Leaders in Talent Podcast with Adriaan Kolff

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Leaders in Talent is a podcast for Talent Acquisition, People, and HR leaders who are building modern, scalable, high-impact talent functions. Each episode brings you in-depth conversations with the operators, founders, authors, and practitioners shaping how companies hire, develop, and retain talent. We go beyond theory. Guests share the decisions, playbooks, data, and lessons learned from scaling global teams, implementing new talent technologies, designing employer brands, building recruiting operations, and turning TA into a strategic business function. If you work in talent and are solving challenges around growth, capability, culture, or transformation, this podcast gives you practical insight you can apply today. Real conversations. Real operators. Real lessons.

  1. Designing for Scale, Delivering with Care: How Talent Ops Work at Scale

    4D AGO

    Designing for Scale, Delivering with Care: How Talent Ops Work at Scale

    In this episode, Martijn Feikens, Head of Global Talent Operations at ING, shares how talent operations actually work inside a large, regulated, global organization. We talk about scale, complexity, stakeholder management, decision-making in matrix structures, and why people remain the only asset that does not depreciate. Timestamps: 02:10 Martijn’s role and global scope 04:40 Why global banks are complex organizations 07:30 Consensus culture and decision-making challenges 11:50 Employer brand as a strategic lever 13:40 Technology, regulation, and risk aversion 16:05 How to decide what is worth pursuing 18:10 Stakeholder management at scale 22:30 Why simplicity matters in leadership communication 26:30 Designing for scale, delivering with care 28:10 The five OKRs guiding Talent Operations 29:50 Leadership conversations at senior level 31:40 Why slow does not mean ineffective 33:30 Learning stakeholder management over time 35:40 Global standards versus local needs 36:40 Looking ahead to 2026 38:10 Why people are the only asset that doesn’t depreciate ___________________________ Connect with us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/matchr/ Get in touch with us: https://www.matchr.io/who-we-are/contact/ ____________ Connect with Martijn Feikens: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martijnfeikens/ Connect with Adriaan Kolff: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adriaankolff/ ___________________________ RSS feed: https://media.rss.com/leaders-in-talent/feed.xml ___________________________ Need a Recruitment Support? Embed Matchr’s expert recruiters directly into your team. Seamless integration for immediate impact on your hiring process. Learn more: https://matchr.io

    40 min
  2. Building Sourcing at Scale: How Booking.com Turned Pipelines into Market Advantage

    FEB 2

    Building Sourcing at Scale: How Booking.com Turned Pipelines into Market Advantage

    In this episode of Leaders in Talent podcast, we’re joined by Kanwar Kohli, who leads global sourcing at Booking.com, supporting close to 1,000 hires per year with a team of ~20 sourcers. We go deep into what sourcing really means today, and why it’s no longer about volume, pipeline, or “more candidates.” Kanwar shares how Booking.com built its sourcing function from scratch, why sourcing is the only part of TA that truly controls supply, and how market intelligence, judgment, and AI are reshaping the role of sourcers. Timestamps: 01:02 Welcome to the podcast and Kanwar’s background 03:02 Why sourcing exists and why it matters 05:02 Booking’s original brief, pipelines and hiring at scale 07:06 Proving value without owning the full process 08:12 From volume to competitive advantage 10:23 How to justify long term nurturing to the business 12:06 What “the ask” really means, not just more candidates 13:58 Why sourcing needs 1 to 2 years runway 15:49 KPIs that matter, short cycle and long cycle metrics 17:42 Shaping demand, not just reacting to open roles 21:30 When a sourcing function makes sense 24:57 Skills Kanwar looks for in top sourcers 31:03 Is sourcing ending, smaller teams and higher bar 36:40 Where to connect with Kanwar and closing ___________________________ Connect with us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/matchr/ Get in touch with us: https://www.matchr.io/who-we-are/contact/ ____________ Connect with Kanwar Kohli: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kanwarkohli/ Connect with Adriaan Kolff: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adriaankolff/ ___________________________ RSS feed: https://media.rss.com/leaders-in-talent/feed.xml ___________________________ Need a Recruitment Support? Embed Matchr’s expert recruiters directly into your team. Seamless integration for immediate impact on your hiring process. Learn more: https://matchr.io

