Ariad, a new brand with the same spirit

Why we became Ariad

How should you digitize your business? And where do you find the right talent to guide you through the inevitable process? Back in 2013, we noticed how these questions kept CEOs awake at night. They had no idea of how to do it. But we did, having spent years working as digital consultants, setting up web shops, developing SEO and SEA campaigns and managing digital projects.

So, we created Conversion Talent to help those CEOs regain their sleep.
 

Our solution started with a clear vision: recruiting digital talent is a job for digital talents. This is why we structured Conversion Talent to be digital to the very core. We put together a team of recruitment consultants who live and breathe digital, to use the same language and tools as the talent they were looking for.

The first chance to prove our unique approach came when we landed our first major project: Hello Bank wanted to launch a digital bank, and it needed digital expertise. More specifically, it needed top talent that wouldn’t shy away from a big, formidable goal--and it needed a decent number of them. Our background helped us to grasp our client’s needs right away, and we were able to quickly define the required positions and fill them with highly qualified digital recruits. Importantly, the recruits also matched well with the team culture, making a great fit on all levels.

Our fast, accurate and entirely digital recruitment approach surprised both Hello Bank and the people we recruited. To us, this promising outcome strengthened our feeling that we were on the right path to help companies finding the talent they needed for their digital transformation – and it was only our first year.

Niche and constantly evolving

Soon after the Hello Bank assignment, we opened up our first Spanish office in Almeria, followed later by a second one in Madrid. This international structure became a cornerstone for the agile culture of Conversion Talent. Our team incorporated digital, agile and remote working tools in their daily lives long before remote digital work went mainstream. Interestingly, this deep familiarity with digital allowed us to focus more on people, and to this day, that’s what differentiates us from the competition. We are more pragmatic, more hands-on, more straightforward and transparent, and above all, we are more specialised.

Companies were looking more and more for this specialisation, and that was exactly what Conversion Talent was designed for. Our expertise is very niche and constantly evolving with the landscape, so that our recruiters truly embody the digital services we offer.

The rest is history of course. In a sense, the entire market of recruitment started to shift in our direction, gradually and then suddenly – a huge wave that we were able to surf thanks to our experience and – by now – decent size.

We kept growing and our services evolved with new and interesting questions from our customers. Due to market shifts, we went from full permanent staffing to integrating outsourcing services, and recently started adding consulting services - for companies who want to start or accelerate their digital transformation, but need some more help figuring out how and with whom.

Adding consulting to our services felt like a completely natural shift, and our clients agreed. To celebrate our success in digital recruitment and our expansion to new and exciting value propositions, we realised it was necessary to rebrand. We want to reflect how we have grown and where we’re going. Conversion Talent becomes Ariad. And Ariad is ready for the future.

Our new hybrid structure - a staffing and consulting firm in one – makes Ariad the perfect partner to lead the way to a digital future, offering companies a combination of recruitment, consulting, development and digital solutions in a lean and agile delivery model.

Ready for the future

So what is our future? Today, “digital transformation” is an obligatory slide in every C-level presentation.

But despite all the hype, companies are struggling to build a truly digital enterprise.

It might be because they are firefighting rather than following a truly strategic digital roadmap.

It might be the fact that digital acceleration is making it increasingly difficult for companies to cope with all the new technologies and their possibilities.

It might be the simple fact that there is a fierce war for talent when it comes to digital profiles – more so if you are looking for those rare talents who are at the peak of the digital profession.

In any case, there’s a lot of work to do. Ariad has been and will continue to be the partner of choice for organizations that are interested in a truly transformational journey – one where profound cultural change is at the top of the to-do list.

We were never – and never will be – a supplier of buzzwords. Because Ariad’s ambition is never to allow companies to simply keep up with the flashy trends. Ariad’s purpose is to help companies get ahead and stay ahead. Getting ahead requires a more strategic, a more pragmatic and – most certainly - a tailored approach. That is what Ariad is specialized in.

To prove that it’s working: Ariad already services top tier companies like Carrefour, BNP Paribas, Orange, L’Oreal, in the Benelux region and beyond, and is entering a whole new recruitment and consulting market in early 2019. Ariad is ready to guide Spain through the maze of digital change.

Jeroen Van Ermen & Mathias Lamiroy
Ariad Founders