The way businesses hire is changing.

With tighter budgets, shifting priorities and increasing pressure to move quickly, many organisations are looking beyond permanent recruitment to find the skills they need.

But when should you hire on a fixed-term contract? When does an interim specialist make more sense? And where do freelancers fit into the picture?

In this episode of Stopgap Talks, Stopgap consultants Zoe Vannozzi and Lara break down the differences between FTC, interim and freelance hiring, helping marketing leaders and hiring managers understand which solution is right for different business challenges.

Whether you're covering maternity leave, delivering a transformation project, scaling a team quickly or simply need specialist expertise, this episode provides practical advice to help you make confident hiring decisions.

In this episode, we discuss:

🎧 The differences between FTC, interim and freelance roles—and when to use each

🎧 The advantages and challenges of every hiring option

🎧 Common misconceptions about flexible hiring

🎧 How businesses can access specialist skills without committing to permanent headcount

🎧 What marketing professionals should consider when choosing a contract, interim or freelance career

🎧 The current hiring landscape and what employers are looking for

🎧 Practical advice for hiring managers planning their next recruitment

Whether you're hiring your next marketer or considering your own career options, this episode will help you navigate today's increasingly flexible talent market with confidence.

Connect with our speakers

• Zoe Vannozzi Lead Consultant, Stopgap Recruitment
• Lara [Surname] Principle Consultant, Stopgap Recruitment

✨ Follow Stopgap Talks for practical conversations on marketing careers, recruitment, leadership and the future of work.

What does it really take to build a successful business when there's no safety net?

For leaders of small businesses and independent agencies, every decision carries weight. Every hire matters. Every client relationship counts. And the culture you create isn't something delegated to HR - it's something you live every day.

In this episode of Stopgap Talks, Amanda sits down with Richard Morris, Founding Partner of Whistlejacket, to explore the realities of building and leading an independent creative agency.

Having spent more than 20 years in senior leadership at global network agency DDB, followed by five years as CEO of Identica, Richard made the leap to launch Whistlejacket over a decade ago. The conversation explores what changed when the safety net disappeare, and the lessons he's learned about leadership, hiring and creating a culture where people can do their best work.

Whether you're a founder, hiring manager or business leader, this episode offers practical insight into building resilient teams and creating workplaces where creativity and commercial success go hand in hand.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why running a small agency is fundamentally different from working in a large network
• Why every hire has a bigger impact—and how to spot the right people beyond the CV
• The leadership lessons nobody tells you before you start your own business
• How curiosity fuels creativity, innovation and better client work
• Why Whistlejacket encourages its team to seek inspiration beyond the workplace
• The story behind Green With Envy and why celebrating great work matters
• Unlimited holiday, trust, and what Richard learned about creating a healthy culture
• Practical advice for founders and leaders building teams without the luxury of a corporate safety net

Connect with our speakers

Richard Morris Founding Partner, Whistlejacket 🌐 www.whistlejacket.studio 🔗 LinkedIn

Amanda Mc Carthy Consultant, Stopgap Recruitment 🌐www.stopgap.co.uk 🔗LinkedIn

✨ Follow Stopgap Talks for practical conversations with marketing, creative and business leaders on hiring, leadership and the future of work.

What does a high-performing team actually look like, and how do you build one in a way that feels human, not forced?

In this episode of Stopgap Talks, Sarah Windsor is joined by Matt Turner - founder, speaker and coach - to explore the reality behind building teams that deliver both performance and meaning.

Drawing on his experience scaling Clownfish Events into an award-winning business known for its exceptional culture, Matt shares honest insights into what truly drives team success; from leadership behaviours and trust, to the small, everyday actions that shape how people work together.

Through a mix of practical advice and storytelling, this conversation brings to life what great culture looks like in practice.

In this episode, we discuss:

• What high-performing teams really look like beyond the buzzwords
• Why culture is built through daily behaviours - not just strategy
• The small actions that have the biggest impact on team performance
• The role of leadership in shaping (or breaking) culture
• How to build trust, clarity, and accountability within teams

Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Music.

Connect with our speakers

Matt Turner: Founder & Entrepreneur - Connect on LinkedIn | Website | Youtube

Sarah Windsor: Principal Consultant, Stopgap - Connect on LinkedIn | Website

✨ Follow Stopgap Talks for more open, practical discussions about marketing careers, leadership, and life at work.

Customer experience is one of the most talked-about areas in modern business, but despite the buzz, many organisations still struggle to translate it into meaningful, measurable impact.

