Venture Stories X Relay Technologies

Relay Technologies is a British delivery network that’s using technology to scale to the demands of e-commerce. Since delivering their first parcel in July 2022, Relay has partnered with some of the largest retailers in the UK to deliver faster, more affordably, and more sustainably than existing solutions. Relay drives 40% fewer miles per parcel and uses lighter, more energy efficient vehicles than traditional delivery networks, leading to drastically lower costs and greenhouse gas emissions.

Relay’s Founding CTO Jeremy Hoon and Senior Talent Acquisition Manager Kerry Pain share insights on their collaboration with Project A Ventures:

1. Jeremy, what factors attracted you to join Relay, and could you describe your role within the company?

Whenever I meet candidates, I always tell them the same thing.

First, I was drawn to Relay by the sheer ambition of Nicole Mazza and Jonathan Jenssen's vision.

Second, I love how tangible our work is. When I go out on the road to deliver parcels (something every Relayer does regularly), I get to see how delivering the things people need and want makes a real difference to them no matter who they are.

And finally, I found myself having a ton of fun. As CTO, I not only manage technology in the business, but also think about how our data and operations fit together with the tech. It’s an incredibly multidisciplinary challenge.

2. Kerry, having recently joined Relay and maintaining close contact throughout the entire recruitment process, we are eager to inquire about how you felt during your own interview process and why you decided to move forward?

My decision to join Relay was heavily influenced by the recruitment process - not just what it involved but also who I got to meet. I’m a strong believer that every interview needs to be a two-way process, with the candidate ‘interviewing’ their prospective new employer as much as it is the other way around.

With the process at Relay every single person was so enthusiastic and passionate about their work and the mission, and their energy was fantastic! Additionally, seeing the strong female leadership within the business was not just inspiring, but a clear indication of the inclusive and progressive culture that Relay fosters. Seeing an incredibly motivated team, inclusive leadership and understanding how Relay can make a real difference to people’s lives were all really well represented throughout the process, and resonated so well with my personal values that the decision to join was an easy one!

3. What are some significant milestones or goals within the company

Jeremy: I’m incredibly proud of how well the team came together to carry us through our 2023 peak. Every year, from mid-November until a few days before Christmas, logistics companies face a massive crunch of demand, and Relay is no exception. We reached a daily peak delivery volume of over 100x our volume from the start of the year. That was only possible because of the technology the team built at each layer of our network, from sophisticated courier routing, to an entirely new last-mile delivery app experience for couriers, to new internal tools to give us real-time X-ray visibility into the state of our network.

Kerry: There are so many small milestones when recruiting - the first job offer that gets accepted on a role you recruited for, projects that get ticked off the to-do list, even the moment when you know you’ve found the perfect candidate for a hard to fill role! Some more significant goals and projects lie on the horizon though, and I can’t wait to start completing those. The time when our growth reaches the point where I can start recruiting to build out the TA function further will be a significant milestone for me.

4. Jeremy, how do you approach talent development and growth within the company, and what opportunities are available for employees to enhance their skills and advance in their careers?

The beauty of any early-stage venture is that every team member will be called upon to take responsibilities they might not have the chance to take on in a more structured environment. At Relay this manifests when we call on members of the tech team to take ownership of business problems and to use technology and data to solve them. For example, when building our routing optimisation technology, our tech team members were responsible not just for shipping sophisticated routing pipelines; they actually had to move our core network efficiency metrics.

5. Kerry, what role does diversity and inclusion play in your talent acquisition efforts, and how do you ensure a diverse and inclusive workforce that reflects the values of the company?

Diversity and inclusion have to be central to any Talent Acquisition strategy - a diverse workforce fosters creativity, innovation and allows for a variety of perspectives, which are essential ingredients for us to grow and succeed here at Relay. Wherever possible I ensure candidates experience diverse interviewers and take every opportunity I can to showcase our incredible female leadership. While I am still in the early weeks of my Relay career I am already forming plans of how I can make our processes more inclusive to all, promoting true equity. We want each Relayer to fulfil their potential and feel empowered by their work, so by fostering a culture where diversity is valued, our company culture is enriched and the positive impacts can be seen in our growth and success.

6. In your experience, what role does collaboration with Project A play in talent acquisition, and how has it contributed to the company's overall success and growth? Any stories you would like to share?

Jeremy: We’ve been fortunate to build an incredibly strong technical team at Relay, comparable to the best teams I worked with at Facebook and Stripe. Ayantu Sophie Biana from Project A has been instrumental in helping us run a high-performing recruiting process so that we can continue to bring world-class talent to Relay.

Kerry: The team at Project A have been fantastic at laying the foundations of the Talent Acquisition function here at Relay. They have enabled me to hit the ground running, with seamless handovers, and have used their expertise to create the backbone of recruitment processes that allow us to not only build exceptionally strong teams, but also delight the candidates who want to join Relay.