Securing the top 1% of talent in a scarce fermentation

A partner for scale

When Bond embedded in August 2024 Arsenale was still in stealth mode with just ten people. There was no HR team, no ATS, no employer communications, and all previous hires had come through the founders’ networks. They needed a partner who could embed quickly, secure foundational hires, and seed an employer brand that would stand the test of scale.

We embedded to go on a niche hire journey, scaling them to a team of 26 and adding lasting value to TA function along the way.

Finding the top 1%

The majority of hires were highly specialised biomanufacturing roles. These included:

• Fermentation experts: A rare fermentation engineer and technician with bioreactor expertise.
• Embedded firmware engineer: Required robotics experience and English proficiency in a challenging Italian talent market.
• Bioprocess engineer: Relocated from Swansea to Pordenone.
• Lead chemist: Established an entire chemistry lab and business unit from scratch.
• Operational hires: Procurement and talent roles to stabilise day-to-day functions.

We navigated Italy’s tight technical market, either sourcing locally or attracting top performers back to Italy. Within months, Arsenale scaled from 10 to 26 employees and secured the core team to launch their pilot plant.

Alongside securing the hires, we built a fit-for-purpose recruitment infrastructure:

•  Created an employer-branded candidate pack.
• Designed and implemented database tracking, then built a full ATS.
• Audited and refined job descriptions, crafting a DEIB statement.
• Delivered a hiring manager toolkit and centralised processes to future-proof hiring.

Arsenale emerged from stealth in February 2025 with a world-class team and a robust hiring framework. What began as business partnering evolved into building their talent function from scratch, leaving them with the people, processes, and employer brand to grow far beyond their pilot plant.