You may follow them on LinkedIn, but who are the Invenia Group team and what are they really like? Get to know the people behind the profiles in our ‘Meet the team’ series.
Russell Stones joined Invenia Group as a Senior Consultant two years ago and helps to grow commercial teams across all aspects of the dental industry, including equipment, imaging, prosthetics and orthodontics. You may know that he’s heading up a growing dental team here; you may not know about his island roots or passion for a certain Hamilton…
You can watch the interview here or read the whole conversation below:
To start off Russell, please can you introduce yourself?
Hi, I’m Russell. I’m the Senior Principal Consultant here at Invenia Group in our Dental division.
What drew you to the recruitment industry?
I think first and foremost it was the team element of it. I was in a position in my life where I’d just left university and was looking for somewhere I could fit in. I found a business and a team that wasexactly that – they were a team, and it was a culture I could be a part of and grow in and develop personally.
How do you like to start your day?
I’ve got a little boy at home, so any time I can get with him is valuable. I always like to start my day with him; we have breakfast together and spend a little time in the garden.
What’s your favorite thing about your job?
For me, my favorite thing about the job is the office. Recruitment can be very much about managing your own time and your own business. But having the office and a strong team environment is crucial.
What’s something people don’t know about you?
I’ve got a couple here. The first thing that I think people don’t know about me is the fact that I actually grew up in Spain! I grew up in the Canary Islands on a small island called Fuerteventura, until I was about 11.
The second thing most people don’t know about me is that I’m actually a qualified scuba diver. I’ve got my PADI license, which allows me to go in open water to up to 32 meters in depth. Actually, at the time when I got my license (when I was 12) I was the second youngest person ever to get a PADI open water license. I’m definitely not the second youngest now…
What are your professional goals and how do you hope to achieve them?
Ultimately, I want to be in the position where I’m helping the business to grow the most. I am working towards being in a leadership position as soon as I can, as I’ve found that mentoring is something I enjoy massively. For me, it’s about managing my own time well, but the more I can help others grow, the more rewarding it is.
If you could trade places with someone for a day, who would it be?
It would have to be Lewis Hamilton. Not only do I love Formula 1, but with some of the cool things you see on his Instagram, it’d just be an amazing day. I’d love any opportunity to get near a Formula 1 car as well.
What do you have on your toast?
Nutella, every day of the week, nothing but.
What drew you to the dental industry?
First and foremost was the healthcare aspect. I’m really passionate about the kind of sectors that can help people, and ultimately dental makes people smile. It’s part of their confidence, it matters so much to so many people and I truly believe that it’s giving back.
What’s on your bucket list?
It’s a tough one for me. Most of my bucket list is travel orientated but I really want to run in a race in North Korea. They have an official running event every year – a 10km, half marathon and marathon – and I just think it’d be amazing to visit the country, tick another one off my list and get to do some running while I’m there as well.
What are your day-to-day tasks?
As a 360-degree recruiter, I manage my own desk, which entails everything from bringing on new clients, bringing on new vacancies, and filling those positions – ultimately managing the whole recruitment process.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received?
One of the best bits of advice I’ve received was from my director when I started out in recruitment. She said to me, “You’re entering an industry that many people do for the money, but ultimately we’re here to serve our clients, and first and foremost we need their intentions at heart, to make sure it’s a win-win for them.”
What’s a professional achievement you’re really proud of?
Someone that I’ve mentored for the last nine months has recently been promoted twice! Of course, I’m not directly responsible for that – they’ve done a lot of hard work themselves – but it’s really rewarding to see other people doing well off the back of help that you’ve given them.
Who’s your most listened-to artist on Spotify?
I’m in the top 25 people worldwide that listen to Just Jack. He’s not a very much listened-to artist but I still love him. A lot of his bangers are from about ten years ago, but there are some great tunes there.
How do you use the company’s flexible working?
There was once a cricket match on a Monday afternoon – England was playing at Headingley and I went along with my laptop and did some work while I was there. It was only a brief three hours in the afternoon, but it’s not a luxury you’re going to get everywhere!
Another thing is there’s a paddle boarding group just down the road in the Leeds docks. A few times I’ve finished work a bit earlier to be able to go down and paddle board.
What is the most-used app on your phone?
That’s actually probably LinkedIn… I find myself scrolling on it even on weekends, even though I shouldn’t be. Asides from LinkedIn, I spend a lot of time gaming on my phone, at the moment I’m playing Uno quite a lot.
Follow us on LinkedIn to see the rest of this series and – if you’d like to join the Invenia Group team – email your CV to info@inveniagroup.com.
