In this episode of RecTalk, Nitin Sharma sits down with Ketan Gajjar, Co-Founder of RPO Arena and host of The Recruitment Curry podcast. If you're in the recruitment industry, you've likely seen Ketan across LinkedIn, the Recruitment Agency Expo, or Elite Leaders — and now he's officially part of the Rectools Recommended Supplier community.

This conversation goes way beyond the usual outsourcing chat. Ketan breaks down the real difference between VAs, outsourcing, and Business Process Management (BPM) using one of the best analogies ever: a curry-house restaurant. 🍛

What we cover in this episode:

• Ketan’s 20-year journey in recruitment & outsourcing, building 500-seat RPO units before launching RPO Arena in 2020.
• Why outsourcing ≠ cheap admin — and why many recruitment leaders misunderstand the model entirely.
• The difference between:
• VAs (task-based)
• Outsourcing (instruction-based)
• BPM (outcome-based, fully mapped processes)
• How RPO Arena grew to 140+ staff, supports UK & US agencies, and embeds offshore experts as real extensions of internal teams.
• Why BPM is the hidden lever for scaling sustainably, improving conversion rates, and removing operational chaos.
• Real personas of clients they help — from 10-person agencies scaling to 30+, to sector-specific businesses in tech, A&F, healthcare, and temp-heavy environments.
• A detailed case study:
• A Manchester tech agency invested ~£5k into an offshore 180 delivery resource and generated £80k+ GM in 4 months — a 12× ROI.
• The truth about India’s outsourcing reputation — communication, training, and why past call-centre experiences create unfair bias.
• How AI is reshaping (not replacing) offshore recruitment support — and why humans + AI is the winning combo.
• Why recruiters fail with outsourcing: distance bias, lack of induction, and unrealistic expectations.
• How RPO Arena handles management, QA, training, and replacement — so recruitment founders don't have to.
• Deep-dive research services (including M&A intelligence), not just CV sourcing.
• What recruiters must stop expecting their consultants to do everything — and how dividing the workflow boosts results, retention, and process clarity.

Who This Episode Is For:

• Recruitment business owners wanting to scale profitably.
• Agencies struggling with talent shortages, inconsistent delivery, or recruiter burnout.
• Founders considering offshore support, VAs, or outsourcing but unsure which model they actually need.
• Leaders who want consistent, process-driven output — not chaos.
• Anyone exploring how AI + human synergy can transform recruitment ops.
• Recruiters curious about offshore delivery but wary of communication or quality concerns.

🔗 Connect with the guest

Ketan Gajjar: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ketangajjar/

Find out more about RPO Arena:

https://www.rectools.io/product/rpo-arena/

🔗 Connect with the host

Nitin Sharma: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nitin-rectools/

Discover recruitment tools and services at Rectools.io:

https://www.rectools.io/

New episodes of RecTalk, Founder Diaries and Talking Talent drop every Wednesday and Friday. Starting next week, episodes will also drop on Monday.

New episodes of The Mixed Grill — the official podcast of the Recruitment Curry Club — drop every Thursday.

https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-recruitment-curry-club/

Listen on another platform: https://rectalk.co.uk/

🔗 Get in touch with these recommended suppliers

Carl Jones — Konquest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carl-jones-66093722/

Ben Fielding — Quinset: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benfielding/

Ross Thompson — Infinity Staff Global: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rossnthompson/

Matt Fox — Exitus Advisory: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-fox-50b10311/

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