Tell us your career path before you were in TA
I’ve always been a salesperson at heart. I started out after college selling windows and doors, then moved into insurance before finding my way into recruitment 10 years ago.
My experience has been entirely agency-side, most recently with Expand Group, where Lee Walker introduced me to the world of adtech. Over the past five years, I’ve supported some of the industry’s key players with global commercial hiring, working across both the demand and supply sides. This week, I’ve taken the exciting step of moving in-house, starting my first role within the industry at Verve.
From your personal experience what's the best thing about being in talent acquisition?
Having worked in agency recruitment for so long, the biggest differences I see, and the parts I really love about moving in-house are the deeper connection to the business and the long-term impact you can have.
Being embedded in one company means you’re not just filling roles, you’re genuinely helping to build teams and shape the culture. You get to partner closely with leadership, influence hiring strategy, strengthen the employer brand, and think beyond the immediate hire to focus on quality, retention, and future growth.
It feels less transactional and much more about building something meaningful over time.
Since you've been in TA, how have you seen it change?
In adtech specifically, talent acquisition has changed a lot! It's become incredibly competitive, with top candidates in high demand across multiple companies at once.
This means we need to be more strategic and flexible in how we hire: streamlining interview processes, offering remote or hybrid options, and adapting to candidate expectations to attract the right people.
In TA, we need to stay on the front foot, managing expectations across the business and making sure the right changes are implemented to stay ahead in this fast-moving market.
How do you see AI impacting the future of talent acquisition?
AI in recruitment has brought huge benefits from a process standpoint, it can help automate CV screening, identify patterns in candidate data, and streamline administrative tasks, making the hiring process faster and more efficient.
It allows recruiters to focus their time on higher-value activities rather than getting bogged down in spreadsheets or repetitive tasks.
That said, AI can never replace the human touch: building relationships, understanding culture fit, and getting in front of people to truly engage talent.
What advice would you give to job seekers today?
My advice to job seekers today is to think outside the box and move beyond just submitting applications.
The most successful candidates are actively building pipelines of the companies and hiring managers they want to work with, rather than waiting for opportunities to come to them
Start by mapping out who the right hiring managers are, understanding their teams and priorities, and planning how to get on their radar, whether through networking, engaging on social media, or thoughtful introductions.
Be proactive, persistent, and strategic
Tell us a little about the company you hire for and what makes it so great?
I’m delighted to have joined Verve because of the huge growth the business is experiencing and its strategic, exciting M&A activity on a global scale.
From a hiring standpoint, this represents a massive opportunity to shape teams that will drive the next phase of growth.
Verve has created a more efficient and privacy-focused way to buy and monetise advertising. Their ecosystem of demand and supply technologies fuses data, media, and technology to deliver measurable results and growth to both advertisers and publishers, no matter the screen, location, or customer.