    37 min
  3. Building teams that multiply: Stoic leadership and the art of making people feel special with Yasar Ahmad

    JAN 11

    Building teams that multiply: Stoic leadership and the art of making people feel special with Yasar Ahmad

    In this episode of the Leaders in Talent Podcast, Adriaan Kolff sits down with Yasar Ahmad, one of the most influential voices in global recruitment, for a deep, unfiltered conversation on what actually builds high-performance teams and scalable companies. This is not theory. It’s real leadership under pressure, from bootstrapping and crisis management to culture design, candidate experience, and decision-making frameworks that scale. If you lead people, build companies, or hire talent, this episode is your operating manual. Timecodes: 01:22 Introduction: Yasar Ahmad and the conversation ahead 02:27 Entrepreneurship, anxiety, and the early years of building a company 08:23 Radical transparency and the hardest leadership decisions 10:01 When your team comforts you, culture in action 11:06 Why your worst employee sets the standard 12:22 Yasar’s leadership journey and learning through experience 15:09 The 5-minute journal and building self-awareness 17:06 Stoicism and controlling what you can control 18:40 The Belgian Horse Effect explained 20:16 Emotional regulation and leading without whiplash 22:04 High standards, North Stars, and continuous development 30:23 Decision frameworks and how leaders think under pressure 31:56 Mission, values, and culture that actually work 36:30 Marketing, content, and experience design in recruiting 39:29 Making candidates feel like the main character 42:24 How better interviews dramatically improve hiring outcomes 45:44 Why words and tone change everything 49:43 Recruiting is sales and why that matters 51:26 Final reflections and closing thoughts ____________ Follow Yasar Ahmad: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yasarahmad/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Yasar_Ahmad TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@yasarahmad_ Website: https://www.yasarahmad.com/ ___________________________ Connect with Matchr: https://www.linkedin.com/company/matchr/ Get in touch with us: https://www.matchr.io/who-we-are/contact/ ___________________________ Connect with Adriaan Kolff: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adriaankolff/ ___________________________ RSS feed: https://media.rss.com/leaders-in-talent/feed.xml ___________________________ Need a Recruitment Support? Embed Matchr’s expert recruiters directly into your team. Seamless integration for immediate impact on your hiring process. Learn more: https://matchr.io

    52 min
  4. Building a Global TA Engine: Lessons from Remote’s Hyper-Growth with Anastasia Pshegodskaya

    12/08/2025

    Building a Global TA Engine: Lessons from Remote’s Hyper-Growth with Anastasia Pshegodskaya

    In this episode, we sit down with Anastasia Pshegodskaya, Director of TA at Remote, to unpack how the company scaled from 200 to nearly 2,000 people in just four years. We explore the realities of hiring without borders, managing intense applicant volume, building culture asynchronously, navigating compensation across countries, and experimenting with AI-powered first-round interviews. Whether you lead Talent Acquisition, People, HR operations, or you're scaling a global team, this conversation is packed with insights about building a TA function for the next decade of work. Timestamps 01:15 Hiring globally: what changes when the world becomes your talent pool 03:02 Scaling Remote: from 200 to 2,000 employees 04:48 Building TA foundations while the company hyper-scales 06:32 Why quality over quantity became the turning point 08:41 How Remote structures recruiters across time zones 10:52 The communication challenge of fully remote teams 12:30 AI-powered TA Digest bot and async communication 14:03 30,000 applications a month: how Remote filters intelligently 16:12 AI interviews as step one: what worked and what didn’t 18:10 Creating belonging through social channels and onboarding 20:36 Compensation strategy: geo-tiers, fairness, relocation 24:55 Misconceptions about remote work and high performance ___________________________ Connect with us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/matchr/ Get in touch with us: https://www.matchr.io/who-we-are/contact/ ____________ Connect with Anastasia Pshegodskaya: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pshegodskaya/ Connect with Adriaan Kolff: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adriaankolff/ ___________________________ RSS feed: https://media.rss.com/leaders-in-talent/feed.xml ___________________________ Need a Recruitment Support? Embed Matchr’s expert recruiters directly into your team. Seamless integration for immediate impact on your hiring process. Learn more: https://matchr.io

