Matthew is a proven transformational recruitment leader with over 25 years of experience in talent acquisition, operating at Board and C-suite level. Commercially astute and driven by data insights, he has led high-performing teams of over 200 people across global organisations. Most recently, he played a pivotal role in EY’s Hypergrowth journey. He is known for delivering operational transformation and exceptional stakeholder engagement.
Matthew brings deep global experience from leading talent strategies at world-renowned brands, including 8 years at Electronic Arts, 2 years at Autodesk, 7 years at SAP, and a key leadership role at EY. Known for his charisma and results-driven leadership, he has twice been named Recruiter Magazine’s “Recruitment Leader of the Year” and was recently inducted into the inaugural Recruiter “Hall of Fame.” Since 2014, he has been listed six times as one of the “11 Most Influential Recruiters” by Recruiter and recognized for building industry “Super Teams” in both 2022 and 2023.
His expertise spans Executive Hiring, Early Careers, Employer Branding, Talent Strategy, and DE&I, with successful leadership across both start-ups and large-scale matrix organisations. A passionate advocate for Social Mobility and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Matthew has led award-winning campaigns including the RAD “Work of the Year” for Better Verses (Black diversity) and European Diversity Marketing Campaign of the Year for the LGBTQ+ initiative This is My EY.
What’s a recent professional achievement of yours that you are proud of?
Led a complete transformation at EY. Including introducing: • Talent Intelligence & Engagement Transformation:
Established dedicated Talent Intelligence and Engagement Teams, elevating recruitment from a transactional function to a strategic partner. Delivered board-level insights on location strategy, competitor benchmarking, and skills heat mapping. Built talent communities across Assurance, Sustainability, and Technology. Launched the Candidate Engagement & Sourcing Hub and UK&I’s first Assessment Centre of Excellence, delivering over £500K in annual cost avoidance.
• Designed an Inclusive Recruitment Innovation (Neurodiversity):
Designed an award-winning, personalised Neurodiversity recruitment process, enabling candidates to select their preferred communication format (video, audio, infographic, narrative). The initiative won two prestigious RAD Awards and reinforced EY’s DE&I commitments through an inclusive, tech-enabled candidate experience.
• Launched a Recruiter Academy:
Founded a Recruiter Academy to diversify hiring capabilities by bringing in talent from unconventional backgrounds—including Olympians like Montell Douglas (also known as ‘Fire’ from Gladiators). Expanded recruitment skills and pipelines through innovative, inclusive pathways.
• Implemented an In-House Creative Team:
Built and scaled a nimble, in-house creative function, integrating digital marketing, campaign design, and content development. Reduced costs, increased agility, and improved time-to-market for employer brand initiatives.
• AI cost saving Initiatives: AI Chat Bot. AI Onboarding. AI Candidate Experience. AI note taking. AI application process. AI creative employer brand activities. AI candidate stack ranking. AI Avatar.
• Student Wellbeing Campaigns with Celebrity Engagement:
Launched national wellbeing events for students, such as ‘EY & You: Spotlight on Wellbeing’ and ‘Our World. Your Wellbeing’, featuring high-profile speakers like Anthony Joshua, Tom Daley, Joe Wicks, and Tan France. These campaigns supported mental health, resilience, and confidence, reinforcing EY’s position as a purpose-driven and student-focused employer brand.
• Led offshore cost-efficiency initiatives across Manila, India, and Belfast, streamlining operations in CV pre-screening, candidate ranking, interview scheduling, and onboarding—delivering significant cost savings and process scalability.
What is your prediction for the future of the TA industry?
AI-Driven Hiring:
Automation handles sourcing, screening, and engagement; recruiters focus on relationships and strategy.
Skills Over Degrees:
Hiring shifts to skills-based assessments and micro-credentials instead of résumés and degrees.
Personalised Candidate Experience:
AI-driven tools provide tailored communication, feedback, and job recommendations.
Predictive Workforce Analytics:
Data anticipates hiring needs, skill gaps, and attrition risks for proactive recruiting.
Internal Talent Marketplaces:
Companies prioritise internal mobility, matching employees to roles via AI platforms.
Ethical AI Standards:
Fairness auditing and transparency become mandatory in automated decision-making.
Global & Hybrid Recruiting:
Remote work normalizes borderless hiring and virtual onboarding.
Employer Brand = Consumer Brand:
Candidate perceptions drive talent attraction; reputation management becomes crucial.
Recruiting as a Data Function:
TA adopts CRM-style pipelines, analytics, and ROI tracking.
Human Touch Matters Most:
Empathy, storytelling, and authentic relationships remain the ultimate differentiators.