With the first-ever NDA Heroes Awards just weeks away, we caught up with the leaders of the businesses sponsoring the new event. First up, we meet Gregory Mark, Founder and CEO of digital advertising-focused recruitment firm Zelo Digital…
What attracted your organisation to sponsoring the first-ever NDA Heroes awards?
We have been looking at getting our first sponsorship under our belt for a while now, but it needed to tick the right kind of boxes for our organisation. We have a certain way of doing things and these awards stuck out to us, being the first of their kind.
The world has seen a huge shift these last 2 years, with Covid and other global crises, so it’s even more important to recognise good work. The title of these awards encompasses everything that is good about our space. Some awards can be materialistic, but these are for the people and their great achievements.
We are absolutely thrilled to be involved and to put our name behind the awards.
What are the big priorities for your organisation this year?
Our organisation is now in year 5 of its plan, so our priorities are somewhat shifting. We are privately owned, so our growth has to be in line with our pockets.
We have tripled in size and revenue over the past 2 years, which wasn’t an easy feat during the pandemic. We are now ready to grow further, continuing with the foundations we have put in place. Our team is incredible and we have a great culture across the business – we believe this is a huge piece of the puzzle as we continue to scale up.
We are moving to our new London home at the end of this year. We are also looking to set up an international office, with the Zelo DNA ingrained of course. Our business was set up from day one to operate seamlessly across the globe and our business has a great foot print in many regions, including the US.
How important is collaboration to the work that your organisation does?
Collaboration is huge for us as an organisation. It is fundamentally about giving back and looking after one and another, and being a champion for success. At the beginning of the year we set up a unique series called Women in Tech, which puts talented women in the spotlight. Collaborations like these are key to our industries growth and staying on top of what’s truly important.
From a growth perspective, we are also looking at helping charities and getting involved in giving back to the industry and other sources. Our Founder is mentoring several people in the industry and is looking at expanding this type of work as we evolve.
Generally speaking, how well do you think the digital media industry does at supporting the needs of the individuals within it? What could the industry do better?
As a sector, digital media is a very small one, which has huge benefits as the space continues to grow. We feel the industry looks out for its own. There are always things to change and improve and we have to be open and honest about addressing these. A huge need for our space is to have more women in senior positions. Progress has been made here, but we are still a long way short of where we need to be.
Another huge talking point is mental health. With covid taking its toll on thousands of individuals and families over the past few years, it’s never been more important for companies to set up structures to encourage their staff to talk. It’s up to Founders and CEOs to create the right work environments. If we can all strive to improve then the industry will keep heading in the right direction.
Do you have any Heroes of your own, individuals who were particularly important in the development of your career or who acted as an inspiration to you?
From an early age, I wanted to own my own business. It was only once I got into the world of recruitment, a sector I fell in love with, that this dream became a reality. The hero that sticks out is Lee Walker, who runs Expand Executive Search in Brighton – perhaps a weird one to admit seeing as the company are a competitor, but Lee has always been a valued friend and mentor.
Lee brought me into the digital sector back in 2013, and had a big hand in my progress and adding to my knowledge in the following years. Lee’s passion for the space was definitely something that rubbed off onto me. It’s something I’m grateful for to this day, as we remain good friends. ☺
This type of mentorship is something Zelo and I are trying to give back to the space, whether that be with budding junior recruiters, or industry people looking for advice going forwards.
Zelo Digital is an independent recruitment firm specialising in digital advertising and emerging technologies, based in the heart of London, with clients across a range of verticals, including media owners, publishers, brands, SaaS platforms and agencies.
