Brand-Building Through a Creative Alumni Network

Cooper Parry are not only one of the fastest-growing firms of accountants and business advisers in the UK, but also repeatedly make the list of the UK’s 100 Best Companies to Work For. Now they're sharing their unique approach to creating an engaging alumni brand that really stands out.

Cooper Parry has recently catapulted its alumni network into the spotlight, resonating with thousands of former employees and generating a substantial buzz within their professional community.

The talented team behind this explosive launch share insights into their journey—revealing the core values that guided their efforts, the inspiration that fueled their innovative approach and the meticulous steps taken to seamlessly integrate their alumni network as a natural extension of their existing brand.

Five Things We Learned About Cooper Parry

It’s not goodbye, it au revoir …
“No matter what people go on to do, we hope they leave as friends …”
April Homer 

People might leave, but they still want to stay in touch …
“Our alumni have gone on to live in all corners of the world. Even those who haven't been able to attend our events have still said: “I want to be involved ...”
April Homer 

Different generations use different social media …
“When people retire, they tend to lose interest in LinkedIn. Some of the older generations have never been on LinkedIn, but they may be on Facebook. But Gen Z think Facebook is for old people …”
April Homer

Alumni get involved the moment they leave …
“People have now got a tangible thing to stay in touch for. We’ll say: “We've loved having you as part of Cooper Power journey. It's not over. Click here to become part of the alumni,” and they get a link to join straight away …”
April Homer

Boomerang hires are always welcome …
“Why would we not want great people to come back and work for us? It’s an easy win …”
April Homer

Q&A

Emma Sinclair: Why is the visual branding of the CP Forever alumni network so important?
April Homer: Cooper Parry was founded in Derby in the Midlands in 1850, so it’s an extremely traditional firm of accountants. In the early 2000s, the new generation of partners decided they wanted to have more fun out of work whilst still operating as a traditional firm of accountants. We always spoke that when people leave, we didn't want it to be goodbye. No matter what people go on to do, we hope they leave as friends. That started to grow the visual brand of what we wanted the alumni to be. We knew we wanted it to be impactful so people thought: “This isn't going to be boring.” We wanted the alumni to feel like part of the journey, and part of that was through the branding. People who come into the office say: “I feel like I've stepped into the website”. It's not just an office. There's a buzz, excitement and culture. When you leave, we want that feeling to continue. Hopefully that's what we've embodied in the branding of the alumni so far.

Why did you decide to start an alumni network?
We're big advocates of the ELTV - the employee lifetime value model, the value you get from your employees from the moment you start the hiring process right through their entire employment with you. Once they've left, the value typically decreases. If you maintain that value after they've left, you're on to a real winner, especially if people comeback as clients or boomerang hires. Most of our alumni originate from the Midlands, but people have gone on to live in all corners of the world who haven't been able to attend our events but have still said: “I want to be involved.” Now as we grow in scale, we need to consider how to capture a more digital audience. One of the key things is to get feedback on how people are finding the alumni so far, because it is very much in its infancy. As we grow, it's even more critical that we've got a thriving alumni. 

How did you promote the alumni program to employees who separated from the company years ago?
When people retire, they tend to lose interest in LinkedIn. Some of the older generations have never been on LinkedIn because it wasn't around when they worked for Cooper Parry way back when, but they may be on Facebook. But Gen Z think Facebook is for old people. So we've had to leverage our internal workforce to capture as many generations as possible that have worked for Cooper Parry.

What can alumni expect within the first year?
We've had people who have left in recent weeks who have said: “Oh, I can't wait to come to alumni events now. I can't wait to be part of the alumni.” That wasn't something we’ve had before. People would say: “I'll stay in touch,” but now they've got a real tangible thing to stay in touch for. We’ll say: “We've loved having you as part of Cooper Parry journey. It's not over. Click here to become part of the alumni,” and they get a link to join straight away.

What sort of things do they get?
We’ll have links to job postings because why would we not want great people to come back and work for us? It’s an easy win. There are video spotlights and quick fire question spotlights from people who have left Cooper Parry and gone on to do great things like set up their own businesses. They’ll get the same perks you get if you're an employee such as lifestyle discounts. And if you retire, you get a baseball jacket with CP and their initials and a cap!

Presenters: 
April Homer, Partner and Chief People Officer, Cooper Parry
Emma Sinclair, CEO, EnterpriseAlumni