New Partners, New Opportunities: Let’s meet Greenfield Luxembourg!
With a highly educated workforce, a robust legal framework, and a thriving economy, Luxembourg offers a dynamic and diverse professional market that attracts talent and investment from around the world. Whether you're a seasoned executive or a young entrepreneur, Luxembourg presents a unique blend of opportunities and challenges that can propel your career to new heights.
At Talentor we are aware that this location continues to be a magnet for global professionals and we are excited to share we have found in Greenfield Luxembourg the ideal partners to attract these professionals with top companies in Luxembourg and all over the world.
Learn more about Greenfield Luxembourg through the insights of their Director, Courtney Charlton, as he shares in this interview, the journey of his company, which was founded in September 2008 at the height of the financial crisis. Despite challenging market conditions, Greenfield Luxembourg not only survived but thrived, thanks to their highly flexible approach and unwavering commitment.
Hello Courtney! Welcome to Talentor! Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
I am in my 40s (J) a husband of 21 years and a father of two young girls. I grew up in suburban London until my university years and was lucky enough to have had the opportunity to live and work in Luxembourg since 2006.
I come from a family of recruiters and grew up around the business – I guess the rest was inevitable!
My world is my family, but I find the time to get to the gym religiously every morning and make sure that I have caught up with the day’s current affairs and politics!
Do you have other hobbies or things you enjoy doing with your family that you would like to share?
I love to teach my kids the nuances of life and help them pre-empt the lessons that we all need to learn. I spend a lot of time continuing to get to know them so I can better nurture them as they progress into their adolescent years. We travel a fair amount – get into nature, swim, play sports, and socialize with friends.
What led you to found Greenfield Luxembourg? And what makes you stand out?
We knew we could do it better. We wanted to build a company that our team would be proud of and who would every day give it their best. We wanted to enable our team to earn fantastically and build great lives for themselves. This is what we have done and it’s a pleasure to have such a loyal, hardworking, and long-standing team by our side.
What is your company´s USP for clients and candidates?
We are the good guys. We don’t “play God”. Where we can, we coach, guide and support our candidates to make the best of their opportunity. We seek first to understand their desires and career goals and do our very best to help them fulfil those with the Clients we are engaged with.
For our clients, we always take a position of honesty and transparency. We are naturally in a commercial role, however, we never compromise our integrity for gain. We take a long-term view on all engagements and always strive to find the best solution for their needs; even if this isn’t not in our immediate interest.
What is a typical profile that you recruit?
We take on all functional searches that are based in Luxembourg – typically finance, legal, governance, sales and IT. For everyday hires – we operate a contingent model, for key strategic or senior appointments we apply a search methodology, and for short-term or project-based roles we offer a full interim and consultant service.
What surprises foreign companies the most when they are recruiting specialists in Luxembourg?
Firstly, how expensive it is to hire staff here!
Second, how there can still be a skills shortage!
You have spent your entire career in recruitment and executive search. What is your favorite thing about this industry?
I initially spent a short spell in commercial insurance broking. I realized I needed to be in a role that allowed me to independently excel and be measured by what I do and not what I say. I have been a recruiter since 2003 – a long time – and I’ve specialized in this time in temp, contingent, and search. Today, I lead Greenfield’s Executive Search offering which we started back in 2017. I love the variety, the continual commercial challenge, the constant highs and lows, and achieving outcomes that wouldn’t have been possible without our nuance and skill.
What advice would you give your younger self or any young person when starting their career?
Have a career plan; whatever that is. Be steadfast in achieving that plan. Don’t be swayed by a quick buck. Be opportunistic, but only when it enables growth or opportunity that takes you closer to your long-term goals. Take calculated risks, don’t not take gambles – never burn your bridges. Treat others as you would want to be treated – courtesy and respect goes a long way when taking a long-term view, and it can pay dividends when you least expect it in influencing your career trajectory.
What advice would you give your younger self or any young person when starting their career?
Have a career plan; whatever that is. Be steadfast in achieving that plan. Don’t be swayed by a quick buck. Be opportunistic, but only when it enables growth or opportunity that takes you closer to your long-term goals. Take calculated risks, don’t not take gambles – never burn your bridges. Treat others as you would want to be treated – courtesy and respect goes a long way when taking a long-term view, and it can pay dividends when you least expect it in influencing your career trajectory.
What did you learn from working interculturally?
Greenfield is a melting pot of nationalities and cultures; much like Luxembourg. It teaches us to be moderate, sensitive, and obliging to others. You cannot succeed with a polarised viewpoint on how things are or should be done. It’s always interesting dealing with new clients entering the market – often there is a fair amount of education needed as you can’t really make it if you are just trying to carbon copy protocol and norms from less multicultural markets. This is part of Luxembourg’s charm, and it’s a challenge…
Why did you decide to join the Talentor network?
We are stronger together. Being an independently owned and led single office firm can limit the positive impact of external perspective.
The Talentor network opens many opportunities to leverage our existing relationships that will have a synergetic effect. We are often asked by our clients if we have offices in other locations; we can now answer the question very differently!
Courtney introducing Greenfield Luxembourg to the Talentor Community in the most recent Talentor Summit in Warsaw 2024.
Thank you Courtney for sharing with us and our Talentor Community more about you and your company’s mindset! We are glad to have you in our network and we are excited to be part of Greenfield’s journey and accomplish many great things together
For more information about Greenfield Luxembourg and to get in contact with Courtney and his team, click here.