Trailblazing in Recruitment and on the Trails: Meet Lucy Stokes
At The Oval Partnership, we believe that passion, perseverance, and a personal touch are what set great recruiters—and great people—apart. No one embodies this more than Lucy Stokes.
Not only does Lucy excel at matching top talent with leading food manufacturing businesses, but she also brings the same grit and determination to her life outside the office—most recently completing the Ultra-Trail Snowdonia Challenge alongside her son, Jack, who took on the Mini Ultra Trail to raise money for charity. We sat down with Lucy to learn more about her career, her philosophy on recruitment excellence, and what keeps her motivated both professionally and personally.
Specialising in Food Manufacturing: More Than Just a Job
Lucy’s expertise lies in food manufacturing, with a focus on operations, technical, quality, and new product development (NPD) roles. “What I find most rewarding,” she shares, “is matching the right people to the right company and watching them flourish in their new roles. There’s nothing quite like seeing someone you’ve placed thrive and progress.”
The Human Touch in Recruitment Excellence
While the recruitment industry is rapidly evolving with AI and tech stacks, Lucy is a firm believer in the power of genuine human connection. “Recruitment excellence is all about building strong relationships with both clients and candidates. Technology is great, but you can’t truly understand what makes a person—or a business—tick without real, face-to-face interaction. The real value of recruitment agencies lies in their networks, sector knowledge, and insights, all of which are built on trust and strong relationships.”
There’s No Such Thing as the ‘Ideal Candidate’
Lucy’s approach is refreshingly human. “There is no ‘ideal candidate’,” she says. “People are individuals. Perfection isn’t the goal; it’s about doing your best, being open to feedback, and committing to personal growth.”
Her top three tips for candidates? “Be engaged with the process, do your research, and always be honest and transparent.”
Tools of the Trade
When asked about her most important tools, Lucy keeps it simple: “My phone and laptop. Those are all I need to research and connect with people. Everything else is just a nice-to-have.”
Navigating Challenges and Change
Recruitment is always evolving, and Lucy acknowledges the challenges ahead. “The current economic situation is tough for everyone, and skills shortages are becoming more apparent. But that’s what makes our work so important—we’re here to bridge those gaps.”
Memorable Moments
Lucy’s journey hasn’t been without its share of memorable moments. She recalls a particularly challenging client: “They’d struggled for 12 months to fill a key engineering role and were skeptical about working with us. During our first call, they didn’t realise I could hear their less-than-flattering comments about me and my agency. I stayed professional, filled the role in two months, and ended up working with them for years. It’s a story I’ll never forget!”
Life Beyond Recruitment: Trails, Gardens, and Culinary Adventures
Outside the office, Lucy is always on the move—literally. “I love hiking, biking, and trail running. Gardening and horticulture are big passions too; my family and I spend weekends exploring National Trust and botanical gardens, with Bodnant Gardens in North Wales being a current favourite. Our allotment has been our biggest project for eight years now.”
This adventurous spirit led her to the Ultra-Trail Snowdonia (Eryri) by UTMB—a gruelling 55km course with two ascents of Snowdon and a staggering 3,300 metres of elevation gain. “I wasn’t sure I’d see the 18th of May in one piece!” she laughs. Her son Jack joined in, taking on the Mini Ultra Trail to raise money for charity—a testament to the family’s commitment to both challenge and community.
Food, Drink, and Favourite Places
With a chef for a husband, it’s no surprise that Lucy is a food enthusiast. “We love eating out, especially at smaller independent places. Pina Loca, a Mexican spot on the Wirral, has incredible cocktails—some of the best outside Liverpool!” When it comes to holidays, Greece is a firm favourite, with Kefalonia topping the list for family getaways.
Join the Journey
Lucy’s story is a reminder that recruitment isn’t just about filling roles—it’s about building relationships, embracing challenges, and living life to the fullest. If you’re a food & drink professional looking for your next move, or just want to connect with someone who truly understands the industry, Lucy and the team at The Oval Partnership are here to help.
Ready for your next adventure? Get in touch with Lucy and discover the difference that a personal, passionate approach to recruitment can make.
Inspired by Lucy’s journey?
Contact The Oval Partnership today and let’s shape your future together.
Read the full interview below:
•What sector & roles do you specialise in?
Food manufacturing - operations, technical, quality and NPD
•What do you enjoy/find most rewarding in your role?
Matching the right people to the right company and seeing them progress and flourish in their new roles
•How would you describe ‘Recruitment Excellence’?/What does ‘The future in recruitment excellence’ look like to you?
I think the key to recruitment excellence is building strong relationships with clients and candidates. The industry seems so focused on utilising AI and Tech stacks to do the job, and people are increasingly reliant on instant messaging and emails for communication. However, you can never really get to know someone or a business and what makes them tick without real human interaction face to face. The value add of Recruitment agencies going forward will be all around their networks, knowledge and insights of their sectors and that can really only be developed through building strong relationships.
•How would you describe the ‘ideal candidate’? What are the most important traits for any candidate?
There is no 'ideal candidate'. We need to respect that people are individuals, perfection doesn't need to be the goal, we can only ask for people to do their best, be open to feedback and commit to personal growth to help them succeed in their own goals.
•In your opinion Top 3 things a candidate can do to succeed.
Be engaged with a process, do your reasearch, be honest and transparent.
•What is the most important tool in your role & why?
Phone & laptop - all the tools needed to do research and speak people to. All the other bits are a 'nice to have'.
•Do you forsee and big changes or challenges in Recruitment?
Recruitment constantly evolves in its nature; the current economic situation is a challenge to everyone, and skills shortages are getting more and more apparent.
•Do you have any interesting or funny stories during your time in Recruitment?
I once went on a call to a new client to take a brief about an exceptionally hard to fill engineering role. They'd struggled for 12 months to recruit it, and we were essentially 'forced' on them by their internal HR/ talent team after ging through a tender process for their new PSL. It was set up as a conference call but while we were waiting for everyone to join, the client must have thought we were on mute as they were quite openly 'derogatory' about me and my agency. Anyway, I didn't say anything once they were on the call - we ended up filling the position within 2 months and continued to work with the site and the group for several years, but I never forget that first opening with them.
•How do you like to spend your free time? Any Hobbies?
I really enjoy outdoor activities - hiking, bike riding, trail running. I'm also very interested in gardening and horticulture; we regularly spend our weekend s out at a National Trust or botanical garden getting ideas and enjoying the flowers. Our current favourite is a trip to Bodnant Gardens in North Wales. I do garden at home, but our biggest project is our allotment which we've had now for 8 years,
•Do you have any upcoming events or Challenges you're taking part in?
Last year I took part in 2 25k Trail running events; off the back of that I thought I'd sign up to the Ultra-Trail Snowdonia (Eryri) by UTMB. A 55km course encompassing 2 ascents of Snowdon and total elevation gain of 3,300 metres. That's on the 17th May, not sure if I'll see the 18th May in one piece!!
•Favourite cuisine? / Favourite tipple or drink? / Favourite eatery or area for food? / Favourite food or snack?
I love food, eating out is also a favourite past time which is handy as I married a Chef! We like visiting smaller independent places, local to me on the Wirral there is an amazing Mexican called Pina Loca whose cocktails rival some of the best bars in Liverpool.
•Favourite place to holiday? / Favourite time of year?
Greece is a firm favourite in my household. We loved our trips to Santorini, Halkidiki, Mykonas and Lefkas. But our absolute favourite place is Kefalonia, we've notched up 4 visits already. We like to book independent accommodation, get a car and explore islands and our son seems to enjoy it as well (as long as there is a pool or a beach close to hand!).
