Recent events such as the Brexit vote and the election of Donald Trump have unsettled the global business community. All organisations, including ours, will be taking stock of what these changes may mean, and looking for any opportunities. One thing is for certain though, the commitment to hiring and developing new young talent through graduate recruitment will be critical to the long-term future of any business.

In the spirit of this global unrest, we have welcomed three new stars of the future into the business through our graduate recruitment programme in partnership with the University of Manchester. They join our recently appointed recruits as we continue to add to our talent pool at every level, and at the same time provide opportunities for the brightest and best young people in the North West of England.

I am a firm believer that young people are essential to bring new ideas and a fresh approach in our culture that encourages innovation. But talent in isolation is not enough. It needs to be nurtured and the communication of ideas plays a crucial role in this. All of our young talent is encouraged to take an active role in shaping the future of the business by providing a different perspective on business problems. And the rewards are evidential. Several of our previous graduate appointments have gone on to become a member of our senior team, taking a global role in the organisation.

At Travel Counsellors, we put a lot of focus on teamwork. It’s all very well having the talent, but we have to nurture and develop all our people to ensure the ongoing success of the business. With that, we’re delighted to welcome our new graduate recruitment members to the team, and look forward to working with them to develop new ideas to ensure we remain at the forefront of innovation.

In other areas, I have been focusing time on our annual conference. This event sees Travel Counsellors from across the globe come to Manchester Central for a weekend of inspirational talks, workshops, awards, and team-building opportunities. It is always important to give something back and recognise the achievements of everyone that puts their time and effort into making this company what it is. A successful business needs to be greater than the sum of its parts, and ensuring that team members both old and new feel valued and part of the team is crucial.

It is a formula that seems to be working for us. Sales for October in the UK were up 14 per cent year-on-year, which is proof that if you invest in your people, like graduate recruitment hires, there are great results for your business too.