mavis specialise in recruitment, retainer and executive search for the creative, design, product and tech industry.

We partner with companies, startups and scaleups, finding perfect candidates for successful leadership teams, from senior to C-Suite level.

 

Working together

mavis is an all-female team of creative headhunters dedicated to supporting equality and diversity. We work with the best design, advertising and product companies, startups and scaleups in the UK, Europe and USA.

What makes us unique; we have 30 years of combined experience, a thorough process that gets us results and we care deeply about finding the right person for your business. We have successfully helped start ups and scale ups (Series A onwards) as well as more established brands develop their hiring plans and find the right mix of experience to grow their teams.

Like every single day over the past decade, connection, confidence, support, trust and passion are at the heart of our business. It’s on these values that we base our search. We are experts in these areas:

Design
Creative
Digital
Product
Strategy
Client Services
Production

To start a new relationship with clients, we offer very competitive partnership options compared to other talent partners.

1⁠  ⁠Retainer - a dedicated team work exclusively for a set period remotely
2⁠  ⁠Secondment - a team member to work in-house across all hires
3⁠  ⁠Fractional retainer -  part time to work with you as required
4⁠  ⁠Exec search - working on a specific senior leadership role

What differentiates us is that we encourage equal opportunity by specialising in deep research to find truly diverse candidates. Supporting people from different cultural, religious LGBTQIA+ and socio-economic backgrounds, inclusive of disabilities and other marginalised groups such as those with neurodiverse needs. As female founders we are particularly passionate about seeing more women in senior leadership roles.

Jobs

About

"Inspired by my gran, Mavis, I wanted to bring a personal touch to the world of recruitment. She was a warm, creative and successful lady, very generous with advice and hot beverages, and always there when you needed her"

– Helen Fleming, Creator of mavis

The way Mavis approached her life and her relationships are what we base our values on – people are at the heart of it and they are what we value.

We are a dynamic female led team and advocate diversity in our sector, supporting  all to reach their full potential.

Creating happy unions where people can excel in their careers is what drives us.

We love what we do, and we know you will too.

Helen Fleming

Helen Fleming

Helen began her career as a designer and gained valuable experience in a number of London-based design agencies before spending several years at leading creative recruitment consultancies, where she specialised in digital. The combination of direct industry and recruitment experience gave her the confidence and know-how to create Mavis.

Here she can concentrate on what she do best: looking after creative thinkers and designers at senior through to leadership level. She also previously advised young talent at advertising and design universities, and led many graduate portfolio days with key industry figures.

Her design background gives her an instinctive ability to evaluate portfolios and support with career advice. As well as helping clients understand what type of person they need to lead and develop their team. Building authentic long-lasting relationships with clients and candidates is the foundation for mavis.

As a female founder, she is particularly passionate about helping women become successful and gain positions in senior leadership roles.

You can see my full CV on Linkedin.

If you’d like to brief me on a new role you are hiring please book a call here: [email protected]

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Melissa Phillips

Melissa Phillips

After graduating with a degree in Fashion and Marketing Melissa began her career at Marks & Spencer where she gained valuable business and commercial management experience. She moved to Sydney for sunnier climes, and freelanced with various advertising and branding design agencies. Here she worked with teams of talented creatives and managers, and finally found her tribe.

On her return to London starting mavis was the ideal fit. She enjoys creating a human connection with candidates and clients and providing a service she couldn’t easily find when she was job searching. She is proud of the strong partnerships nurtured with clients over the past 10+ years, often becoming an extension of their business to help structure and grow teams. Witnessing first hand such exciting journeys from early stages to global success gives her  immense satisfaction and pride.

Melissa is a team player with strong communication skills, and the confidence and ability to work with candidates and clients across all levels of business. She is passionate about the creative industry, and especially enjoys being part of industry dialogue, exploring and discussing what sets new precedents and what truly connects, motivates and inspires people.

I am a team player with strong communication skills, and the confidence and ability to work with candidates and clients across all levels of business. I’m excited to be working in the digital creative industry. I love to review creative portfolios and help candidates achieve their career goals.

I smile a lot too.

You can see my full CV here.

If you’d like to brief her on a new role please book a call here: [email protected]

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Olivia Cody

Olivia Cody

Ambitious and passionate about everything creative, especially branding, Olivia decided to study a graphic design course at Shillington College. Loving the conceptual side of design – combined with an obsession for puns – her path then led her to UAL where she graduated with a degree in Creative Advertising. Shortly after she stumbled upon mavis hoping they could help her find a job in the industry she loves, and they did!

