Valentin Demande

What led you to recruitment given your background working in FMCG?

I started my recruitment career in Chile, after having worked with P&G in France. What led my decision to move into a recruitment career was the possibility to grow quickly and mix my passion for people & desire to work in business development. I also took this change of career path based on the opportunity to really build my expertise in an industry and make a positive impact in my market.

What motivated you to join PageGroup?

I have always seen PageGroup as the leader in the recruitment industry and really wanted to join a global group like Page for many reasons. One of them is the Purpose of PageGroup: changing lives for people through creating opportunity to reach potential. It is true from an internal and external point of view. Page has changed my life by facilitating my career move to South Africa and growing very quickly, unlike other industries. Being present in 36 countries, I valued the international opportunities I could possibly avail of. Finally, I wanted to manage and grow teams, and today, I am leading with an entrepreneurial approach.   

What do you find most rewarding about your job?

Changing people’s lives! I have had the chance to personally make an impact within our Sub-Saharan African markets, becoming an expert and an advisor in my industry, placing the right candidate with our clients in different countries. Being able to manage and grow a team with this entrepreneurial approach is a very important part of my job which I am proud of. Since I joined, PageGroup has given me the opportunity to develop my division the way I believed made sense, recruit and onboard a team with a lot of flexibility, enjoying the support and guidance from my management along the way. Finally, the daily challenge and feeling to learn on a continuous basis is also extremely rewarding to me.

What skills from your FMCG background helped you transition into recruitment?

When I started my career in the FMCG industry, I found it amazing. Everything was to be done quickly and every day you are challenged. It really matched my personality, and so with recruitment, I am lucky to have found a similar type of environment. What really helped me was my ability to achieve objectives in a very short amount of time. Furthermore, the organizational and people skills acquired in FMCG were a true asset being part of the recruitment industry. Finally, I would say the customer focus I had in FMCG allowed me to really make a positive difference with my clients, ensuring they received the best service possible.

What advice would you give someone with an FMCG background who is exploring with the idea of working in recruitment?  

If you are passionate about people and looking for a career change from FMCG, I highly invite you to consider recruitment. The skills you have acquired over the years will be a true asset. Recruitment will bring you the possibility to grow quickly, become an expert in your field, and learn on a continuous basis professionally and about yourself, making an impact on people’s lives.