FYLD: Building a World-class Global Commercial Team

Discover How Sam from Propel Supercharged FYLD’s Commercial Team.

For over two decades, Propel has been the go-to for recruiting in high-growth tech businesses. In 2023 we partnered with FYLD, a hyper growth Series A start-up, to build a world-class global Commercial Team.

About FYLD

On a mission to revolutionise field workforce operations in the infrastructure sector, FYLD are a hyper-growth Series A start-up with ambitious plans.

Providing utilities and construction businesses with the insights they need to make better, data-driven decisions FYLD’s platform is reshaping the future of a vastly under-digitalised space by optimising operational efficiency, enhancing safety protocols, and streamlining workflows.

Digitalising the Under Digitalised

In 2023 the FYLD team set out to build a world-class global commercial team to support their growth.

FYLD’s goal was not just to hire one person but to build an entire team. Following a remarkable 3x revenue growth in 2023, increasing their commercial headcount was essential to sustain their momentum. FYLD partnered with Propel to make this happen! We presented a clear proposal based on our specialised expertise, industry experience, and proven reputation for getting the job done.

“Propel has been nothing short of transformative. Our goal was ambitious: to not merely fill positions, but to establish a foundation for a team of energetic, high calibre ‘rock stars’ poised to lead in our industry.’’

Diego De La Sotta, CCO

For over two decades, Propel has been the go-to for recruiting in high-growth tech businesses. So, we knew that in order to be a success, we needed to hire individuals with a “go-to-market” start-up mindset, marked by commitment, grit, and ambition.

Our Process

Proposal

We presented a tailored approach to meet FYLD’s needs, and together, we created a Statement of Work (SOW) to clarify deliverables and timelines.

Operating Rhythm

Using a consultative approach, we built a strong relationship with the Senior Leadership Team (SLT). We hosted weekly calls, shared data and market insights, and collaborated on role prioritisation to ensure a smooth process.

Embedding

Throughout the project, we fully immersed ourselves in the business. This included an initial deep dive into FYLD’s market proposition, onboarding, and even attending new team socials.

Go-To-Market (GTM) Strategy

We worked diligently to ensure the go-to-market strategy attracted candidates capable of driving FYLD’s growth.

Ongoing Account Management

We maintained constant communication, revisiting and adapting the strategy as FYLD’s needs evolved.

Our goal was to recruit top-tier talent—true rockstars— against a stretching deadline. It was crucial to find candidates with the right industry experience and knowledge to make an immediate impact.

The initial plan was to hire 16 individuals across the commercial function.

From the outset, the Propel team immersed themselves in FYLD’s business.

“I dedicated time to building relationships with each hiring manager to truly understand the intricacies of how they operate.

This deep understanding was crucial in identifying hires that would seamlessly fit into their teams.

We even joined them in the field and met some of their clients, gaining firsthand insight into the impact of their solutions. Experience that allowed us to quickly and accurately assess candidates’ suitability.

And, by immersing ourselves in the company culture, we could really engage potential candidates with the opportunities a business like FYLD offers.”

Samantha Brown, Managing Consultant

It’s our job to deliver quality at speed, and this was incredibly important to FYLD.

To ensure we’re only delivering the best, our team conduct rigorous screening. We meet every candidate over zoom and spend time assessing their suitability. For some roles, the team would speak with over 30 individuals and present only a select few to the FYLD executive team.

“As well as screening candidates’ skills, I aligned myself with the FYLD ethos. Spending time with potential candidates and conducting in-depth interviews that probed both their personal and professional standpoints.

We found a close working rhythm which was built on trust. I saved the FYLD team endless hours that would have been spent interviewing, ensuring they were only speaking to the rockstars right for the job.’’

Samantha Brown, Managing Consultant

The Results

We built the strategy for the initial hiring plan at the end of November, starting our search from December and having our first hires starting in January.

Six months on from the initial briefing call and we have hired 25 FYLD’ers and counting.

We have successfully built out the Business Development function, the Marketing team, New Business Account Directors, Value Consultants, Implementation Managers and Customer Success across the UK&I, US, Latin America and APAC regions.

We pride ourselves on working with businesses to the highest standard and solving their pain points around hiring.

Our relationship with FYLD began by supporting their tech talent needs and expanding their engineering function. The success of that collaboration led to our current partnership on their commercial build. And, we’re thrilled to be now assisting with their operational back-office hires.

“Partnering with Propel has been a game-changer for FYLD. Their deep understanding of our needs and ability to deliver top-tier candidates exceeded our expectations. The continuous communication and our trust in their team allowed us to focus on our core operations while they efficiently managed our recruitment process. Particular recognition is owed to our project lead, Sam. Sam’s unwavering dedication was pivotal in ensuring a seamless process, and her expertise was crucial in taking the pressure off our SLT.

We highly recommend Propel to any organisation seeking a reliable and effective recruitment partner. The success we’ve seen with our commercial team has led us to expand our work with Propel across the wider business, and we look forward to continued success together.”

Shelley Copsey, CEO & Co-Founder

With specialists who can support hiring across the entire product lifecycle—from Commercial, Product, and Design to Engineering—we help disruptive businesses access top talent, build exceptional teams, and expand into new markets. We offer a highly personalised approach designed to suit your needs and achieve your goals through your people.

Together really does work.