The Importance of Values in Hiring Practices

Dan Blundell, Engineering Director at Gymshark, joins the show to talk about his journey from an aspiring musician to self-taught developer.

He reflects on his experiences in the public sector, including working on the UK's Covid-19 test and trace application, and his transition to the fast-growing retailer Gymshark, where he has learned the importance of understanding business needs, hiring for culture, and the significance of maintaining leadership capacity during periods of rapid change.

00:00 The MySpace years and discovering the spark

09:00 Becoming an accidental manager

12:00 Lessons learned from the public sector

15:00 The fear of joining Gymshark and navigating leadership challenges

21:00 The importance of understanding business needs

24:00 Dan's Priority Zero: Scaling at Gymshark

27:00 Hiring for culture and values

Dan's recommendation: The Engineering Leader by Cate Huston