I always find the end of a year a fascinating time. It encourages you to reflect on what you’ve achieved across the last 12 months and also look forward to what you want to accomplish once the clock strikes midnight on the 31st December. Whilst I find it useful to do this as an individual, there’s also a huge amount of merit in equivalent reflection for a business. It’s been an exciting year for Woodhurst as it was conceived, realised and launched in 2019. To this end I decided to put some thought into the key achievements from this year and the core aims for 2020. Rather than launching into a gigantic list, I decided to limit myself to three achievements and three aims.
2019 Achievements
We officially launched Woodhurst on the 8th April 2019 . This was an immensely proud moment for us all. Not only because of the hard work which went into arriving at this point but also because of the brand which we’d built from scratch (with great support from Incaloop). We take real pride in the Woodhurst brand and the brand assets which we’ve accumulated: a fantastic website, impressive marketing material, snazzy business cards and even Woodhurst KeepCups (watch this space)!
Can you believe that we’ve authored 24 pieces of original content this year? Ranging from what Financial Services can learn from women’s football, to how AI can revolutionise Transaction Monitoring, we cover a host of topics across the industry. We’re also on the verge of releasing our first Woodhurst white paper. It’ll provide a unique view on AI within Financial Services and we have been fortunate enough to partner with an innovative Fin Tech to provide some input. Keep an eye out for it in early 2020.
The first 9 months of Woodhurst’s existence has all been about preparing ourselves for growth in 2020.
- Building the infrastructure within the company to support more employees and a wider client base.
- Developing client relationships, both new and existing, to build our reputation and increase our visibility across the industry.
- Honing our consulting skills and industry expertise. Consultants thrive on learning and we’ve grown both our skillset as individuals and Woodhurst collateral through fantastic client delivery throughout 2019.
2020 Aims
Growth will be our mantra for 2020. We’ll be aiming to grow our team by bringing on high calibre management consultants who want to achieve the Woodhurst vision and are passionate about building a consultancy. Employees are our strongest asset so it’s imperative that we attract and retain cutting edge talent.
As headcount grows, there’ll be a requirement for somewhere where we can all call home. We’ll be making use of flexible office space at the start of the year with the aim of securing a permanent Woodhurst office by the end of 2020.
It’s important to reflect and seek advice from others whenever possible. To this end, we’ll be setting up an Advisory Board with a small number of industry leaders across consulting and financial services. They will help to provide support and guidance whilst also holding us to our targets and keeping us accountable.
The journey to date has been immensely exciting! I think we’re all looking forward to recharging our batteries over the festive period and preparing ourselves for the New Year. However, I look back on 2019 with fond memories and am truly excited about the Woodhurst journey in 2020. If you’d like to know more about the firm or are interested in getting involved then please contact us via the website or on LinkedIn.
