Testimonial
“Thanks to Second Talent, we ventured into uncharted waters and swiftly assembled a team of highly skilled tech talents in just a few weeks. They excelled at providing pre-
vetted candidates, making our decision-making process much easier. As a result, the development speed and productivity of our tech team doubled once the engineers
were onboarded. Their team also offers excellent account management and customer
service, readily addressing any post-onboarding HR-related questions.”
Jack Ng, Director of IT, The Lane Crawford Joyce Group
Company Background
The Lane Crawford Joyce Group is a leading luxury fashion retail, brand management, and
distribution group in Asia. With close to 1000 employees, it operates a variety of luxury department
stores and boutiques, manages a dynamic portfolio of brands, and runs extensive e-commerce and omni-
channel operations.
Goals Behind Hiring
The Lane Crawford Joyce Group recognized the need to source talent from a lower-cost center, such as Vietnam, and decided to include it in their expansion plan. They aimed to build a robust team of pre-
vetted, talented engineers to support this expansion.
Challenges Faced
1. Lack of Expertise in Hiring Tech Talent locally: As a luxury fashion retail group, their core
competencies were primarily in retail management, brand management, and customer experiences
rather than in technology staffing. This lack of expertise posed a substantial barrier when it came to
understanding the nuances of hiring specialized tech talent, particularly in a new and cost-effective
market like Vietnam. The challenge was not only finding suitable candidates but also ensuring they
met the specific skill requirements needed to drive the company’s technological advancements.
2. Looking to optimize costs, while maximizing productivity: The primary business goal behind
hiring in Vietnam was to leverage the lower cost of labor without compromising on the quality and
productivity of the tech team. The strategy had to ensure that cost savings from lower wages did not
result in decreased efficiency or setbacks in technological development.
Highlight: Grew Technical Team to 10 in 2 months while
Overcoming Hiring Challenges and Expanded Internationally
1. Rapid Team Scaling: The partnership with Second Talent allowed The Lane Crawford Joyce Group to
significantly scale up their tech team by hiring 10 of new members within 2 months. This quick
scaling was critical to maintaining momentum in their expansion plans and allowed them to swiftly
capitalize on new market opportunities.
2. Continued Growth: Over the course of the subsequent six months, the company experienced a
remarkable 50% growth in their tech team, further reinforcing their commitment to expanding their
operations and capitalizing on new business opportunities. This ongoing growth ensured a steady
stream of innovation and operational enhancements necessary for sustained success.
3. Platform Expansion: With the newly scaled-up tech team, the company was able to accelerate its
platform expansion. This included enhancing their AI, data analytics and omni-channel experience
capabilities.
4. Business and Product Development: The expanded tech team played a pivotal role in driving
new business and product development initiatives. With a larger, more capable team, the
company was able to undertake more ambitious projects, such as the development of a new mobile
app and the introduction of AI-driven personalization features on their platforms. These initiatives
not only improved customer engagement but also boosted overall sales.
5. Revenue and E-commerce Growth: With the strategic hiring and expansion efforts, it directly
translated into significant revenue growth and enhanced technical capabilities. Following the
expansion of their tech team, the company observed a notable increase in their revenue, attributed
primarily to the improved efficiency and innovative capabilities of their platform.
Through Second Talent, the Lane Crawford Joyce Group successfully addressed their hiring challenges,
achieved significant growth, expanded their platform into new areas, and saw a notable boost in both
revenue and technical achievements. This case study serves as a testament to their capacity to adapt,
innovate, and excel in the competitive luxury fashion industry.