    35 min
  5. Stop Hiring Fast: The 10-Hour Rule for Choosing the Right Leader

    11/26/2025

    Stop Hiring Fast: The 10-Hour Rule for Choosing the Right Leader

    What if one wrong leadership hire could quietly cost you 10 months of growth? In this episode of Leaders in Talent, Adriaan sits down with talent advisor Puren Ucar (ex–Head of Talent Advisory at VC fund Earlybird) to unpack how founders should really approach leadership hiring, why she’s obsessed with retention rates, and how to use your calendar as a strategic tool instead of a stress factory. If you’re a founder, TA leader, or VC operator making senior hires, this one will hit close to home. Timecodes: 01:38 – Meet Puren Ucar? 03:45 – Inside VC: What a Head of Talent Advisory actually does 08:35 – Scaling a VC talent function & how success is measured 13:17 – What “good leadership” looks like: depth, clarity & retention 15:38 – Common founder mistakes + fear vs conviction hiring 20:43 – How Puren supports founders beyond hiring (process, backchanneling, coaches) 22:46 – Leaving VC to go independent: self-doubt, risk & courage 24:41 – Calendar audits & calendar hygiene for scaling founders 30:21 – The biggest surprise in entrepreneurship & closing thoughts 👤 Guest Purin Kar – Talent advisor to founders & VC funds, formerly Head of Talent Advisory at Earlybird. Connect with Purin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/puren-ucar-2563a823/ 🎙 Host Adriaan Kolff – Co-Founder & CEO at Matchr, host of Leaders in Talent. Connect with Adriaan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adriaankolff/ This episode is brought to you by Matchr – your flexible recruitment and sourcing partner for scale-ups and corporates. Learn more: https://matchr.io/

    32 min
  6. Building Talent Teams for Hypergrowth with Laura Stapleton

    08/04/2025

    Building Talent Teams for Hypergrowth with Laura Stapleton

    In this episode of the Leaders in Talent Podcast, Adriaan Kolff, co-founder and CEO of Matchr, sits down with Laura Stapleton, a seasoned talent executive with over 15 years of experience in high-growth tech environments. Laura shares insights from her tenure at companies like Bullhorn, Litmus, Mirakl, and Engine, discussing how to build resilient teams, manage C-suite expectations, and drive talent acquisition in hypergrowth settings. Discover Laura's approach to operational excellence, fostering a high-performance culture, and the pivotal role of TA operations in recruitment strategy. Tune in to learn practical strategies for thriving in dynamic, fast-paced work environments. Timecodes: 01:08 Meet Laura Stapleton: Talent Executive Extraordinaire 02:15 Diving into High-Growth Environments 03:55 Navigating Unrealistic Expectations 14:11 Building a Performance Culture 18:49 Creating a Collaborative Team Environment 19:55 Setting and Achieving Big Goals 21:00 Pushing the Limits: Real-Life Examples 22:14 Incentives and Motivation 24:31 Operational Excellence and Team Dynamics 30:45 Leveraging AI in Recruitment 32:30 Key Lessons and Metrics 37:11 Final Thoughts ___________________________ Connect with us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/matchr/ Get in touch with us: https://www.matchr.io/who-we-are/contact/ ____________ Connect with Laura Stapleton: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-stapleton-6a27724/ Connect with Adriaan Kolff: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adriaankolff/ ___________________________ RSS feed: https://media.rss.com/leaders-in-talent/feed.xml ___________________________ Need a Recruitment Support? Embed Matchr’s expert recruiters directly into your team. Seamless integration for immediate impact on your hiring process. Learn more: https://matchr.io

