Recruiting Alchemy with Andy Simpson – Détails, épisodes et analyse

Andy Simpson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/andyhsimpson/) and Sam Slade (https://www.linkedin.com/in/samsladehinterview/) discuss the state of the market, common problems they're seeing and productisation.

Show notes:
(01:20) - Intro to Sam and his recruitment experience
(04:30) - How did Sam build a more consultative and productised offering
(07:00) - Wafer thin difference between consultancy and recruitment agencies
(10:40) - state of the recruitment market
(14:30) - What is commoditisation?
(17:30) - Why not work for a lower fee?
(20:00) - Why is commoditisation a problem?
(23:30) - Productisation in recruitment
(33:30) - Where does video fit in to productisation?
(37:40) - AI CVs & Resumes
(40:30) - 1st Interview KPIs vs customer experience
(44:25) - What's the next couple of years of recruitment?

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In this episode of Recruiting Alchemy, Andy sits down with Craig Whiting, Managing Director of RLS Search, a recruitment agency specializing in placing top technology talent into the global hedge fund space. Craig shares his journey from falling into recruitment to running a highly profitable, specialized search firm.

They discuss how hedge funds approach hiring, why recruitment has changed, and how agencies can evolve to stay ahead. Craig also sheds light on the importance of deep market knowledge, why most recruiters struggle to add real value, and how technology is reshaping the industry.

Whether you're a recruiter, hiring manager, or business leader, this episode is packed with insights into recruitment strategy, building high-performing teams, and navigating the evolving job market.

🎙 Key Topics:

🔹 The challenges of hiring top tech talent for hedge funds
🔹 Why recruitment is broken & how agencies can fix it
🔹 How specialization leads to long-term success
🔹 The impact of AI & automation on recruitment
🔹 Offshoring & remote hiring: lessons from South Africa

Tune in for an in-depth discussion on recruitment, hiring strategies, and what it takes to build a sustainable, high-performing recruitment business.

Show Notes & Timestamps

[00:00] – Opening & Introduction

• Craig’s journey into recruitment and founding RLS Search.
• Why hedge funds require a different approach to hiring.

[05:00] – The Challenges of Recruiting for Hedge Funds

• How hedge funds evaluate and hire top talent.
• Why niche expertise is critical in recruitment.
• The changing landscape of tech hiring in finance.

[15:00] – Why Recruitment is Broken & How to Fix It

• The flaws of traditional recruitment models.
• Why recruiters struggle to add real value.
• How agencies can stand out in a competitive market.

[25:00] – The Role of AI & Automation in Recruitment

• How technology is reshaping talent acquisition.
• Why AI won’t replace recruiters but will change their role.
• Using automation to enhance, not replace, human interaction.

[35:00] – Offshoring & Remote Hiring: Lessons from South Africa

• Why RLS Search expanded to South Africa.
• The benefits & challenges of offshoring recruitment operations.
• How global talent can support high-performance teams.

[45:00] – Building a Sustainable, High-Performance Recruitment Business

• Why specialization leads to better results.
• How agencies should rethink their approach to hiring.
• The future of recruitment & Craig’s outlook on the industry.

[55:00] – Final Thoughts & Key Takeaways

• The importance of deep market knowledge.
• Why recruitment should prioritize quality over volume.
• How the best recruiters add long-term value beyond placements.

Building a Successful Healthcare Recruitment Business: Insights from Kathryn Scott

In this episode of Recruiting Alchemy, host Andy Simpson speaks with Kathryn Scott, a former managing director in the recruitment industry who has recently embarked on her journey as a consultant.

Kathryn discusses her career trajectory, starting from her early days in the travel industry, her eventual transition into recruitment, and her nearly two-decade-long tenure at a prominent healthcare recruitment firm.

She shares valuable lessons about the criticality of financial management, specifically the importance of understanding P&L, cost per head, and productivity metrics. Kathryn also reflects on the impact of various market conditions, including the COVID-19 pandemic, on recruitment strategies and how agility and diversity helped her company navigate these turbulent times.

She emphasizes the value of specialized consultancy for businesses and how a consultant's objective perspective can offer quick, expert-driven solutions without the long-term commitments and costs associated with permanent hires.

The conversation closes with Kathryn's thoughts on the evolving role of technology in recruitment and the irreplaceable value of good people in building a successful business.

