In-house Recruitment Awards 2026

Adrian has a number years of operational recruitment experience across both in-house and agency and is currently the Resourcing Lead for Severn Trent Water, responsible for the recruitment of all experienced hires across the Severn Trent organisation. Adrian is an Advisory Board Member of the Good Recruitment Campaign at the Recruitment and Employment Confederation. In 2015, Adrian won the recruitment manager of the year award. Previous recruitment roles include; the Head of Resourcing at Npower, Divisional Manager at Encore Senior Appointments and Michael Page. Adrian was also a senior manager in the retail and logistics industry.

Fernanda is the VP of people strategies at K2 Partnering Solutions. She draws on inspiration from over 12 years of recruitment experience and is responsible for creating and delivering a comprehensive sourcing and recruitment strategy and leading employment branding initiatives.

Gary is HR Director in the Surgical operating unit in Medtronic, a global MedTech leader. Gary was originally the Head of People for Digital Surgery, which was acquired by Medtronic in 2020. Previously, he spent 6 years at mobile gaming company, King, helping to scale the company from 300 to over 2000 people across the world. He’s been a judge at the In-house Recruitment Awards since 2012, but we’re not sure if he loves helping us or he just hasn’t got the heart to tell us no.

Marcell Edwards is a distinguished leader in talent acquisition, diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI), and organizational culture. With a career spanning over a decade, Marcell has been instrumental in shaping inclusive hiring practices and fostering equitable workplace environments. His strategic approach to talent management has not only enhanced recruitment processes but also cultivated cultures where diversity thrives. Recognized for his thought leadership, Marcell continues to influence the industry through innovative DEI initiatives and by championing inclusive organizational strategies.

Charlotte Johns is an experienced talent and people leader with over 20 years in HR & Talent Acquisition across sectors including retail, travel, financial services, consulting, and the charity sector. She has held senior roles at organisations such as Transport for London, Legal & General, and Navigant Consulting, and was previously Head of People at The Chemistry Group. Currently at Elida Beauty, a company recently sold by Unilever, Charlotte works in a fast-paced M&A environment, leading on Talent Acquisition, Communications, and Organisational Change. She is particularly passionate about transformation and driving meaningful, inclusive change. Inclusion is central to Charlotte’s approach—she believes it should be embedded in every aspect of people strategy, never treated as an afterthought. Based in central London, she lives with her miniature dachshund, Nova, and enjoys travel and theatre—and perhaps a cocktail or two!

A highly experienced global Talent Acquisition and Employer Branding leader with a strong focus on building inclusive, high-performing teams and creating innovative strategies that drive organisational growth. Proven success influencing senior stakeholders, delivering complex projects, and leading global transformation programmes across multiple sectors.

Director of Talent Acquisition at Cyncly, I lead global hiring team and develop strategies for a fast-scaling tech organisation. With over 15 years of TA experience, I have worked for different companies such as the Financial Ombudsman, TfL and Ocado and have gained experience in different industries – all with different hiring priorities. I’ve produced, worked in and contributed to industry-recognised, award-winning work and teams. I have also had the privilege to have spoken at various In-House Recruitment (IHR) events over the years. With a passion for developing strategies that produce inclusive & impactful hiring – I build high-performing, innovative teams and elevate talent practices. Also proud to have served as an IHR Awards judge for four consecutive years.

Tush, after exploring careers in accountancy and law, transitioned into the Talent Acquisition field, where he boasts 20 years of experience. Having traversed recruitment agencies, RPOs, and in-house environments, he deeply understands the nuances of talent attraction across talent delivery solutions . His expertise spans Tech, FMCG, Retail/Fashion, Financial Services, Consulting, Media, Marketing & Advertising, and Telecom sectors on a global scale. Throughout his career, Tush has excelled in Talent Attraction/Branding, End-to-End Recruitment, Executive Hiring, Early Careers Development, and HR Transformation, earning recognition as a TA Agile Transformation specialist leader. Collaborating with C-level leadership, he shapes TA strategies and influences broader people team initiatives. Presently, he serves as the Global Director at WPP, overseeing IT and Corporate functions.

I work for Malvern Panalytical and Spectris Group as the Global Talent Acquisition Director where I’m building our TA function and driving change. I’ve worked predominantly in Global Engineering organisations where I have experience of building teams from scratch with a focus on business partnering, educating Hiring Managers and putting candidate experience at the centre of everything we do. I’m passionate about demonstrating the value TA can add including the impact we have on diversity, inclusion, culture, talent management, attrition not to mention the money we save companies too.

Nerida, the new Global Head of Talent Acquisition at the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors, brings over 20 years of expertise. She’s a recognised leader in Talent Acquisition, known for her strategic approach and commitment to inclusive initiatives. Throughout her career, Nerida has built strong employer brands and prioritised seamless candidate experiences. Her dedication to diversity and inclusion drives meaningful initiatives across industries. Nerida’s achievements were highlighted last year as Talent Acquisition Leader of the Year 2023 at the IHR Awards, underscoring her leadership. Beyond accolades, she mentors early-career professionals and supports diversity initiatives. As a member of the RL100 community, Nerida fosters the next generation of talent acquisition leaders. With her strategic mindset, she aims to make significant contributions to the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors’ global objectives.

Award winning, relationship and data led, strategic Global Talent Acquisition and Employer Branding Leader, adept at influencing to board level and driving execution; focused on making a real and impactful difference to the organisation. Creating and leading high performing, inclusive and collaborative teams globally and across regions, focused on partnering with business leaders to co-create and innovate to drive meaningful value against current and future business needs, enabling the business to scale and transform. Ability to drive significant cost savings in a complex matrix environment, balancing best in class solutions with a pragmatic approach focused on delivering business performance. RL100 member, Mentor and Panellist.

I’ve always been fascinated by technology. I can geek-out over the newest tech, jump into the metaverse and have a 2-hour conversation with Alexa. However, it’s how humans interact with and use technology that gets me every time. That’s why I’ve fallen in love with chatbots and conversational AI. What better way is there to interact with technology than to have a chat with it. It’s the most intuitive way to interact.

Hayley Bowd is Director, Emerging Talent & Careers at Expedia Group, which involves leading the global effort in attracting, hiring and programming for intern, graduate, apprenticeship and military placement programs. Having joined Expedia Group in 2019 and holding various roles, Hayley has also held recruiting and early careers focused roles at Thomas Cook, PA Consulting and Caterpillar and has worked in the world of emerging talent since 2011. Focuses for her role include diversifying talent pipelines and ensuring the right support is provided to those as they join the workforce to set them up for success. Hayley acts as a champion for emerging talent and the benefits these programs bring to an organisation. Passionate about building an inclusive workforce, Hayley has sat on the board of Expedia Group’s employee resource group, WELL (Women at Expedia, Leading and Learning) since 2022 and joined the board of directors of Institute of Student Employers in 2025 after partnering with them for several years as an employer member. She holds a BA (Hons) in Management and Leadership, which she studied whilst working full time and completed in 2015.

Guy Martin is a talent professional specialising in building and leading high-performing recruitment functions across technology, media, and deep-tech organisations. He partners with founders and executive teams to deliver data-driven talent strategies that enable scalable, efficient growth without compromising quality or culture.