    38 min
  7. Hiring for Skills, Not Resumes: Olive Turon on the Future of Talent

    07/06/2025

    Hiring for Skills, Not Resumes: Olive Turon on the Future of Talent

    In this episode of the Leaders in Talent Podcast, we sit down with Olive Turon, Head of People and Culture at TestGorilla. Olive shares her eclectic career journey from finance analyst in banking to leading roles at Google Cloud, Academy London, and consulting, before landing at TestGorilla. We delve into the concept of skills-based hiring, a practice that emphasizes assessing candidates based on their proven skills rather than traditional metrics like resumes and education. Olive discusses the benefits of this approach, such as improved hiring success, efficiency gains, and greater diversity. Learn how skills-based hiring can transform your recruitment process and help put more people in their dream jobs. Plus, get insights on implementing this innovative hiring method in your organization. Timecodes: 01:06 Meet Olive Turon: A Non-Traditional Career Path 02:20 Olive's Career Journey and Insights 05:35 The Role of TestGorilla in Skills-Based Hiring 12:26 Implementing Skills-Based Hiring in Your Company 21:58 The Future of Skills-Based Hiring 34:39 Practical Advice for Heads of Talent 37:02 Conclusion and Final Thoughts ___________________________ Connect with us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/matchr/ Get in touch with us: https://www.matchr.io/who-we-are/contact/ ____________ Connect with Olive Turon: https://www.linkedin.com/in/olive-turon/ Connect with Adriaan Kolff: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adriaankolff/ ___________________________ RSS feed: https://media.rss.com/leaders-in-talent/feed.xml ___________________________ Need an External Recruitment Support? Embed Matchr’s expert recruiters directly into your team. Seamless integration for immediate impact on your hiring process. Learn more: https://matchr.io

    38 min
  8. The Future of Talent Acquisition: Strategic, Lean, and AI-Driven | Rory Mullins

    05/11/2025

    The Future of Talent Acquisition: Strategic, Lean, and AI-Driven | Rory Mullins

    In this episode of the Leaders in Talent Podcast, Adriaan is joined by talent acquisition expert Rory Mullins. Rory has led recruitment functions at companies like Uber, Trainline, Wise, and TransferGo. They discuss the evolving landscape of talent acquisition, moving away from large internal teams to more strategic, smaller TA teams supported by external plugins and AI tools. Rory shares insights on cost efficiency, the importance of building strong relationships with finance teams, and the critical aspects of retention. He also talks about the broader impact of modern recruitment methods on the overall people function and the role of AI in transforming recruitment processes. Whether you're a talent leader or aspiring recruiter, this episode offers valuable perspectives on building a resilient, scalable, and strategic TA function. Timecodes: 01:30 Introduction to the Podcast and Guest 02:15 The Shift in Recruitment Models 08:25 The Importance of Finance in Recruitment 11:17 Building Effective TA Teams 14:25 The Role of Data and Metrics 21:39 First 90 Days in a New TA Role 22:12 Meeting the Functional Leaders 22:36 Understanding Team Performance 23:18 Identifying Root Causes 24:21 Creating a Culture of Transparency 26:28 Hands-On Leadership Approach 28:42 The Future of Talent Acquisition Teams 32:01 The Role of AI in Recruitment 34:54 Interim CPO Experience 38:17 Final Thoughts and Advice ___________________________ Connect with us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/matchr/ Get in touch with us: https://www.matchr.io/who-we-are/contact/ ____________ Connect with Rory Mullins: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rorymullins/ Connect with Adriaan Kolff: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adriaankolff/ ___________________________ RSS feed: https://media.rss.com/leaders-in-talent/feed.xml ___________________________ Need an External Recruitment Support? Embed Matchr’s expert recruiters directly into your team. Seamless integration for immediate impact on your hiring process. Learn more: https://matchr.io

    40 min
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About

Leaders in Talent is a podcast for Talent Acquisition, People, and HR leaders who are building modern, scalable, high-impact talent functions. Each episode brings you in-depth conversations with the operators, founders, authors, and practitioners shaping how companies hire, develop, and retain talent. We go beyond theory. Guests share the decisions, playbooks, data, and lessons learned from scaling global teams, implementing new talent technologies, designing employer brands, building recruiting operations, and turning TA into a strategic business function. If you work in talent and are solving challenges around growth, capability, culture, or transformation, this podcast gives you practical insight you can apply today. Real conversations. Real operators. Real lessons.

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