00:00 Introduction and Welcome
00:16 Meet Kathryn Scott
01:25 Kathryn's Early Career Journey
03:54 Transition to Recruitment
04:04 Success in Recruitment
11:40 Challenges and Changes in Healthcare Recruitment 1
8:41 Impact of COVID-19 on Healthcare Staffing
19:56 Setting Up Nightingale Hospitals
20:34 Managing Stakeholders Under Pressure
22:18 Defining Success Metrics
23:56 Cost Management and Operational Efficiency
26:14 Navigating Market Changes
29:37 Recruitment Challenges and Strategies
37:24 The Importance of Good Recruitment
38:21 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Andy Simpson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/andyhsimpson/) is joined by  Ben Musgrave (https://www.linkedin.com/in/benmusgrave/), COO and Head of Product at Hinterview (https://hello.hinterview.com/) to discuss USPs in recruitment and working smarter, not harder

00:00 Introduction and Podcast Welcome

01:12 Ben Musgrave's Early Life and Education

02:43 Transition to Recruitment

04:14 Challenges in Recruitment

07:33 Consultancy and Recruitment Dynamics

16:51 The Role of KPIs in Recruitment

21:35 The Pitfalls of KPI-Driven Recruitment

22:27 The Birth of Hinterview: Solving Recruitment Challenges

23:18 A Game-Changing Candidate Experience

25:36 The Video Interview Breakthrough

27:59 Building and Scaling a Recruitment Business

40:59 The Future of Recruitment: Automation and Personalization

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Andy Simpson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/andyhsimpson/) is joined by  Nigel Fox (https://www.linkedin.com/in/nigelfoxaphr/), CEO of Annapurna Recruitment (https://www.annapurnarecruitment.com/) discuss how to grow a new recruitment business, even in a down market; how they've blended different business models, sector specialisms and geographical focus to balance security and growth.

Show notes:
(01:05) Nigel's start in recruitment
(03:55) Launching a recruitment business
(08:45) The HR recruiting space
(11:00) The evolution of the Annapurna Recruitment
(12:40) Strategy vs opportunity
(13:24) Embedded delivery model
(14:10) Innovating out of the contingent delivery model
(19:05) What's the revenue mix and why
(21:55) Maintaining company culture across delivery models
(24:00) Creating and keeping client relationships
(27:50) Video calls vs meetings in the post COVID world
(31:05) Customer retention
(33:08) Where is the business going
(35:45) AI in recruitment
(40:30) What have you learned from the recent downturn?
(43:50) Have we reached the bottom of the downturn?
(47:00) UK politics vs the market
(51:05) The future of the industry


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In this episode, Andy Simpson sits down with Kalpesh Baxi, recruitment leader, advisor, and former UK Senior Partner of SThree PLC to explore what it takes to thrive in today’s evolving hiring landscape. They talk about the importance of culture in scaling teams, the impact of generational shifts in the workplace, and how technology is changing the way recruitment businesses operate.

Kalpesh shares stories from his 20+ year journey in the recruitment world, including what made SThree such a strong platform for high performers, the lessons he's learned from working across geographies, and why human connection still drives the best results even in an AI-powered world.

Whether you’re running an agency, leading a team, or just thinking about what’s next in your career, this conversation is packed with practical insight and candid reflections.

🎙 Key Topics:

🔹 What makes great culture in high-performing teams
🔹 How recruitment leaders should adapt to generational shifts
🔹 Why being open to discomfort fuels career growth
🔹 The role of authenticity and transparency in leadership
🔹 The balance between people, process, and tech in recruitment

Tune in for a grounded, engaging conversation on leadership, learning, and the mindset needed to succeed in the recruitment industry.

Show Notes & Timestamps

[00:00] – Opening & Introduction

Andy introduces Kalpesh and frames the episode

Early lessons from growing up in a working-class household

[03:00] – Recruitment Beginnings & Early Influence

How Kalpesh found recruitment and stayed for 22 years

Lessons from the early SThree culture and environment

[09:00] – Leading Through Culture

What makes a good culture

Why authenticity and people-first values matter

The power of curiosity and transparency in leadership

[18:00] – Generational Shifts in Work

How Gen Z and millennials are reshaping the workplace

What modern leadership needs to look like

Balancing career progression with life priorities

[30:00] – Building for the Future

The role of AI in recruitment and business

The importance of simplicity and clarity in process

Finding meaning and momentum in moments of discomfort

[42:00] – Final Thoughts & Reflections

Why recruitment is still a people business

The value of working with good humans

Final advice on leadership, risk, and reinvention

In this episode of Recruiting Alchemy, host Andy Simpson sits down with Malvin Kamara, former professional footballer turned founder and CEO of Vallum Associates. From playing in the Premier League and Championship to building one of the fastest-growing recruitment firms in energy and infrastructure, Malvin shares his remarkable journey and the lessons learned along the way.

