Build Back Better: Live in Sydney - Panel 1 with Manu Vanderveeren, John Bourke & Victoria Kirwin

The recruitment market is recovering.But only the most disciplined agencies will benefit.This full live Recruiter Startup Podcast event from Sydney brings together recruitment founders, M&A advisors, and tech leaders to discuss where the recruitment industry is heading next.Across both panels, the discussion covers:* Recruitment market recovery trends* AI in recruitment and modern ATS systems* Recruitment agency profitability and EBIT benchmarks* What drives recruitment business valuation and exit multiples* Leadership depth and second-tier management* Revenue productivity vs headcount growth* Why niche recruitment agencies are more valuableIf you are scaling a recruitment business, preparing for acquisition, or trying to increase profitability per consultant, this episode provides practical insights from experienced operators and advisors.This is recruitment growth strategy grounded in financial reality.Subscribe for more recruitment founder conversations from around the world.Featuring:Paul Masters Darragh EverardManu VanderveerenJohn BourkeVictoria KirwinHosted by Dualta Doherty

The recruitment industry is not going back to 2022.And the agencies waiting for it to will fall behind.In this live Recruiter Startup Podcast event from Melbourne, recruitment founders, tech leaders, and top billers break down what smarter growth really looks like in today’s recruitment market.This full-length recruitment industry panel covers:* AI in recruitment and ATS evolution* Recruitment agency productivity and performance per consultant* The biggest mistakes agencies made during the 2022 boom* Why lean recruitment teams are outperforming large headcount models* How leadership and activity drive billings* What separates high-performing recruitment agencies from the restIf you’re a recruitment founder, recruitment business owner, operations leader, or L&D manager looking to increase recruiter performance, improve onboarding, or build a more profitable recruitment agency, this episode is essential viewing.Subscribe for more global recruitment industry conversations.Featuring:Matthew CossensManu VanderveerenJohn BourkeVictoria KirwinHosted by Dualta Doherty

What genuinely drives value in a recruitment business?In panel 2 of the Recruiter Startup Podcast live show in Sydney, our host Dualta is joined by two industry leaders with deep insight into building, scaling, and selling agencies.Paul Masters is the founder of Sovereign Private, a specialist advisory and M&A firm for recruitment businesses, having worked on multiple high-value agency transactions and growth strategies.Darragh Everard is Managing Director of The Anderson Partnership, an international recruitment business he has helped scale across multiple markets through strong leadership and commercial execution.Together, they unpack the realities behind agency performance today, such as what buyers look for when acquiring recruitment companies, how profitability, niche focus, and leadership impact valuation, the difference between growing revenue and building a valuable business and market trends.Tune in and subscribe to our channel for more conversations with recruitment founders and industry leaders.

How are recruitment businesses actually adapting to AI, automation, and changing market conditions?In part 1 of the Build Back Better live show in Sydney, our host Dualta Doherty is joined by Manu Vanderveeren (Co-Founder & COO, Spott), John Bourke (Founder, RecView & Starting Point Recruitment), and Victoria Kirwin (Business Growth Specialist, APositive).Together they discuss:- Where AI and automation are genuinely delivering value* How modern ATS platforms are evolving beyond databases* The role of funding, cash flow, and financial strategy in growth* Why brand, relationships, and human skills still matter mostEach speaker brings practical insight from working directly with recruitment agencies across technology, operations, and finance, offering a grounded view of what’s changing in the industry.🎧 Subscribe to the Recruiter Startup Podcast for more conversations with recruitment founders and leaders.

In Part 2 of the Build Back Better live show in Melbourne, host Dualta Doherty is joined by Matthew Cossens, Chief Growth Officer at xrecruiter and former leader behind Aurec’s growth and acquisition by Randstad.Together, they discuss what’s driving recruiter performance today - from the shift from billing to building businesses, to how activity, behaviour, and leadership still outperform tools, even in an AI-enabled world. The conversation also explores common scaling mistakes and the skills that will matter most over the next few years.If you’re working inside or leading a recruitment business, there’s plenty here to take away. Tune in!

Dualta Doherty is joined by Manu Vanderveeren (CEO & COO at Spott), John Bourke (Founder of RecView & Start In Recruitment), and Victoria Kirwin (Business Growth Specialist at APositive), each working directly with recruitment businesses across product, automation, and funding.They discuss where AI and automation are delivering value, how tech decisions impact profitability, what leaner agency models look like, and how leaders should be thinking about investment and risk in the current market.Tune in for a practical conversation grounded in real experiences across the industry.

In this episode of the Recruiter Startup Podcast, Dualta Doherty is joined by Russell Thompson – a 30-year recruitment veteran in the London market, former founder/leader behind LMA, and now advisor through Ascentia Advisory.Russell shares the real story of scaling LMA inside a backed entrepreneur model to 85+ staff across London and Singapore, and what it takes to build an agency that attracts and retains top performers.They unpack why 15–20 headcount is the toughest stage for founders, how LMA built a culture recognised by the Sunday Times Best Companies to Work For, and what’s changed now that LinkedIn became the database. Russell also doesn’t hold back on what agency leaders must do differently as AI and efficiency reshape the industry.If you’re building or scaling a recruitment business, this one’s a must-watch.

Building a company almost never goes the way you expect.In this conversation, Lander and Manu, CEO and COO of Spott (YC W25) sit down with Dualta Doherty, co-founder of RecWired, to share the real story behind how Spott was built, including the wrong turns, the pivots, and the hard decisions that forced them to rethink everything.They talk about Why they realized early they were building the wrong product What three intense months in Y Combinator changed about their mindset How talking to real recruiters reshaped the entire product direction Why most ATS systems slow recruiters down instead of helping them What an AI-native ATS needs to do differently to actually create impactWhether you’re running a recruitment agency, building a start-up or thinking about how AI will actually change day-to-day work, this conversation goes deep into what matters and what does not.

In this episode, industry leaders discuss how AI, technology, and human skills are reshaping recruitment. From signal-based selling to training modern recruiters, we explore how to build smarter pipelines, improve calls, and stay competitive in a changing market. 🎙️

Part 2 from the Manchester event explores how recruitment is evolving with AI, community building, and smarter marketing. Industry leaders share practical insights on tech, referrals, personal branding, and how to future-proof recruitment businesses.