Q&A: NxTGeN with Jess Heywood
NxTGeN LEADER
#1 - THE JOURNEY
What's the short version of how you got here — the path that led to this point?
I joined Cubed at 20 on a year-in-industry placement. It was just a handful of us in a Wetherby office – I got stuck into everything from candidate sourcing and payroll to social media and systems admin. After finishing my degree, I came back, moving into service delivery and account management on the temp team. That was eye-opening – the ups and downs of temps will teach you a lot quickly.
From there I moved into marketing and operations, which grew into a focused ops role as the business developed. Then, after having my little boy, I stepped back into a frontline role – leading service delivery across partnership accounts and filling senior permanent vacancies. Which is exactly where I am now.
You've been at Cubed for over a decade and grown through almost every role. What made you stay — and what kept pulling you forward?
The people – Steve mainly, Vicki, Stella and others. I’ve never been left in any doubt about the potential that Steve has seen in me, despite not always seeing or believing in it myself!
I’ve been given lots of autonomy throughout my different roles and that’s really given me a sense of ownership and responsibility, so much so that for a long, long time I have felt incredibly invested in the business.
What's the moment in your career at Cubed / Indigo where you surprised yourself?
Since returning to a frontline role, seeing my matching skills working on real placements again has been a genuine surprise – securing offers, working through acceptances, counteroffers, and mitigating potential dropouts. After so long behind the scenes, I wasn’t sure how quickly it would come back. Luckily it did!
I’ve also recently found some real ‘unicorn’ candidates – people that surprised not just me, but the clients too.
#2 - ROB FLEMING AND MENTORSHIP
Rob Fleming co-founded Pace Micro Technology in this building — before taking it to £1.2bn in revenues and a London Stock Exchange listing. What does it mean to you to have someone with that background as your Chairman?
Rob’s cool and calm-headed influence is a welcome contrast to the crazy nature of recruitment.
His experience scaling a business to the great success that Pace became, is invaluable to any business or aspiring leader within it. For me personally though, Rob’s understated nature is what I appreciate the most. Knowing how successful he is – yet without making a fuss about it – is such a cool thing!
What's the single most useful thing Rob has ever said to you — the thing that actually changed how you think?
I don’t think it’s words for me, it’s behaviour. Rob gets involved and contributes where he feels he can add value – he listens and observes where he doesn’t feel he has anything to contribute beyond others’ input. This is a real skill in my eyes and has taught me that words for the sake of words are meaningless. I’ve really tried to build this into how I work, so I now consciously contribute where I feel relevant and listen where I don’t.
Rob's 'expertise for equity' model is built on the idea that the most valuable thing you can give an entrepreneur isn't just capital — it's pattern recognition from someone who's done it before. What does that look like in practice, from your side?
It’s Rob’s position outside of the recruitment industry that’s so valuable.
He’s built a hugely successful business in technology and manufacturing and been involved with a wide variety of businesses across different sectors – but he’s not in the day-to-day of the recruitment world. That outsider’s perspective means he asks different questions and thinks differently to those of us consumed by everything recruitment.
It also means he doesn’t have the emotional connection to deals and clients that Stella and I have – so he offers a much more objective view, which is incredibly helpful.
Rob built Pace from nothing to a listed multinational. You built Indigo from nothing. Do you ever talk about that parallel — and what do you take from it?
It has to be the ‘tightly run ship’ influence that Rob has on the business.
We’re a small business, governed like we are a PLC and having that tight control on the facts and figures really helps allow us to remain on top of everything, make the right decisions and be agile enough to respond to things in the moment – because we know about what’s happening all the time.
#3 - NXTGEN AND BUILT TO LAST
The NxTGeN succession plan is unusual — most recruitment agencies don't have one, or don't talk about it. Why does it matter that Cubed does?
Our team deserves to know what the future looks like. Being able to give them reassurance that there will be continuity – through Stella and I as Steve steps back from the day-to-day – matters to me. And I know it matters to them too.
When I first heard about NxTGeN, two or three years into my career, I thought it was a great opportunity – but I never imagined I’d be the one in the seat. To have that opportunity now is genuinely incredible.
And it doesn’t stop with Stella and I. Other team members who make a real impact over the next few years can be brought into the scope of the plan. That’s a great thing to be able to share.
What does 'Built to Last' mean to you personally — not as a tagline, but as something you actually believe?
I’m still feel like I’m relatively young at 32, and I definitely have lots left to give! ‘Built to last’ to me literally means my (and my family’s) future – as well as the future of the great people we have in our team.
Having a stable and sustainable business is the only way that we can provide a great place to work, continue to do the great work we do for our clients and candidates, maximise all of our earnings and continue to go from strength to strength – without this, what’s the point!
In five years' time, what does success for the NxTGeN plan look like? What's the version of this story you want to be telling?
