Braver is a talent consultancy that is challenging the marketing and communications industry to be as courageous with their workplace and employment practices as they are with their work.
We’re here to accelerate the industries’ mission to become more diverse and inclusive, by placing an emphasis on potential, rather than hiring purely based on a CV.
Both agency owners and in-house departments are struggling to find, retain and get the most from their staff, especially those from diverse backgrounds.
It’s a huge issue. In this industry, people are your product and the talent you employ is your value.
But this isn’t just about ‘doing the right thing’. How can you effectively communicate to the population if you do not effectively reflect the population?
The makeup of the UK public is diverse, the sector is not. That leaves companies facing major business challenges and possible irrelevance in future if they don’t adapt… why not start now?.
Because we know that diverse teams do better work (there are lots of studies, it’s a fact). It’s common sense, but representing a community makes it easier to reach them.
And if you can bring your full self to work, that’s obviously better than half of yourself.
So let us help you build a workplace where people want to work and want to stay.
Forget ‘nice to have’ and ‘important’, it is now essential for businesses to build diverse teams.
Nearly 40% of Gen Z regard themselves as a minority. Get diversity right and you will be in pole position to attract and retain the best young talent.
Top talent makes you money, retention saves you money – but there’s external pressures on the horizon too.
With the government publishing its framework for ethnicity pay gap reporting, representation and equal pay among minorities is about to be the next big talking point in business….will you have something to say?
We are people who get it. We’ve worked in agency roles and in-house roles. We’ve worked from stockrooms to boardrooms. We’ve hired, nurtured and networked at every level of our industry and we love it.
But we don’t just know our industry, we care about it. We are diversity mentors, we are event-makers and we have campaigned for mandatory ethnicity pay gap reporting – bringing some of the industry’s biggest names with us.
Our experiences have taught us one thing: The industry wants to do more but doesn’t always know how.
Change is scary. But if you want to be better, be BRAVER.
Darain is an extremely dynamic and effective business leader. He is an original thinker, can be truly visionary and he thinks big - consistently coming up with quality, breakthrough ideas that can change the trajectory of a business. Yet he is far more than an ‘ideas man’. He is highly adept at getting things done and turning vision into reality. He has an infectious energy and positivity about him and is highly effective at influencing people and bringing them along with him. And while charming and affable he does not shy away from making tough decisions or giving challenging feedback when needed. I’ve known his brother, Sheeraz, through the years too - and the combination of these two industry heavyweights is undoubtedly destined for big things.
I had the privilege of working with Sheeraz and Mike during my job search, and I can confidently say that their support and expertise were invaluable. They truly understand the intricacies of the job market & demonstrated a deep commitment to helping me find the right opportunity. From the initial consultation to the final job offer, Mike provided unwavering support and guidance. They took the time to understand my career goals, strengths, and preferences, ensuring that the positions they recommended were aligned with my aspirations. Their communication was exceptional, always keeping in touch with me throughout the process offering advice every step of the way from the first interview to the final job offer. They provided valuable interview coaching, helped me fine-tune my CV, and offered insights into industry trends and market demands. Thanks to Mike and Sheeraz, I not only found a job that matches my skills and aspirations perfectly but also gained a trusted career advisors in the process. I highly recommend Braver to anyone seeking a dedicated and knowledgeable partners in their job search journey.
Sheeraz and Darain have been outstanding to collaborate with over the past 12 months, supporting and challenging us to think differently, all while celebrating the work we’re doing to diversify cricket and make it the most inclusive sport. They’ve been an absolute pleasure to deal with.
I’ve spent years getting overlooked by companies because I needed a visa. Sheeraz not only helped get my foot in the door by directly introducing me to agencies, he also gave me tips for interviewing and encouraged me throughout the entire process. He made sure I was introduced to agencies that not only were a good fit with my experience, but also had the kind of workplace I’d thrive in. It’s been nearly two months in my new role and I couldn’t be happier!
I had the pleasure of working closely with Sheeraz and Mike and their mentorship played a pivotal role in my career journey as I was navigating the path to my next opportunity at Apple. Through their guidance, I not only honed my skills but also gained the confidence needed to excel in my career. Their commitment to fostering connections among like-minded individuals within the community created a genuine sense of belonging. One standout moment was their unwavering support in my pursuit of a position at Apple. Not only did they provide invaluable insights, but they also played a crucial role in negotiating my salary, ensuring I secured a position that matched my skills and aspirations.
In a generic and homogenised recruitment industry, Braver is truly a game changer. They are true partners who ensure our EDI values are cemented into every step of our hiring process, and I couldn't recommend them highly enough for any organisation looking to accelerate their efforts to build a more inclusive workplace with a conscientious and collaborative recruitment team at the helm.
Darain was fantastic to work with during the recruitment process at Open For Business. Our initial conversation gave me a clear understanding of the role, its context within the growing organisation, and the qualities needed for success. Throughout the interview stages, Darain provided great support, easing nerves and offering practical guidance. Now, two months in, I’m thoroughly enjoying the role, which involves setting up processes, evaluating digital channels, and working on exciting report launches with plenty of travel ahead!
Braver's refreshing approach to recruitment has completely restored my faith in the industry. They invest the necessary time to identify the ideal candidate, actively listening to our needs while providing thoughtful challenges. I love their commitment to diversifying our sector, valuing the often-overlooked "soft skills," and their interest in understanding the importance of different personality types. Without a doubt, Braver is at the top of my list of recruitment agencies.
Braver is the first recruitment agency Barley has used after eight years of being in business. We’d been put off working with recruiters based on past experience, and it was a pleasure to find Braver are nothing like traditional agencies. Darain and the team really understood the importance of our mission and values to us as a social purpose comms agency. Braver provided intelligent and timely support through every step of the recruitment process for our new head of business development. They presented us with a strong and diverse pool of candidates that were a great fit for our requirements, and I found the unique Braver profiles highly valuable in assessing these. We’ve ended up with an excellent hire as a result.
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What could be scarier than being stuck in a toilet cubicle with a wasp nest? Not much for our founder Mike (maybe having his face on a website) but definitely not making our industry fairer. He’s a northerner with Irish and Italian roots. In his 15 years in PR, he’s been a Senior Director of Assembly, head of consumer comms at Snap and a tech & gaming lead at Hope&Glory PR, winning over 50 industry awards. He’s also a former recruiter, the founder of the One Percent diversity initiative and co-founder of the PR Week Pay Gap Project. He’s been called a lot of things, but he’d call himself a problem solver.
Sheeraz has both a fear and deep fascination of life after death. To face it, he’s taking solace by learning about the origin of world religions and reading the (not so) comforting words of many philosophers. Bit deep, but he’ll be fine, we promise.
Beyond his flirting with existential crises, Sheeraz is co-founder of People Like Us, the award winning non-profit that celebrates and supports professionals from underrepresented backgrounds in journalism, PR and the creative industries. Sheeraz is also an award winning PR professional with over a decade of experience both in-house at Snapchat and Sky, and at agencies including Hope&Glory and PrettyGreen. Sheeraz is a passionate campaigner for equal pay for ethnically diverse working professionals in the UK. He will often mention the one time someone said his celebrity lookalike is Riz Ahmed but in actual fact, he looks more like Bruno Fernandes (minus the sass). Top geezer all round.
