumar, and Ben Buffone
Started in: 2013
Based in: London
Business description: Creative and recruitment firm

Shortlisted categories:

Service Business of the Year, Young Entrepreneur of the Year

The Wiser story:

Fin O’Kane, Omar Habbal, Ari Ratnakumar, and Ben Buffone – recently announced as members of the Young Guns Class of 2017 – conceived of Wiser in 2013 with the ambition of changing the “perception of recruitment and disrupt an industry ripe for change”…

Claiming to be the only company of its kind, Wiser certainly seems to be on the right track. The creative and recruitment solution doesn’t just “guide the best talent into amazing careers”, it works closely with brands to attract top candidates through design, web and film.

Although Wiser’s main focus is on the graduate market, the company also has teams that specialise in tech (Wiser Digital) and sales (Wiser Elite).

Wiser has recognised the importance of creating media that sells the company as an exciting and rewarding place to work, helping the best and most suitable candidates to “select themselves into the process”. By marrying the skills of a creative agency with a recruitment firm, the company has been able to develop strategies that take care of the entire candidate journey; from attracting talent to their first day on the job.

This end-to-end strategy enables it to analyse marketing performance and respond to changing trends. It also uses analytics to ensure it reaches and attracts candidates from all backgrounds – especially those under-represented in its clients’ industries.

It’s a disruptive approach that has helped the company secure some major client wins over the last 18 months including AND Digital, Expedia, Worldpay, Just Eat, Sky Betting and Gaming, Whitbread, Fidelity International and TalkTalk to name a few.

Why Wiser made our shortlist:

The four founders boldly abandoned promising careers in management consultancy, law, banking and development to bring their dream to life, and on the basis of Wiser’s success so far, this hasn’t been in vain. A truly disruptive solution in an industry in need of a shake-up, this is “just the beginning” for the recruitment start-up.

Where to find out more about Wiser:

Website: www.wearewiser.com
Twitter: @wisergrads