With over 8 years of commercial experience across the commodities markets, Ross now heads up the Proco Commodities Commercial Team across the Americas. Having been with Proco for four years, we asked him to reflect on his time and highlights at Proco so far, and how this has affected his career.
Where did you work before joining Proco?
Before joining Proco, I was working at Hydrogen Group. During my time there, I worked within the founding team that developed the Hydrogen Asia business from London, to then go on to launch the Singapore office in 2010.
What attracted you to Proco?
After 7 successful years at Hydrogen, the opportunity to join Proco’s New York office – to lead the Proco Commodities Commercial team across the Americas – was very appealing. I have always had the desire to gain as much global experience as I can, particularly to give our clients a truly global view.
Having lived in both Singapore and London, I have gained experience in Asia and Europe, and the USA felt like the missing piece of the puzzle. During my time in Asia, I felt that the next wave of growth would be in the USA, which became the market that I wanted to operate in next.
At Proco, there is also the opportunity to work with like-minded individuals with a specialist focus on commodities and the supply chain. Being able to work for a firm that has the scale and investment of a global recruitment business, whilst maintaining the methods and way of working that are similar to a boutique executive search firm, had attracted me further.
The flat, organizational structure of Commodity Search Partners (now Proco Commodities) gave me the opportunity to develop and grow my career in a fast-paced and global environment. The chance to develop my skillset and expertise at Proco has helped to escalate my career more.
What do you enjoy about your role?
I have the ability to apply a high level of autonomy and entrepreneurship in the role, as well as having the chance to work with like-minded people and global counterparts to save complex talent solutions across the Americas, Europe, and Asia. Additionally, there is transparency and we are able to progress quickly in our careers, as it is based on performance which we are in control of.
How has Proco helped you in your career development?
There have been ample opportunities to gain training to learn the end-to-end executive search recruitment process, in addition to learning about the cultural nuances and market of the US. Since being at Proco, I have also developed my leadership skills through our leadership training and mentor programmes.
What advice do you have for prospective Proco candidates?
You have the opportunity to work in a fast-paced, high performing, and rewarding work environment. What comes with that is a resilient attitude, someone who is innovative, and will make things happen – as opposed to waiting for it to come to them. We are looking for the individuals that are joining us to be experts within their sector, and to be proud of that and all of the work that they do.
What are three words that you would used to describe Proco?
- Agile
- Competitive
- Rewarding
Has your idea of recruitment changed since joining Proco?
The world is changing at a fast pace, and technology has a large part to play in that within the recruitment industry. Therefore, since joining Proco, I believe that there is greater access to information, businesses, and individuals generally. As a result, we must look towards making an effort to stand out and operate in niche markets, where we provide a valued service to our clients and candidates. We have also adopted leading technology tools to support our platform at Proco to work in a more efficient and intuitive manner.
What do you think sets Proco apart from other recruitment companies?
The culture and the ability to be dynamic and flexible in the rapidly changing landscapes and markets is something that gives Proco the edge in the industry.
Within Proco Commodities, we operate as experts in vertical markets and do not advertise roles, but work through a reference and referral methodology. To facilitate this, we have a variety of projects – perhaps most notably the Mexico City research centre, supporting the Proco Commodities Americas business.
Our investment into technology, such as Cube 19 and Slack, has allowed for the smooth running of internal operations both within and between global offices, further enhancing the close-knit and extensive network that we operate in.
Like the sound of working for Proco? We’re hiring! Head over to our careers page for more information: weareprocogroup.com/vacancy/
