For Nicola Atwa, everything budded from a relationship. After she went to the University of Sheffield, studying English Language and Literature, Nicola nurtured an abiding fascination with fashion, culture, and entertainment. And there was, at that point, no flashpoint which connected all three of those mediums as critically as the modelling industry. It was a juncture which was impenetrable for a number of ways, still operating on household associations and the faint scent of nepotism.
But Nicola’s way in was by taking on the role of a personal assistant at Premier Models, which became the gateway to the managing director, Carole White, where she became accustomed to all ways of life around a booking desk. “It’s not a job that you know a lot about, until you’re in the industry – and then you learn – by simply being on the job,” she tells me. “I focused my effort on joining that industry, and that’s exactly what I did.”
Nicola dove in. It was a baptism by fire into the world of talent management, modelling and fashion—where she assisted with the day in and day out of an agency in its prime. At that point, White and Premier was Naomi Campbell’s mother agent. Atwa received an education of what it looked like to manage an elite. She worked on projects including Campbell’s personal perfume line with Beiersdorf, which opened her up to pursuing further projects, from scouting and developing to building talent up from scratch. “It was a lot of hand-holding, in a sense,” she laughs.
“I was dealing with young people and their families, and what it means to be a model— travelling with them, going to show castings in Milan and Paris, LA and New York, and educating them on the industry they wanted to be a part of.” Building relationships became such a core component of the role, and naturally, the next step was to ingrain those relationships to set up commercial success. She moved talent-side, negotiating contracts and managing deals at Premier, before moving to ICM and Elite London and continuing to operate the mainboard there.
Then, as she was in the middle of a relocation to Sydney, she was put in touch with Vivien’s Models. After connecting with the General Manager, she was appointed the position of Head Agent at the agency—considered the elite of the Australian modelling world—a position which she held for nearly twelve years.
"I have this inherent curiosity about people, and enjoy meeting with clients and learning about the scope of the role and the trajectory of their business."
~ Nicola Atwa
All of her professional life culminated from a chance interaction, a coffee, and a connection which has managed to chart her forward to where she is today: as a Senior Recruiter in fashion, beauty and lifestyle at UMENCO. Seven months in, she’s just as relationship-driven as she was, all those years ago, before the client accounts and acquisitions. Relationships are the core, and commercial and creative aspects are built to drive that ecosystem. “I enjoy getting a coffee with someone and chatting through their interests, skill sets, and life,” Atwa muses. “I have this inherent curiosity about people, and enjoy meeting with clients and learning about the scope of the role and the trajectory of their business.”
I wondered aloud if the crossover into more straight-lined recruitment was a difficult one. Atwa, to no surprise, found it to be the opposite. The landscape of clients was the same. She retained a well of knowledge and studied the art of negotiation from the best in the business to transfer these facets into her current role. The internal knowledge of fashion, beauty, and lifestyle from working for two decades in London and Sydney was merely the garnish. “It’s about matchmaking, and finding the right fit for both parties. When you’re looking to recruit, you’re looking for specific skill sets and cultural alignment. A unified vision and values of the people and company is what successful placement looks like.” The nuances of the industry are not lost on her, especially given that this approach translates across her portfolio of founder – led businesses, global brands and ASX listed companies within Australia and London.
"Careers are rarely a straight line and I think it's important to be open to that ... Sometimes the move that ultimately gets you where you want to be is a sideways or diagonal step, or takes you in a direction you hadn't initially considered. There are so many different ways to work within these industries, and the skills you build in one role can become the foundation for something entirely different. Be curious, be willing to learn and don't feel that you need to walk into every opportunity already having all the answers."
~ Nicola Atwa
At UMENCO, Nicola works across executive search and head office appointments across Finance, Marketing & Communications, IT & Technology, Sales and People & Culture. One of her recent placements include the recruitment of Schoolblazer, a UK ASX-listed company looking to expand into the Australian market from the United Kingdom. She recruited a New Business Development Manager, a role which will be pivotal in scaling the business in Australia. Atwa has also developed teams for a suite of Australian brands, including P.Johnson, Matteau, BEC + BRIDGE, M.J. Bale and more across core functions anchored in C-Suite, Head Office and Senior Leadership roles.
The recruiter finds that the best talent are not always active in the market and generally busy working exactly where they are. Her days vary to meet this demand. Some days, it’s back to back meetings with talent and clients, other times, it’s headhunting and mapping what she’s looking for in order to develop a suite of talent for the client to review. Her schedule is likely to also involve a meet-up with old faces and new to support potential curveballs that come with supporting and representing talent.
Her focus, looking ahead, will be to continue to prioritise executive, c-suite, and creative roles—as well as global talent abroad and Australian talent returning home. Currently, she’s whittling away at an exciting, UK-based recruitment project for an established Australian label expanding overseas across brick-and-mortar stores, wholesale, and online channels, later this year.The future looks to hold a significant focus of ushering UMENCO into the international and executive leadership recruitment space, continuing to scale its reach in fashion, lifestyle, beauty, and creative industries.
As for how technology is likely to revolutionise this industry, the Senior Recruiter is certain that aspects of the business cannot be replaced by artificial technology. Streamlining operations, perhaps, but the crux of the job relies on an entirely human instinct, honed by experience and anchored in personal relationships.
For those looking to build a career in fashion, beauty or lifestyle, Atwa is quick to challenge the idea that there is one prescribed route to getting where you want to go. “Careers are rarely a straight line and I think it’s important to be open to that,” she says. “Sometimes the move that ultimately gets you where you want to be is a sideways or diagonal step, or takes you in a direction you hadn’t initially considered. There are so many different ways to work within these industries, and the skills you build in one role can become the foundation for something entirely different. Be curious, be willing to learn and don’t feel that you need to walk into every opportunity already having all the answers. Take the experience you have, recognise what is transferable and keep building on it. The more open you are to learning, meeting people and exploring different paths, the more opportunities you create for yourself. And build relationships along the way, you never know where they might lead.”
Profile by Karen Leong
Photography by Maya Pratt