I want to make Steve redundant!
Just kidding - not literally, but Stella and I need to give Steve the confidence to give us the vast majority of what he does and allow him the time and space to do what he wants to do next.
I want a small, but skilled and high performing team, who are able to earn lots of money and have great benefits whilst having a nice time doing it. I also want happy clients and happy candidates – everything else will come naturally. That’s success to me.
#4 - THE WORK
Engineering and manufacturing in the North of England is facing a genuine talent crisis. What are you hearing from clients — and what does a good answer to that challenge actually look like?
There are fundamentally not enough good people to go around. Clients are just as demanding, until we share the reality of the market with them. This doesn’t mean lowering the bar, though. Instead, presenting candidates at various stages of their career is one of the most powerful antidotes to the skills challenge that we can provide. ‘Rising star’ candidates are usually the solution – 75% versus the job spec, 100% there with the will and the drive to learn and progress. The 25% skill can be made up through training and coaching – and provide an opportunity to mould the candidate to fit the exact needs of the role and business.
You recruit for some of the most technically demanding roles in UK manufacturing. What's the difference between a recruiter who truly understands that world and one who doesn't?
I’d never claim to know everything about the engineering and manufacturing world – in fact, I start a lot of my calls with “I’m not an engineer…”. But over the years I’ve developed a real appreciation of the industry, and that understanding helps me have conversations that go deeper – getting a true read on someone’s skills, experience and suitability.
On the client side, having a genuine interest makes a real difference. I love getting on site, walking the shop floor, seeing the machines and assembly processes.
Being able to relate experience from one company to another – from culture and structure to product types and supply sectors – is what helps me make the right approaches and find the right fit.
What makes a client relationship genuinely good — as opposed to one that just functions?
For me, this comes down to two things. The first is doing a really great job, with everything, every time. The second, often takes a little longer, but building a relationship on more of a personal level is great. Having something in common, being able to chat about anything other than work related things, makes a real difference in connecting on a human level, instead of just a professional one.
#5 - SALTS MILL & PLACE
You work in a building where Pace Micro Technology built a £1.2bn global technology business. Does that register for you day-to-day — or does it become wallpaper?
The history of Salts Mill is never lost to me. From textile mill with model village, to its digital age transformation with Pace, to the vast array of businesses that now occupy the space – the Mill has been home to so much success, and I feel so lucky to be a part of that history.
The walls have seen so much – I hope that we become a small part of that story when my children’s children come to learn about it!
What's the thing about working at Salts Mill that you'd want a new client or candidate to understand before they walk through the door?
The history of Salts is a huge story and whenever we mention that we’re based in the Mill, people that are familiar with the area are always in awe that we have such a wonderful workspace.
I think the most exciting part of it, is that the mill has had a number of ‘eras’ – it’s that adaptability and ability to be re-invented that’s so impressive.
#6 - THE HUMAN QUESTIONS
What do you know now that you wish you'd known five years ago?
My whole perspective on life has changed in the last five years – mainly down to having my little boy four years ago. What seemed like a big deal then doesn’t faze me now. I wish I could have told myself that at times of feeling overwhelmed or stressed about things outside my control – though on reflection, those moments have shaped who I am today. My determination, my thoroughness, where I set my bar – all of it. So, I wouldn’t change a thing - though learning this a bit quicker might have helped me stress a little less!
What's the best career advice you've ever received — and who gave it to you?
“If you think you can, or you think you can’t – you’re probably right” – of all the quotes and one liners Steve’s shared with me over the years (there’s thousands!), this is the one that sticks.
If we don’t believe that we can do what we’re trying to achieve, then who will? Having a positive mental attitude really makes a difference – it isn’t always easy, and I haven’t always been able to maintain it, but it does become easier with practice. And – it’s not just career advice; it applies so much more in life too!
A decade at the same company, growing through every stage of it. What's the thing that kept you here when you could have left?
I’d be lying if I said in those 10 years, I’ve never entertained the idea of a change. I’ve always said I would never go to another recruitment company though – I just can’t imagine anywhere else being the same.
What’s kept me here? The people I’ve had the pleasure of working with over the years. The loyalty that’s been shown to me, and my own loyalty towards the business – Steve and Vicki in particular. The opportunities I’ve been given have allowed me to develop quickly, learn a huge amount, and genuinely make a difference. And honestly – the grass here is pretty green.
What would make you proud of this business in ten years — not in a commercial sense, but in a human one?
Success – in so many senses of the word. Making lots of money is great, but I’d like to be proud that we’ve been able to provide opportunities for our great team to learn, progress, have good lives, and enjoy their time at work. I’d like to be proud of the part I personally have had to play in making the business a real success. I also don’t want to forget that we have the power to truly change people’s lives when we match them to their ideal jobs – I think we should all be very proud of that too.
