Meet Katherine
Meet Katherine, our Client Services Manager.
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As Verbatim Pharma’s first Client Services Manager, Katherine plays a key role in how we support and engage with our clients. She brings sharp insight, calm efficiency, and a real commitment to delivering results.
We think it’s time you got to know her a little better…
INTERVIEW WITH KATHERINE
1. When did you join Verbatim Pharma, and what was your first role?
I joined Verbatim in April 2021 as a Search Lead, recruiting for all-things Commercial, i.e. Business Development & Account Management, before becoming Verbatim Pharma’s first Client Services Manager in April 2023.
2. How has Verbatim changed since you joined—and what do you think has stayed the same?
The business has changed so much since I joined. I was team member number 7, with our small office in a shared building in Hemel Hempstead, mainly recruiting for mid-level positions. Now, we are a team of 15, in our own office in Berkhamsted, recruiting for loads more Senior Director & C-Suite level roles.
What has stayed the same is our commitment to doing the right thing. Whilst we have doubled in headcount within 4 years, we haven’t lost sight of what makes us stand out as recruiters. We remain focused on delivering to the highest standard and doing right by our clients and candidates.
3. What’s been the most rewarding part of supporting candidates in this industry?
I absolutely love my role as Client Services Manager, but I will say that supporting candidates is something I miss the most about recruiting. The feeling you get from the first conversation, to helping them prepare ahead of an interview, to debriefing with them just after the interview, and hearing the excitement when you deliver a fantastic offer to a candidate you’ve been on the journey with is just so rewarding. Although I’m busier with client interactions in my current role, there are still lots of candidates I am still in touch with and have built genuine relationships with.
4. Are there any standout moments where you felt you really made a difference to a client or candidate?
I’d have to say the relationship I have built with one of our key accounts stands out to me. Before I stepped into my current role, they were a client of a few years, but they chose to spread their recruitment across a couple of agencies, and we recruited for them every now and again. I put a plan in place to build the trust and show the value we could bring, and fast forward to today… I have a great relationship with the team, we recruit exclusively for all their roles, and they are one of our biggest accounts. I love working with them, and I’m always so pleased to hear the difference that our candidates are making to the overall performance and culture within their business.
5. What attracted you to recruitment, and why did you choose to join Verbatim Pharma?
To be honest, I didn’t set out to get into recruitment but once I’d met the team, I knew it was the environment for me. When we’re interviewing potential new team members, one of the questions is always “Why Verbatim?” and my first response is always our team. It’s so commonly said that we spend more time at work with our colleagues than we do with our families, so it’s incredibly important that you’re surrounded by people who support, develop, and celebrate you - that is the culture we have.
6. What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced in recruitment — and how did you overcome it?
I think it’s fair to say that challenges are almost an everyday occurrence in recruitment. I can think of a handful of situations that have shaped me, and at the time each one of them felt like the biggest challenge I’ve ever faced. One person can’t know the answer to everything, so being able to share my challenge with the team and get different perspectives really helped me overcome the challenges I’ve faced, no matter how big or small.
7. What’s something people might not realise about working in recruitment?
From the outside, it might seem like such a simple concept - you have a job, you find a candidate, done. However, there is so much that goes into finding the right person for the right job. In an ideal world, we’ll find the perfect candidate and they’ll love our client, but often, the perfect candidate doesn’t exist, or if they do, they may have all kinds of reasons why they don’t want to entertain a change in role. When you’re working with people, there are so many variables!
8. What’s a skill you’ve developed in recruitment that you didn’t expect to use so much?
In my past customer-facing roles, I was used to the phrase “the customer is always right” and so when I joined Verbatim Pharma, I learnt that it’s not always about saying yes. It’s about guiding clients to the right solution and being a consultant, which is a skill that I have had to learn, and I know this has benefitted our clients and candidates.