Having spent years as a technical director, recruiting for executive through to technical and volume recruitment projects, our CEO, David Copple, decided to take video interviewing to a new level and create a next generation video interviewing platform.
With a fantastic, enthusiastic team of developers, product managers, design and marketing folk on board, we consulted closely with knowledgeable and experienced recruiters to create Shine – our cloud based video interview platform with the science of recruitment at the heart of it.
I’ve been involved in start-ups for years – from growing a team from scratch, to rapidly growing global and offshore teams to scale following investment rounds. I’ve also been a part of setting up new contact centre sites, and both the technical and resourcing challenges involved there.
Each had one thing in common, the quality of the team was paramount. Sometimes we got lucky, sometimes the search took a bit longer. I was always very keen to look beyond the CV and consider the attitude of an individual, how would they fit with the culture of the team and how would they represent our company values when talking to a client.
There had to be a better way than receiving endless CVs via email, and a more efficient process than telephoning or sitting through numerous first round interviews for an hour at a time.
During development, we spoke to a lot of Hiring Managers and Recruitment Agencies, many of whom are now using Shine themselves, so it really is a collaboration of ideas to solve a common problem across many different sectors.
Our Product Development team puts the user experience at the heart of everything. We’re confident that’ll be the first thing you notice when you start using it…
David Copple
CEO, Shine
David has over 20 years’ experience working within the SAAS space. With a strong Software Engineering background, he has been involved in high profile projects with many of the world’s leading brands, and took up a CTO and Director role with a startup in 2008, and alongside venture capital investors led them to a successful exit in 2014. As Founder and CEO of Shine, he leads a strong Management Team and Board within the disruptive HR Tech space.
Joe was appointed to the board as Non-Executive Director and Chair as of June 2019. As the former CEO of Fish4Jobs, Managing Director of Monster.co.uk, and Managing Director of Recruitment Advertising at Johnston Press (Jobs Today and TheSmartList), Joe brings an unrivaled level of expertise and industry knowledge that brings a unique perspective to the board.
Christopher Witthoft
CMO
Paul Deehan
CTO
Lorna Copple
CFO
As a member of the Maven investment Team I am responsible for sourcing and executing investments across the North East of England.
Prior to joining Maven, David worked at RG Corporate Finance for three years, advising on dozens of mid-market/SME debt and equity deals across the North East and nationally. David also spent 12 years at Barclays Corporate and Investment Bank in London, where he undertook several roles across the debt, credit and portfolio management teams, predominantly transacting leveraged finance and cash flow deals in the mid-market.He has a MBA with Distinction from Durham University, alongside an undergraduate degree in International Business. He has also studied Corporate Finance at London Business School.
At Mercia I support our portfolio companies with strategic direction, growth optimisation and board oversight.Natalia has over twenty years of experience working with businesses; as a technology consultant at Accenture, a senior investment manager at Angel Co-Fund and North East Angel Fund, a business support advisor, and, most recently, as a coach to student entrepreneurs at Northumbria University. Whilst at Northumbria, Natalia also developed a deep expertise in venture boards, researching, publishing and speaking on venture board effectiveness internationally. She holds a Doctorate in Corporate Governance of early ventures, PG certificate in coaching, and the Investment Management Certificate (IMC) from the CFA.Outside Mercia, Natalia is a board member of Northern Stage Theatre (Newcastle), a guest faculty at ScaleUp Nation Board Programme (Amsterdam), and a chair of North East Women on Boards peer-support group.