Let’s Catch Up with Jack Bland

Posted on November 2018 By Speller International
Let’s Catch Up with Jack Bland

​It’s been five years since Jack started at Speller and we got to read his ‘Meet the Team’ blog. This week we sat down with Jack as he updated us on what he’s been up to and how he thinks the SAP world has changed.

How has the SAP industry changed?

In the five years I have worked at Speller there have been a number of changes in the SAP landscape. When I first joined there was a trend for outsourcing technical SAP work overseas by a number of companies.

We have seen this has had mixed results and it does not seem to be as prevalent as it once was. When I first started with Speller Hana was relatively new and there were not many companies with Hana databases. This has changed drastically in the last five years and we are now seeing a large number of companies adopting Hana and SAP S4 Hana systems.

Five years ago SAP S4 was a glint in SAP’s eyes. We have now seen the first S4 system and a number of other ones following that. We have also seen a rise in the amount and uptake of cloud offerings by SAP ‘SAP Ariba, SuccessFactors & Fieldglass’. They have all grown at a huge rate in the last five years.

How has the recruitment world changed?

There has definitely been an increase in automated recruitment offerings and numerous companies claiming robots will take our jobs! We feel that the basics of recruitment remain the same and companies that offer specialist, personal service will have the best chance of succeeding.

I have noticed that a number of companies are looking to run their own internal recruitment teams and preferred suppliers / MSA agreements. We have found that we are still able to offer value on the more difficult to find, niche areas as these require a strong network and understanding of SAP. Internal teams can sometimes lack this knowledge as they have a wide range of skills and roles to find it is hard to be a specialist in all areas which is where we fit in nicely!

What’s happened in your world? Been on any trips?

As I am originally from England I have been back to the UK a few times. As much as I love my grey drizzly homeland, it doesn’t always feel like a holiday. I have also tried to add in some time travelling in Europe; I have visited Spain, Italy, Switzerland & France. I have also been trying to see as much of Australia as I can and regularly get out and about around Victoria on camping trip and seeing the great outdoors!

What’s in store for you and your role going forward?

Since starting at Speller I have moved from a Business development role, to a recruitment role and now recruitment lead role, so I have enjoyed some excellent variety in my role. I am now leading the recruitment team who look after all the resourcing and recruitment of roles. My main aim is to help the team progress and achieve their targets.

Christmas is coming up. How do you celebrate?

We generally have an “Orphans” Christmas which is a get together of friends on Christmas day. I am then heading over to Tassie for a holiday which will involve a motorbike trip, food & wine festival, NYE and Bruny island tour so it should be a good little break before all the work starts again in the new year!

And that’s a wrap on Jack’s last five years at Speller. If you have any questions for Jack, feel free to leave a comment below!