Interview with Chairman, Guy Underwood

Daniel Braithwaite

3 Apr

min to read

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Since the appointment of Guy Underwood as new Chairman of Veremark, it has been an exciting journey for Veremark. To kick start his journey with Veremark, we have done an interview with Guy on his insights on Veremark’s potential and the future of pre-employment screening.

Veremark: “How would you describe the business opportunities for Veremark over the next one to three years?”

Guy: “Organisations have been seeking ways to reduce the cost of their screening programs and candidates keen to reduce the time they have to spend undergoing screening as part of the recruitment process. Veremark has the opportunity to drive real cost savings for clients and allow candidates to take control of their own screening via our Digital Passport.”

Veremark: “How would you describe your experience and learnings as a business leader in the risk management and employment screening sector?”

Guy: “Having been involved in the screening industry for over 25 years, I have seen the evolution of employment screening from a process that was forced on organisations via regulation to the recognition that it plays an important role in managing risk. A robust, risk-based screening program allows organisations to ensure they are hiring staff who are properly qualified and experienced and reduces the risks associated with poor corporate behaviour impacting brand and reputation.”

Veremark: “What attracted you to become Non-Exec Chair of the board at Veremark?”

Guy: “Daniel and the co-founders are passionate about delivering high quality screening services to clients utilising best in breed technology. Having worked with the Veremark team for 12 months, I felt there was more value I could add to the business as it continues to grow and jumped at the opportunity to become Chair of the Veremark Board.”

Veremark: “How would you describe the business opportunities for Veremark over the next one to three years?”

Veremark: “What priorities have you as an incoming chair at Veremark?”

Guy: “My priorities are to work with the Board in confirming the company’s strategic vision; identify ways in which to best harness my experience and contacts to enable this strategy; and meeting with key stakeholders such as investors, shareholders and customers to ensure they share our vision for the future.”

Veremark: “How will you partner with Daniel Callaghan, CEO of Veremark, to nurture a strong business leadership team?”

Guy: “My leadership style is one of collaboration and joint endeavour. Daniel and I have already been working together for 12 months and I will continue to develop that relationship over the coming months and years. I will work with Daniel to identify where we can bolster our leadership team and their capabilities and ensure we develop a team which is capable of delivering strong growth and shareholder returns.”

Veremark: “What are your top areas of advice for any business leader?”

Guy: “Identify your strengths and weaknesses early so that you can focus on what you are good at and develop those areas that require improvement.

You will never stop learning so listen to others and seek to learn from their experiences.

Lead with integrity and do not ask your team to do something you wouldn’t be prepared to do yourself.”

We look forward to Veremark's accelerating growth with Guy as our chairman.

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FAQs

What background check do I need?

This depends on the industry and type of role you are recruiting for. To determine whether you need reference checks, identity checks, bankruptcy checks, civil background checks, credit checks for employment or any of the other background checks we offer, chat to our team of dedicated account managers.

Why should employers check the background of potential employees?

Many industries have compliance-related employment check requirements. And even if your industry doesn’t, remember that your staff have access to assets and data that must be protected. When you employ a new staff member you need to be certain that they have the best interests of your business at heart. Carrying out comprehensive background checking helps mitigate risk and ensures a safer hiring decision.

How long do background checks take?

Again, this depends on the type of checks you need. Simple identity checks can be carried out in as little as a few hours but a worldwide criminal background check for instance might take several weeks. A simple pre-employment check package takes around a week. Our account managers are specialists and can provide detailed information into which checks you need and how long they will take.

Can you do a background check online?

All Veremark checks are carried out online and digitally. This eliminates the need to collect, store and manage paper documents and information making the process faster, more efficient and ensures complete safety of candidate data and documents.

What are the benefits of a background check?

In a competitive marketplace, making the right hiring decisions is key to the success of your company. Employment background checks enables you to understand more about your candidates before making crucial decisions which can have either beneficial or catastrophic effects on your business.

What does a background check show?

Background checks not only provide useful insights into a candidate’s work history, skills and education, but they can also offer richer detail into someone’s personality and character traits. This gives you a huge advantage when considering who to hire. Background checking also ensures that candidates are legally allowed to carry out certain roles, failed criminal and credit checks could prevent them from working with vulnerable people or in a financial function.