Olivia has been fortunate enough to be part of the Mavis family from the early stages, watching it grow into the thriving business it is today. Starting out on a freelance basis at mavis she has also had the opportunity to work within graphic design and marketing. This background has given her a varied working knowledge within the creative space which she has been able to apply to her role here. In working directly with clients and candidates she has developed strong relationships with some of the most inspirational minds in the industry. Olivia really enjoys being a part of peoples’ career progression and helping in their success.

“Be nice and do great work” that’s always been her motto!

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  • I wanted to reach out and say a huge thank you for opening the door to an incredible opportunity at Google. My time there wrapped up this summer, and after a short sabbatical, I can wholeheartedly say that everything from the work to the people proved rich, meaningful, and an engine for growth - in great part thanks to your expertise in matching me with the perfect role and supporting me throughout!
    Andreea S (Senior Creative Strategist)
  • Melissa, Helen and the team at Mavis were incredibly supportive through my job-hunting process. They really took time to understand what I was looking for in my next role, proactively came up with suggestions of companies where I’ll be a great fit and gave helpful tips during the interview process. It was great having their expertise during my search.
    Kristina Dimitrova (Social Director)
  • The difference with Mavis has been the depth in which they get to know the talented people on their books, as well as us as an agency. This has led to some inspired collaborations which we may not have thought of otherwise, for both freelance and full time employment.
    Tom (Founder & Creative Director)
  • It’s been a pleasure working with mavis on key creative and design hires for our business as we scale. Since 2016 they’ve been successful in finding us the superstar talent we need. Never an easy task as our benchmark for design talent is incredibly high, but the ladies are tenacious and never give up. They lately helped us hire an exceptional Head of Product Design, one of the most fundamental roles for our business, elevating product design as we continue to grow.
    Liam H (CEO & Founder)
  • I've experienced my fair share of recruiters, some good, mostly bad, then you get a rare one that's great, enter Mavis. They are super friendly, great communicators and work with some brilliant agencies. Freelancers are familiar with 'ghosting' but you'll never get that with Mavis, they are upfront, honest and transparent and want the best for their candidates. I've recommended them to others many times and will continue to do so!
    Mike Harrison (Design Director)
  • Many thanks to Melissa and Helen for helping in my job search. After an initial call to understand the direction I wanted to head in, they found and set up calls with a range of great studios that matched my ambitions perfectly. They guided me through the processes, checked in on me regularly and navigated me through the offer stages to where I am now in my new role. I couldn't be happier with where I am now and that is thanks to the Mavis team.
    Callum Buchanan (Senior Designer)
  • Helen was the first recruiter I met after having set up Space 66. While others were not sure about us, being a young agency with no folio to show potential candidates, Helen listened to my thoughts and ideal scenarios. We are still in touch via Mavis, they always promise not to blanket mail us, sending candidates who are on point to brief.
    Jon Wiltshire (Founder, Space 66/Addictive Pixel)
  • I grew up with Helen and Melissa. No, really, I actually did, we were at the same school and everything. They were like sisters to me. Alright maybe not sisters, but, you know, I really liked them. And continue to do so. They're both an absolute joy and pleasure to work with. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them...obviously.
    Stu Outhwaite (Creative Partner at Creature)
  • Helen gave me great advice when I decided to go freelance. She has brilliant connections and interesting contracts in the creative industry. She makes the effort to understand what your strengths are, finding the right role for each individual. Helen has become a firm friend and has encyclopedic knowledge of restaurants.
    Jocelyn Amner (Freelance Senior Visual Designer)
  • Hello Mavis are thoughtful, considered and responsive. They listen carefully to the brief and field high quality, relevant candidates. A joy to work with.
    Kate Roskill (COO)
  • It's been a pleasure to work with a recruitment business that not only understands our 'requirement' but understands us as people too, as well as the personality of our brand before introducing us to exceptional talent when the time is right.
    Guy Jenkins (VP, Platform User Experience)
  • Recruitment is a people business. Many agents appear to have forgotten this. Not so Hello Mavis – Helen digs deep into your business needs and then into the candidates' psyches as much as their portfolios. I have only ever seen quality CVs from Hello Mavis and that keeps me coming back.
    Adam Powers (CXO)