MWA Introduces: Louise Dale
For the second instalment of our team introductions, MWA is pleased to introduce Louise Dale. Louise is an Associate Director with MWA, and she has been with the company since its inception nearly twelve years ago.
Tell us about your journey to joining MWA
I started my career within the field of healthcare as a nurse. On completing my training, I moved to London and worked within a metabolic and renal department as well as general medical wards at a number of prestigious hospitals in the capital before heading off on an adventure to travel and work my way around the world!
Two years later, and after many amazing experiences spanning the US, southern hemisphere and Asia I ended up back in London. I settled in Wimbledon and became involved in recruitment as well as the management and implementation of nurse banks for NHS Trusts across Greater London.
In 1999, wishing to consolidate my practical experience with more management theory, I studied at Kingston University and completed a post-graduate degree in Business Studies whilst also working for a major recruitment company. Here, I managed a team responsible for occupational health recruitment across the UK. Studying whilst working full time was hard, but it allowed me to back-up my practice with theory and also understand theory in practice – adding to a widening circle of skills.
I always sought out new challenges and after several years, , I relocated to France and began working with a range of interesting people supporting recruitment companies in a variety of technical sectors across the world. This is when I was introduced to Kieron at MWA and, as they say, everything else is history. We have been working together ever since and it’s been wonderful to be part of the MWA story; to be part of helping it prosper and grow into the successful and thriving company that it is today. I am proud to be part of the MWA team and love working with my MWA colleagues each day.
Tell us a little about your role at MWA within the IP sector.
I have a busy and varied role managing diverse and often complex projects. I manage my own projects but also work closely with colleagues; I am involved in all stages of the hiring process, from initial contact to the successful placement of a candidates. One day is never the same as the next, it’s varied and interesting, which is why I love my work so much.
I manage several companies alone and am responsible for the client and candidate management throughout each assignment. In my role, I work with a range of clients, from multi-national organisations to start-ups across all sectors of industry as well as private practice. I bring experience and knowledge to the team from my own extensive career, which helps me relate to the people we work with and their ambitions. I enjoy meeting people and getting to know what makes them tick and what drives them in their work.
I work particularly in the European market, and I am developing the French market for MWA.
My role continues to be varied. It starts with initial contact and communication with potential candidates whilst having specific client projects in mind. At this early stage, it’s essential to probe as deeply as possible into a candidate’s career wishes and future professional Aspirations. I facilitate the transition between current candidate roles and their future objectives, working within parameters guided by client needs. These needs often evolve after discussion between clients and myself and regularly I will be asked to provide guidance on such things as realistic salary scales.
At this stage I not only impart information to candidates and listen, but also act as a mentor. People need to make career moves and develop professionally when the time is right, but equally there can be a case for remaining in positions to consolidate experience rather than following an often unrealistic desire to push forwards based only on monetary gain and status. My experience gives me the confidence to make such calls when it is necessary, but I do so with candidates’ futures in mind.
What do you enjoy about the work you do?
Meeting so many wonderful people and working with them to help them achieve and exceed their dreams is such a privilege to be a part of.
I take great pride in finding the right person for the right role. I particularly enjoy matching potential candidates to clients’ specific needs and requirements. This is such a rewarding part of my role. I become fully engaged and consumed in my determination to exceed clients’ expectations. The reward of completing an assignment gives me a great sense of satisfaction.
I love the challenge, albeit often incredibly frustrating and immensely time consuming, of working on complex and unique roles that others may find difficult to bring to conclusion.
I am easily able to empathise with candidates fears and concerns. I love supporting professionals through the entire process of selection, interview and placement; giving advice and confidence, enabling people to meet their full potential and shine in front of future employers.
The independence and autonomy that my role within MWA affords me allows me to move as needed and at an ever-changing pace. Without this, my role would be very different.
Tell us one thing that people may not know about you.
Well, as mentioned earlier, my major impulse to relocate to a foreign country was to face bigger and different challenges! These I found! In parallel to recruitment, my husband and I bought a working farm in the middle of France’s mid-west countryside! We run the farm alongside full-time jobs. At weekends you’re likely to find me in the sheep sheds delivering or feeding newborn lambs. The contrasts in my daily life are extreme. I love my work at my desk but also enjoy the amazing benefits of an outdoors life in this wonderful countryside. Juggling the work can be hard, but the two different sides to my day complement each other and push me to focus and find a great balance.
What is important to you in a career/job?
A working environment where mutual respect allows colleagues to thrive. Kindness and involvement at every stage combined with excellent communication is a must. A team atmosphere that promotes growth, where long-term goals and prospects are constantly discussed and shared.
The autonomy to be able to attain our goal of making sure, at all times, that we do our best for our clients and candidates.
What is your top career advice to professionals in the intellectual property field?
Don’t just fixate on where you want to go, look at where a company can take you. Quick moves can often lead to limited prospects. Consider the possibility that long term goals should be met in incremental steps, always moving forwards and in the right direction, of course. Given a change in mind-set, the IP sector can sometimes offer unforeseen and generous rewards.
Don’t limit yourself by thinking about what has been historically possible, or what feels comfortable. Raise your expectations and strive to meet new levels beyond your comfort zone. Be open to be supported and led towards positions you may previously have felt beyond your abilities.
What are your plans for the year ahead?
2024 holds many exciting opportunities for me on both a personal and professional level. At MWA, I am looking forward to a year of continued growth and development, expanding my network into new IP related fields and continuing to build new business relationships.
Graham Marlow, Associate Director, shares his thoughts on Louise’s contributions at MWA:
‘I have worked with Louise for over a decade firstly as my Senior Researcher at Marlow IP recruitment Ltd and since merging with MWA as a fellow Associate Director. Louise is an extraordinary colleague in that she personifies the description of ‘excellent client facing skills’ she quickly grasps the salient points of the recruitment assignment and in her work holds true to the ethics of MWA that the candidate is just as important as the client. The ability to build an empathy with both client and candidate makes her in my mind a formidable recruiter. With her French lifestyle and her ‘joie de vivre’ she is great fun to work with.’
