Building a sustainable future: how Madaster found the perfect team

Have you ever faced challenges scaling your recruitment efforts? You're not alone! We sat down with Pablo van den Bosch, Director at Madaster, to chat about his experience tackling recruitment hurdles. He shared what led them to partner with Taleron and the impact it had on their growth journey.

Madaster's mission, from waste to resource

The built environment is constantly changing. Buildings can last for centuries, but many are designed for shorter lifespans due to evolving needs and advancements. Imagine a logistics centre built for the parcel economy; it wouldn't require the same design as one built for traditional mail delivery. This impermanence creates a challenge: how can we design and build in a way that reduces waste?

Driven by the need to minimize waste in our built environment, Madaster emerged in 2017. Their core belief? Materials aren't waste—they simply lack a clear history. This concept, championed by co-founder Thomas Rau, architect and sustainability advocate, became the foundation for Madaster's innovative platform.

Madaster's platform allows users to register the materials used in buildings and infrastructure. This creates a valuable resource for understanding a building's environmental impact, like its carbon footprint or potential for material reuse.

Architects, builders, and even city planners can utilise Madaster to create ‘building passports’ that map a structure's materials, facilitating their reuse in a circular economy. Whether it's a new development or an existing building, Madaster offers a way to document and track materials for a more sustainable future.

Building a strong marketing and sales strategy

As Madaster's vision grew, so did the need for a strong marketing and sales strategy. Initially, they explored collaborating with external marketing agencies.

“We talked to a lot of companies,” explains Pablo van den Bosch, “but we realised we just weren't equipped to understand the full scope of their expertise. We wanted to build that knowledge internally, not simply outsource it.”

This decision sparked a new challenge: recruiting the right marketing talent. “Back then,” Pablo says, “we didn't have a dedicated recruiter, so hiring fell on us. As we grew internationally, each country managed their own process, often relying on informal networks.” A successful approach for them, Pablo mentions, is “Purpose-driven attracts.” 

The lack of internal marketing knowledge created a challenge when they decided to handle marketing in-house. Although it was clear that marketing activities were necessary, determining the specifics of how to execute them, what exactly needed to be done, and who would be responsible was much more difficult.

Pablo van den Bosch, Director at Madaster

“We weren't sure what specific role we needed,” Pablo admits. “What exactly does a marketing manager do? We already did a lot of communication, but marketing seemed broader. We needed someone who understood the full scope and could lead activities and strategies that made the most sense for our product and industry.”

The final hurdle was finding the right fit. “We required a marketing manager who could handle a complex, high-tech product like ours,” Pablo explains. “We knew that this wasn’t going to be easy to find, as someone needs to not only understand but also be passionate about the business.” This realisation led them to Taleron.

The impact of an extensive onboarding

The first stages of the onboarding process with Taleron caused some hesitation at first.
However, Pablo quickly came to understand and appreciate the value of Taleron's in-depth approach. “Those initial discussions,” he explains, “were crucial for understanding Madaster's product, culture, and what we needed in a marketing manager. It helped us paint a clear picture of the ideal candidate.”

The iterative nature of our process also proved beneficial. “By starting broad and refining the search as we went,” Pablo says, “we were able to continuously refine our own understanding of the role. By the end, we knew exactly who we were looking for. It was a great process in which we learned a lot.”

With a clear understanding of the ideal candidate, Taleron started sourcing and screening, after which the interview process at Madaster started. “The first candidate we met was immediately spot-on.” Pablo explains. “We were tempted to stop searching but were advised to continue the search to ensure we found the absolute best fit.”

This advice paid off—the next few interviews led them to Jessica, their soon-to-be Marketing Manager. The success with Jessica empowered Madaster to tackle their next recruitment challenge. This time, however, they were looking for a Global Expansion Manager, a role they understood well. The problem? They lacked access to the right talent pool within their own network.

“We had a clear picture of the ideal profile,” Pablo explains. “But finding someone who fit that description was a hurdle. That's where we leveraged Taleron's expertise again. We described the skills and experience we needed, and their established network allowed them to connect us with qualified people we wouldn't have found on our own. This significantly streamlined the search, and we were able to fill the position much faster.”

Building the dream team: A strong partnership

Looking back, Madaster's journey with Taleron has been instrumental in building their dream team. From the initial challenges of defining their ideal Marketing Manager to navigating the complexities of finding a Global Expansion Manager, our expertise and dedication proved invaluable. 

“I'm really satisfied with the process. I appreciate how they manage everything while staying focused on filling our positions quickly. And having a dedicated team with experienced recruiters who are always accessible and invested in our success makes a big difference.” - Pablo van den Bosch

This experience highlights a key takeaway for companies like Madaster: recruitment is not something you just do on the side. “It takes a lot of time and expertise,” Pablo explains. “Unless you're constantly hiring, outsourcing makes so much sense. Taleron's ability to source candidates, manage the selection process, and handle delicate situations like rejections is a huge advantage. For companies of our size, it's definitely more efficient to leverage a partner like Taleron. Of course, for very large companies with a constant need for new hires, building an internal team might be an option, but even then, partnering with external experts can be highly beneficial.”

Just like Madaster, finding the perfect recruitment partner can propel your business to new heights. Are you ready to unlock your full potential? Discover how attracting the right talent can fuel your journey to success, let's talk.