They discuss what professional sport taught him about resilience, how he transitioned into recruitment, and the realities of scaling a business with no prior experience. From managing VAT shocks and cashflow challenges to building a high-performance culture, Malvin offers a refreshingly honest look at what it takes to succeed in recruitment and leadership.

Whether you’re a recruiter, business owner, or simply someone interested in stories of resilience and entrepreneurship, this episode is packed with inspiration and practical takeaways.

🎙 Key Topics:
🔹 From football pitches to boardrooms – Malvin’s journey into recruitment
🔹 Why resilience and mindset matter more than experience
🔹 Scaling Vallum Associates through setbacks and turning points
🔹 Lessons in leadership, culture, and high-performance environments
🔹 The realities of tax, cashflow, and learning business the hard way

Show Notes & Timestamps

[00:00] Introduction & Early Life

Andy introduces Malvin Kamara and his journey from football to recruitment.

Growing up in Plumstead and discovering a love for football.

[07:00] Professional Football Career

Playing for Port Vale, Huddersfield, and beyond.

How injury and circumstance shaped his next chapter.

[20:00] First Steps After Football

Door-to-door sales in Yorkshire and tough early lessons.

Transition into recruitment and discovering Venquis.

[35:00] Founding Vallum Associates

Why Malvin decided to start his own company.

Struggles with scaling, learning tax and cashflow the hard way.

Building resilience through trial and error.

[45:00] Building Culture & Scaling to Exit

The importance of high-performance environments.

Creating a company culture that attracts and retains talent.

Lessons from private equity and scaling partnerships.

[01:00:00] Final Thoughts

Advice for recruiters and entrepreneurs.

Why setbacks can shape long-term success.

In this episode of Recruiting Alchemy, Andy Simpson sits down with Steve Beckitt founder of SourceBreaker for a candid and often hilarious deep dive into how he went from contract recruiter to tech founder, built a SaaS business from spreadsheets, and exited with a life-changing deal.

Steve shares his unfiltered journey: selling early products that barely worked, surviving COVID as a bootstrapped founder, and the emotional highs and lows of growing (and selling) a business under intense pressure. From S3 training rooms to building Excel tools that ended up in the hands of Google and Facebook. This episode is equal parts gritty startup story and practical masterclass for any recruiter or entrepreneur thinking of taking the leap.

🎙 Key Topics:

🔹 How Steve validated SourceBreaker by selling Excel spreadsheets to recruiters
🔹 The early hustle: balancing product development with cash flow
🔹 Going from contractor at S3 to founder in Croydon
🔹 Why recruitment was never the end goal—and how he pivoted into SaaS
🔹 Managing investor expectations and funding rounds
🔹 Surviving a direct competitor giving away a near-identical product for free
🔹 When and why he decided to sell the business—and how close it came to falling apart
🔹 The emotional cost of being a founder (and why he sold the cars)

📄 Show Notes & Timestamps

[00:00] – Intro & Background
Steve’s recruitment roots and early days at S3

[06:00] – Leaving S3 & Starting From Scratch
From flat in Croydon to the first sale

[10:00] – The Spreadsheet Hustle
How Steve built basic Excel tools to fund his startup—and got 500 global brands downloading

[14:00] – Validating the Market
From Boolean builders to product-market fit with no code

[18:00] – Finding the Right Co-Founders & Freelancers
Meet Zenon: the MVP-builder behind the curtain

[22:00] – Turning Spreadsheets into a SaaS Company
Why being underestimated helped—and what broke first

[28:00] – Raising Capital & The Pressure to Perform
Private equity, SEIS, and the true weight of investor money

[33:00] – Navigating COVID, Near Misses & Competitive Threats
How they survived a major competitor undercutting them before launch

[36:00] – Scaling, Stress & Real Talk About Burnout
The pressure to exit, and the price of relentless growth

[42:00] – Life After the Exit
What changed (and what didn’t)

[44:00] – Advice for Founders
From advisors to mindset to spreadsheets

In this episode of Recruiting Alchemy, Andy sits down with David Rees, former Chief Sales Officer at S3 and now a fractional chair and investor across multiple recruitment and tech businesses. David shares his journey from his roots in South Wales to leading global teams and shaping the recruitment industry at the highest level.