In this episode of Stopgap Talks, host John Hunt is joined by Charlie Sim, Partner at The Foundation, for a practical and thought-provoking conversation on what good customer experience actually looks like - and why so many businesses get it wrong.

Drawing on his experience helping organisations become truly customer-led, Charlie shares how companies can move beyond surface-level CX initiatives and embed customer thinking into the way their business operates, from strategy and structure through to day-to-day decision-making.

Together, John and Charlie explore the realities behind “customer-led growth”, unpacking the common mistakes organisations make, how different business models shape CX thinking, and where responsibility for customer experience should really sit.

In this episode, we discuss:

• What “customer-led growth” means in practice, and how it drives better business outcomes
• The most common mistakes organisations make when trying to improve customer experience
• Why CX often fails to move beyond presentations and into real behavioural change
• How different operating models (product-led, brand-led, sales-led, etc.) shape the way companies approach CX
• Where customer experience should sit within an organisation, and why it works best as a cross-functional effort
• A real-world example of a CX transformation project, what changed and what made the difference
• Charlie’s career journey into CX, and advice for marketers considering a move into the field
• The key skills and experience needed to build a career in customer experience today

Whether you’re a marketing leader looking to strengthen your organisation’s customer focus, or a professional curious about moving into CX, this episode offers clear, practical insight into one of the most important - and often misunderstood - areas of modern business.

Connect with our speakers:

John Hunt, Senior Consultant, Stopgap Recruitment. Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-hunt-2562ab4/

Charlie Sim, Partner, The Foundation. Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charliesim1/

✨ Follow Stopgap Talks for more open, practical conversations on marketing, customer experience, and building high-performing teams.

In a world where AI is reshaping the recruitment landscape, one question keeps coming up: what happens to the human touch?

In this first roundtable episode of Stopgap Talks, our Leadership Team explore why human connection is still the most powerful part of the recruitment process; for candidates, for clients, and for the long-term health of employer brands.

Together, they dig into:

• Why they chose recruitment in the first place
• What they love about working with candidates and clients
• How AI is helping and where it’s harming the hiring experience
• Why conversations reveal more than any CV or algorithm ever could
• And how human insight strengthens employer brand and improves hiring outcomes

From understanding personality fit and motivations, to guiding clients through market trends, to helping candidates navigate interview highs and lows, this episode is a reminder of why recruitment, at its best, is both a craft and a partnership.

If you’ve felt the frustration of “the silent process”, struggled with AI-driven screening, or simply miss speaking to a real human during job searches, this episode is for you!

Stepping away from your career to have children can be one of the most meaningful and life-changing experiences — but returning to work afterwards often brings a mix of emotions: excitement, uncertainty, and sometimes, self-doubt.

In this Stopgap Talks episode, hosts Sarah Windsor and Zoe Vannozzi open up an honest and compassionate conversation about what it really feels like to return to work after maternity leave — and how both employees and employers can make the process smoother, more supportive, and more empowering.

Drawing on their own experiences and years of helping marketing and creative professionals navigate career transitions, Sarah and Zoe explore everything from the practical steps to take before you go on leave, to the emotional adjustment of returning to a new version of working life.

In this episode, we discuss:

• What to prepare before going on maternity leave — from policies and finances to planning your return
• How to manage the confidence dip that often comes with re-entry into the workplace
• The importance of flexibility and open communication between employees and employers
• Practical tips for balancing new parenthood with professional ambition
• How hybrid and flexible working have reshaped what returning to work can look like
• The positive side of change — how maternity leave can spark reflection, reinvention, and personal growth

Whether you’re planning maternity leave, returning from it, or managing someone who is, this conversation offers real insight, empathy, and practical advice to help you navigate one of the biggest transitions in modern working life.

Connect with our speakers:

• Sarah Windsor, Principal Consultant, Stopgap Connect on LinkedIn
• Zoe Vannozzi, Lead Consultant, Stopgap Connect on LinkedIn

✨ Follow Stopgap Talks for more open, practical discussions about marketing careers, leadership, and life at work.

Hiring your first Product Marketing Manager (PMM) can feel like a leap into the unknown. What skills matter most? How do you avoid chasing unicorns? And why does capability matter more than job titles when scaling niche roles?

In this episode of Stopgap Talks, Sarah Windsor, Principle Consultant at Stopgap, is joined by Hattie The PMM, founder of productmarketers.com and a leading voice in the global product marketing community.

