ONE DECISION CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE

ight years ago, Eileen Richards MBE made one of her greatest life choices to date. At 42 years old and sitting as Managing Director within a national recruitment firm, Eileen was in the position that most recruiters aspire to get to. But, like in any professional career, there are times when the personal side of life intervenes. For Eileen, this was a decision made years after losing loved ones. Eileen made the huge decision to resign from her job, and ER Recruitment was born. Staying in a people led business that she loves, and having the power to make a difference to our community and charities has always been important to her, notwithstanding having a great team that love coming to work with very loyal clients.

With no security but a clear goal in sight, those first few months were scary and, for Eileen, looking back and remembering that time is what has driven her to support other emerging professionals in business. Eileen is a Co-Chair for Enterprising Women – a networking group which supports and connects women in business. It is this incredible work supporting and connecting women in business alongside other initiatives which led to Eileen to be presented with an MBE for the Promotion of Female Entrepreneurship in 2018 from Prince Charles, something she describes as one of her “biggest career accomplishment to date.”

“Everything I do in business is to make a difference,” she said. “Therefore, to be recognised in one of the highest regards through an MBE was an incredible honour and an experience that will live with me for a lifetime.”

Eileen’s personal decisions then grew into business decisions, including the decision to take the position as President of the East Midlands Chamber throughout 2020-2021. In what was a turbulent time for businesses worldwide, Eileen has supported the Chamber to navigate local businesses through difficult decisions of their own regarding furlough, finance and people.

Her work with Generation Next is also important to her and the impact she aimed to achieve as one of her Presidential aims: “It is fundamental that young people in business are receiving guidance and the resources they require to thrive as our future leaders. I can only wish that there were groups like this when I was starting out in business.”

Leaving education in the 90s, Eileen feels fortunate to have finished school during a time when career options for young women were changing. She went from office junior into management roles and self-funded her Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD) qualification before falling into recruitment.

Growing up with six siblings may have been the starting point at which her work ethic developed. “With nine of us under one roof, our lives were hectic but incredibly fun. Both of our parents worked hard to provide us with the things we needed. This is a quality that has shaped my work ethic and has influenced my attitude of appreciating the important things in life. Like most people, family means everything to me and I am blessed to have such a big family, my husband Chris and daughter Amelia in my life.”

Through the use of her business and supportive ER team, Eileen supports charities selected by herself and ER Recruitment because they are “close to our hearts in one way or another.” Among them are Hope Against Cancer, Wooden Spoon and

NHS Blood & Transplant alongside many other fantastic charities within the community.

As an active participant within the East Midlands business scene, it poses the question of how different the community would be if Eileen hadn’t made that big decision eight years ago to go it alone, and who would have thought at that time it would lead her to where she is today as an inspirational leader, successful managing director and President of the East Midlands Chamber, which as Eileen puts it, is a ‘testament to the underpinning support of having a wise and loyal team beside her’.

“You are only one decision away from a totally different life.”