It’s been quite a journey from Geordie Job Finders to today’s NRG, but founder Lorna Moran MBE has enjoyed most – if not quite all – of the way! And it’s strange how cyclical the world of business can be! Lorna started Geordie Job Finders because she loved recruitment in general and high end executive search in particular, but had seen a gap at the high street end of the market. Thirty four years on she still has that passion, but has flexed NRG’s focus and offering to meet changing market demand.

Lorna’s business reaction to the latest recession (exiting the stockmarket and the inspiration to start the LEO programme and deliver the Talent Challenge – both initiatives to keep high performing individuals in the north east) gives some clues as to how the business has assured its staying power and Lorna’s personal business reputation. NRG’s core business might be recruitment and HR, but Lorna and her team have always taken an innovative approach and developed new markets ahead of the competition. Lorna’s ability to ‘be brave’ has seen NRG survive three downturns post formation of Geordie Job Finders in the tough trading times of 1976 and she’s currently focusing her attention on the new revenue streams that might come because of the changing world of work. No wonder that the business (now back in private hands) is in profit on a turnover of approximately £22m. And somehow, whilst running a third of the business directly (executive selection, interim management and LEO) and overseeing the rest she find time to chair the £3million fund-raising campaign to build a new Maggie’s Cancer Care day centre!

This short paragraph is the tip of the story iceberg! If you want to find out what drives Lorna; how she’s mapped her business growth with her family commitments; what she’s most proud of ; why she led NRG into public ownership and then took it back out again; to what she attributes her successes (and business failures); what the future might look like and why she remains the only female north east businessman of the year – this conversation is a must!

This event will take place on Wednesday 15th September, 5.30pm for a 6pm start at Newcastle Business School at Northumbria University. Tickets are priced at £20.00 + vat. To register for this event please contact Toni Allen on 0191 2305742 or at  t.allen@bridgeclubnorth.com.