This year, we are proud to open our fourth LHC International agency in Mallorca.

With Southern Europe seeing a solid focus on institutional investors in hospitality, we are glad to announce the opening of this new office focusing on Southern Europe.

The team will be led by Partner & Managing Director, Southern Europe Nick Rees and supported by Senior Consultant Aina Fiol.

We asked Nick to present himself and to give us his input on the recruitment and hospitality industry in Spain and Southern Europe.

The Recruitment and Hospitality Industries in Mallorca and Southern Europe.

Can you present yourself?

I am Nick, a British serial entrepreneur based in Mallorca after over two decades of building international recruitment businesses in Moscow.

When I am not working, I am usually found on a paddle tennis court or wandering around, looking around the best that this beautiful island of Mallorca can offer.

What did you do before?

Before moving to Mallorca, I have run and grown the Russian offices for hugely respected recruitment companies like SThree PLC and Adecco.

It was time for a change, and Mallorca certainly is different.

What do you like about your job?

Nick Rees - LHC Southern Europe MD & Partner

Success!

LHC International is a results-based business, and I love the various types of success that doing the job well can bring.

I have seen so many people in my teams grow from young talents to confident and successful professionals, taking advantage of the life-changing opportunities they have been given. Especially paired with bringing chances and solutions to clients and candidates.

These are the best aspects of the job.

LHC INTERNATIONAL SOUTHERN EUROPE

Can you tell us what you will do in Mallorca?

LHC International Southern Europe

We will focus on senior-level management searches for new and existing clients in the hospitality industry, mainly in Southern and Central Europe.

We will hopefully have a chance to work with LHC’s existing clients in Central Europe and Asia, but we will certainly be looking to show our new clients what working with a true industry specialist looks like. Southern Europe brings a lot of opportunities due to fragmentation.

On which industry will LHC International Southern Europe be focusing?

Following the successful blueprint of LHC’s other offices in Central Europe and Asia, our prime focus will be establishing ourselves as the first choice for all the best companies in the diverse hospitality industry and building the local demand around that.

Will you work only with local companies or in Spain and Southern Europe?

Our clients will vary in all different size, structures, and locations.

For example, we have recently completed several exciting projects for one global client, with our successful placements being based in Italy, UK, Benelux, and Spain.

We certainly will not have a rigid structure – we will build around our clients and collaborate closely with our colleagues in Berlin, Bangkok and Singapore to help guarantee the best possible results for our clients.

No company other than LHC International, specialising in hospitality, can offer the same in Southern Europe.

What type of companies will you be working with and what type of jobs will you place?

Everything from major PE and VC funds to global hotel chains and fast-growing serviced apartment groups, co-working, co-living, luxury lifestyle brands as well as resorts. Due to 10 years of LHC history, we can serve all kinds of clients as long as its core is the lodging or operational real estate business. That stays our NDA.

We work with huge global leaders, to smaller boutique businesses. The industry is complex and huge, but we aim to be the first-choice specialists for many of the leading hospitality companies in our region.

Ideally, we are aiming to dominate the senior-level markets, with some of our most recent placements including:

  • CEO
  • Head of Iberia
  • Head of Asset Management
  • Regional Finance Director
  • Director of Expansion
  • Regional HR Business Partner
  • Director of Sales & Marketing
  • General Manager

RECRUITMENT AND HOSPITALITY

What are the specificities of the job and the candidate’s market in Spain?

Because of Spain’s over-exposure to the travel and hospitality market, most businesses were severely damaged by the covid pandemic.

Whilst many SMEs went into bankruptcy or hugely downsized in an attempt to reduce costs, many larger organisations saw this as an opportunity to take advantage of the situation.

M&A deals are on the up, PE and VC funds are as hungry as ever, and it seems that the economic forecast for 2023 (and beyond) for Spain is a positive one.

For those with a strong appetite for risk, there are opportunities galore.

What challenges do you see for yourself in Mallorca?

As a company, we need to focus on quality, not quantity.

In order to protect the brand that LHC International has carefully grown for years, we need to ensure that we build carefully and with our client’s complete satisfaction in our services at the forefront of everything that we do.

How can you help your current/future clients find candidates?

We have unrivalled and very deep market knowledge, which gives our clients a significant advantage when it comes to providing them with the best possible options, at the best price and with a complete understanding. That time is always important when a key member of staff needs to be replaced.

Being a global industry, our search net stretches globally too, thanks mainly to our unique database and very modern systems.

We also make sure that our clients, no matter how large or small, always want to come back to us again and again.

Get in touch with Nick and Aina

Are you a candidate living in Spain or Southern Europe looking for a job?

Are you a company working in the hospitality industry looking to grow your team in Southern Europe?

Contact Nick and Aina concerning your projects.

Contact us.

LHC International is a leading executive search firm for the hospitality and operational real estate industry.