Together, they unpack the challenges and opportunities of making that all-important first PMM hire—and share practical insights for hiring managers, founders, and marketers navigating this evolving role.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why PMM is still misunderstood—and what that means for hiring
• The biggest mistakes companies make when recruiting their first PMM
• The core capabilities that matter most (and why industry experience isn’t everything)
• How PMMs can build careers that accelerate fast—sometimes into six figures in just 2–4 years
• The rise of PMM in Europe and the role of AI in shaping its future

Whether you’re hiring, scaling, or building your PMM career, this is a must-listen.

In this episode of Stopgap Talks, host Amanda McCarthy sits down with Grace French, Director and Head of Culture at Stand, to explore what it really takes to build an employer reputation that goes beyond the surface.

Employer brand isn’t just a marketing exercise—it’s lived and experienced every day by the people inside your organisation. Grace shares her perspective on -

• What a “good” culture looks like and how to sustain it as businesses evolve
• How to create genuine advocates who embody your values
• The risks of neglecting culture—and how brand reputation can be damaged if internal and external messages don’t align
• The role of purpose and values in attracting (and retaining) top marketing talent
• What hiring managers should be thinking about in 2025 and beyond

Whether you’re leading a team, hiring talent, or building culture, this conversation is packed with insight for anyone looking to strengthen their employer brand from the inside out.

Connect with our speakers:

• Grace French – Director & Head of Culture, Stand - LinkedIn | Website | Contact | Stand on LinkedIn
• Amanda McCarthy – Consultant, Stopgap Recruitment | Connect on LinkedIn

In this episode of Stopgap Talks, host Amanda McCarthy is joined by Sara Tidy, a confidence and career reinvention coach who helps people rebuild after redundancy and other major career setbacks.

Redundancy can shake more than just your job title—it can challenge your identity, self-worth, and confidence. In this honest and uplifting conversation, Amanda and Sara explore how to navigate the emotional impact, reframe your mindset, and take practical steps toward a stronger, more confident future.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why redundancy still carries so much emotional weight
• How to move beyond shame and see it as a career pivot, not a setback
• The early steps to take when rebuilding your confidence
• How to approach interviews after redundancy with clarity and self-belief
• Real-life stories of surprising and positive career reinventions

Whether you’re facing redundancy, supporting someone through it, or simply curious about building resilience in your career, this episode offers hope, perspective, and actionable advice.

Connect with our speakers -

• Sara Tidy - Career, Confidence and Communications Coach. Visit Pear Tree Coaching or connect on LinkedIn.
• Amanda McCarthy - Consultant, Stopgap Recruitment Connect on LinkedIn

Follow Stopgap Talks on Spotify, Apple or Amazon Music to never miss an episode. And if something in this conversation resonated—please share, comment, or drop us a message.

For too long, menopause has been treated as a taboo subject—whispered about, misunderstood, or completely ignored in the workplace. But what if we saw it differently? What if menopause wasn’t the end of something, but the beginning of a new phase of empowerment, clarity and strength?

In this episode of Stopgap Talks, our Lead Consultant Kate Boston speaks with Michelle Vaughton—Founder of VOLT Consultancy, holistic performance coach, and former People Development Director—about why it’s time to reframe the conversation around menopause at work.

Michelle brings over 30 years of experience leading cultural transformation across industries. With a background in both business strategy and wellbeing (she’s also a qualified yoga teacher), Michelle takes a holistic approach to people performance—and she’s passionate about building inclusive cultures that work for everyone.

Together, they explore:

• What menopause actually is—and why perimenopause can be so destabilising
• How the stigma around ageing and loss of relevance still persists in the workplace
• What organisations risk when they don’t support menopausal employees
• Practical, empowering ways to go from coping to thriving during this life transition
• What employers can do to create inclusive, menopause-informed workplaces
• Tips for supporting yourself—physically, mentally and emotionally—through change

Whether you’re going through menopause yourself, supporting someone who is, or leading a team—this is a conversation for all genders and generations. It’s time to break the silence, shift the story, and build careers (and cultures) where no one gets left behind.

Connect with our speakers -

• Michelle Vaughton Founder, VOLT Consultancy Connect on LinkedIn
• Kate Boston Lead Consultant, Stopgap Recruitment Connect on LinkedIn

Follow Stopgap Talks on Spotify, Apple or Amazon Music to never miss an episode. And if something in this conversation resonated—please share, comment, or drop us a message.

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