A Year in Review: add-victor’s Impact on Athletes & Employers
add-victor has celebrated another successful academic year (2023-24) with a remarkable 63% growth in its candidate pool, doubling its placements, and broadening its partnerships outreach.
This article explores various ways in which add-victor has supported athletes and employers in the past 12 months.
Breaking Barriers: Championing Diversity & Inclusion
This year, add-victor has pioneered D&I in recruitment. Since January 2023, the company has seen a notable 143% increase in ethnic minority candidates and a 174% rise in women joining the platform. These increases underscore add-victor’s dedication to breaking down barriers and encouraging more people to leverage their unique experiences in the professional world.
add-victor has expanded its support for individuals with disabilities, those from state schools, and members of the LGBTQ+ community. As a result of its inclusive approach, add-victor’s diversity figures outperform the UK labour force. Committed to inclusivity, add-victor ensures candidates from all walks of life have access to opportunities that align with their skills and aspirations.
These efforts are not only enriching the professional lives of its candidates, but also enhancing the workplaces of its clients. Esteemed employers such as Santander, John Lamb Hill Oldridge, and Mactavish, along with new partners like Luminance, Vitesse, and Fu3e, have benefited from the diverse add-victor talent pool. By championing D&I this year, add-victor has set a benchmark for inclusive recruitment practices in the industry.
Olympic & Paralympic Success
The past year has seen remarkable achievements for add-victor's candidates, with 60+ confirming their qualification for the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. This success is a testament to the exceptional talent within their ranks and underscores the company's ability to identify and nurture high-potential individuals. The dedication and discipline required to qualify for the Games reflect the same attributes that make these athletes outstanding candidates for professional roles.
Additionally, add-victor expanded its influence by engaging with the UK Sports Institute's performance lifestyle practitioners, who support Olympians and Paralympians in their personal and professional development. This collaboration underscores add-victor's commitment to recruiting top talent for employers.
Building Bridges: New Partnerships
add-victor has entered into multiple transformative partnerships this year. One new partner is Sport Endorse, an innovative online platform designed to simplify the sponsorship process for athletes connecting them to brand ambassadorships, talks, and influencing opportunities. add-victor athletes of all levels can register with Sport Endorse for free and create a profile to connect with brands and creative agencies for long-term ambassadorships or short-term campaigns.
Celebrating our mutual values and passions with the Sport Endorse team
add-victor has also significantly expanded its Club Sponsorship Programme over the past year, supporting 66 sports clubs and 1,278 student-athletes, up from 29 clubs and 682 student-athletes in 2022-23. Additionally, add-victor has extended its support to 39 universities, now including the London School of Economics, University of Reading, University of Surrey, Sheffield Hallam University, University of Strathclyde, and University of Derby. To further engage with the student-athlete community, add-victor also launched a TikTok!
These partnerships enhance add-victor athletes' career prospects by providing them with exciting new opportunities and resources. They also provide useful funding for clubs to invest in new equipment, subsidise memberships, and contribute to their on-going costs. Employers benefit from greater access to highly motivated candidates who bring the same excellence to professional roles.
Winning Success Stories
The success stories emerging from add-victor are numerous and varied. One example is George Rossiter, who transitioned from international-level rowing to working with Luminance, a cutting-edge AI company. Along with 5 other add-victor candidates, George joined an exciting growing firm, recognised as the most advanced legal large language model (LLM) today. George’s unusual late transition into the workplace exemplifies add-victor’s capability to facilitate significant career shifts and help candidates attain competitive roles.
Happy smile for the recent hires and our Associate Milo (left to right: George, Tom, Charlotte, and Milo)
Another fantastic story from this year comes from Elsje Dijkstra, a competitive sailor from South Africa. She highlighted the personalised support she received throughout her entire job search, navigating three rounds of interviews: "Milo was with me every step of the way, advising on what to prepare or calling me before and after each interview to see how it went and how I was feeling." Her testimonial underscores add-victor's commitment to providing comprehensive support tailored to each candidate's needs, contributing to their exponential growth in competitive landscapes.
Testimonials from satisfied clients further highlight the quality of hires from add-victor. A managing director within a global bank noted the high retention rates and praised the individuals sourced by add-victor. 60,1% of candidates put forward this year progressed to the interview stage, and 90.3% of the add-victor placements are still with their employers after two years. Employers emphasised the drive, determination, and interpersonal skills these candidates bring from their sporting backgrounds. A FinTech CEO specifically stated having been impressed by a recent hire for “his driving force for change in projects and his passionate commitment to delivering results”.
Summing up the sentiment, another partnered CEO stated: "We simply have not had a bad hire from add-victor."
A word from the founder, Steve White-Cooper
“Reflecting on this past year, I am immensely proud of the strides we have made at add-victor. We have greatly expanded opportunities for our talented candidates to access not just global organisations but also fast-growing SMEs. Specifically, the tech sector has seen significant growth.
As we look ahead, I am confident that we will continue to build on this momentum, forging new paths and creating even greater success stories both both our clients and candidates. Thank you to everyone who has been a part of our journey.”
Holly Errington