They discuss the evolution of recruitment, the challenges of scaling internationally, and the critical role of company culture. David also offers candid insights on leadership, the impact of technology and AI, and what it takes to build resilient, high-performing organizations in a rapidly changing market.

Whether you're a recruiter, business leader, or interested in the future of work, this episode is packed with practical wisdom and industry perspective.

🎙 Key Topics:
🔹 Building a career from humble beginnings to industry leadership
🔹 The evolution of recruitment and why culture matters
🔹 Lessons from scaling and international expansion at S3
🔹 The impact of AI, automation, and technology on recruitment
🔹 How to build resilient, high-performing teams in uncertain times

Tune in for an in-depth discussion on recruitment strategy, leadership, and navigating the future of the industry.

Show Notes & Timestamps

[00:00] – Opening & Introduction
David’s journey from South Wales to the top of the recruitment industry.
How early experiences shaped his approach to business and leadership.

[10:00] – The S3 Story & Lessons in Growth
Joining S3, building teams, and navigating industry booms and downturns.
Why company culture and internal development drive long-term success.

[25:00] – International Expansion & Leadership
The challenges and rewards of leading teams across the UK, Germany, and beyond.
How to adapt leadership styles for different markets.

[40:00] – Technology, AI & the Future of Recruitment
How technology and AI are reshaping recruitment.
Why human connection and deep market knowledge still matter.

[55:00] – Building Resilient Teams & Businesses
Lessons from the pandemic, investing, and chairing multiple companies.
What it takes to build sustainable, high-performing organizations.

[65:00] – Final Thoughts & Key Takeaways
The importance of adaptability, culture, and leadership in recruitment.
David’s outlook on the future of the industry and advice for the next generation.

In this episode of Recruiting Alchemy, Andy is joined by James Ballard, co-founder of Annapurna Recruitment. With over two decades of experience, James shares the evolution of his career, from early days at SThree to co-founding one of the most community-driven recruitment firms in the UK and Europe.

They dive deep into the importance of human connection, why recruitment must move beyond transactions, and how building a community-first brand helped Annapurna stand out. James also discusses the future of recruitment, the impact of AI, and why being memorable and value-driven is more essential than ever.

Whether you’re a recruiter, business leader, or aspiring entrepreneur, this conversation offers insight into how relationship-building, culture, and productization can fuel long-term growth.

🎙 Key Topics:

🔹 What recruitment looked like before LinkedIn
🔹 Transitioning from contingent to search
🔹 The business case for in-person connection
🔹 How to build a brand through community
🔹 Why recruiters must offer more than just CVs

Show Notes & Timestamps
[00:00] – Opening & Introductions
• James on why in-person is the only way to build real relationships
• Intro to his journey: From SThree to Annapurna

[02:00] – From Yorkshire to London: Early Career
• Working in student politics
• Starting at SThree in 2000 during the post-Y2K slump
• Realizing recruitment was hardcore sales

[06:00] – Launching Annapurna in a Crisis
• Why the 2008 crash was the perfect time to start
• Bringing a relationship-first mindset to the industry

[08:30] – The Power of Community
• How James built brand recognition through events and content
• The importance of consistency and long-term thinking

[13:00] – Relationships, Transactions
• Community as a commercial asset
• How physical connection is still vital post-pandemic

[16:00] – Competing with Internal Talent Teams
• Why AI won’t replace recruiters—human relationships still win
• The challenge of convincing companies not to DIY

[22:00] – Erupt: Creating a Product-Led Brand
• Building a network that provides value without asking for anything
• Monetizing content and events as part of a larger strategy

[27:00] – The Evolution from Contingent to Search
• Shifting to a senior, SME-led team
• Why trust and subject-matter expertise are the future
• The reality of hiring experienced recruiters

[33:00] – Coaching, Growth & Culture
• Creating a coaching-first culture
• Helping experienced recruiters upskill

[36:30] – Future Outlook & Final Thoughts
• TA teams will shrink—specialist search firms will thrive
• The importance of resilience and vision
• Why search is the right product for the future of recruitment