In this episode of Talent Matters, Ellie Cree, Managing Director at Savvy Recruitment, shares how her journey from junior recruiter to qualified therapist to MD shaped her people-first approach to leadership.

Ellie opens up about leaving Savvy to go travelling, training in psychodynamic therapy, and returning to help run the business with honesty, empathy, and a clear focus on personal growth.

We talk about:

• What a people-first recruitment agency looks like in practice

• How therapy informs Ellie’s approach to managing people and placing candidates

• Why honesty and transparency are more powerful than KPIs and "smile while you dial"

• What success really means and why bigger isn’t always better

• How to reframe recruitment as a vehicle for achieving personal goals

If you're in recruitment, leadership, or just figuring out what meaningful work looks like, this one's for you.

// ABOUT ELLIE CREE

Ellie is the Managing Director at Savvy Recruitment, a people-first agency specialising in the creative and media space. With a background in psychodynamic therapy, she blends empathy and honesty into every part of her leadership style, supporting her team to achieve their personal goals while building long-term, values-led client relationships.

// ABOUT WAVE

⁠⁠Wave⁠⁠ is the candidate attraction solution for recruitment agencies. Source high-calibre candidates faster and hassle-free. Build and grow a high-performing recruitment website. Buy and manage your job board contracts with ease.

Marketing in recruitment isn’t just about making things look good. It’s about driving real business results.

But what happens when you’re a one-person marketing team managing multiple brands, juggling content, data, tech, and strategy all at once?

In this episode of Talent Matters, we sit down with Gemma Garcia Gamble, Marketing Manager at Murray McIntosh, to talk about the realities of being a full-stack marketer in recruitment.

From balancing strategy with execution to proving marketing’s value in a sales-driven industry, Gemma shares how she keeps things running, the tech and tactics that actually work, and why recruitment agencies need to stop treating marketing as an afterthought.

What to expect in this episode:

• The biggest challenges of being a solo marketer in recruitment
• Why one-off marketing efforts don’t work and what to do instead
• How to track the right data (without drowning in vanity metrics)
• The role of content and partnerships in recruitment marketing
• AI, tech stacks, and how to make marketing more efficient

If you’re a marketer in the recruitment space, or just want to understand how marketing can actually drive revenue, this episode is for you.

// ABOUT GEMMA GARCIA GAMBLE

Gemma Garcia Gamble is the Marketing Manager at Murray McIntosh, leading marketing across four specialist brands. A full-stack marketer with experience in SaaS, recruitment, and manufacturing, she specialises in data-driven, tech-focused marketing that aligns with business goals and drives results.

// ABOUT WAVE

⁠Wave⁠ is the candidate attraction solution for recruitment agencies. Source high-calibre candidates faster and hassle-free. Build and grow a high-performing recruitment website. Buy and manage your job board contracts with ease.

In this episode of Talent Matters, Dave Jenkins sits down with Ashby Jenkins, CEO of Ashby Jenkins Recruitment, to discuss the challenges facing recruiters in 2024. From the pressure to lower fees to the growing role of AI, Ashby shares her insights on what it takes to run a successful, relationship-led recruitment business.

She breaks down why cutting fees can backfire, how recruiters can improve their sales approach, and why building long-term client trust is more important than ever. Ashby also offers a candid take on AI’s impact on hiring and what recruiters should be doing to stay ahead.

What to expect in this episode:

• Why lowering recruitment fees can be a costly mistake
• The key to building genuine, long-term client relationships
• Why recruiters struggle with sales and how to fix it
• AI in recruitment. Opportunity or threat?
• Lessons from running a recruitment agency since 2018

This episode is packed with valuable insights for recruiters, agency leaders, and anyone navigating today’s competitive hiring landscape.

// ABOUT ASHBY JENKINS

Ashby Jenkins is the CEO of Ashby Jenkins Recruitment, a boutique agency specialising in fundraising, marketing, and operations roles within the charity sector. With a background in corporate fundraising, Ashby brings first-hand industry experience to her recruitment approach. She and her team pride themselves on being relationship-led, acting as true partners to their clients and candidates.

// ABOUT WAVE

Wave is the candidate attraction solution for recruitment agencies. Source high-calibre candidates faster and hassle-free. Build and grow a high-performing recruitment website. Buy and manage your job board contracts with ease.

In this episode of Talent Matters, Dave Jenkins sits down with Suzie Butler, Communications Director at Philosophy Education, to dive into the fast-paced world of education recruitment. Suzie shares her journey from being a supply teacher to shaping recruitment strategies that help schools find the right staff, often at a moment’s notice.

Discover the unique challenges of education recruitment, from the increasing demand for teaching assistants to the critical role agencies play in keeping schools running smoothly. Suzie also sheds light on why education recruitment thrives in an office-based environment, the impact of SEO and digital strategies, and how LinkedIn is evolving as a tool for hiring in the sector.

What to expect in this episode:

• Why education recruitment operates at breakneck speed
• The growing demand for teaching assistants and SEN staff
• How supply teachers navigate last-minute bookings
• Why LinkedIn isn’t the go-to platform for education recruitment
• The impact of SEO and digital job boards on hiring
• How recruitment agencies have become essential partners for schools

This episode is packed with insights for recruiters, educators, and anyone interested in the future of staffing in education.

// ABOUT SUZIE BUTLER

Suzie Butler is a qualified and experienced primary teacher who now specialises in education recruitment. As the Communications Director at Philosophy Education, she supports teachers and school staff in finding the right roles while ensuring schools get the high-quality talent they need.

With extensive experience in training, resourcing, and career development, Suzie is passionate about helping education professionals take the next step in their careers.

// ABOUT WAVE

⁠Wave⁠ is the candidate attraction solution for recruitment agencies. Source high calibre candidates faster and hassle-free. Build and grow a high-performing recruitment website. Buy and manage your job board contracts with ease.

In this episode of Talent Matters, Dave Jenkins sits down with Chris Everitt, co-founder and director of Techfueld, to explore his journey in building a successful recruitment business. Chris shares how he and his team scaled Techfueld globally, the importance of client retention, and why being a consultative recruiter is key to long-term success.

Discover how Chris and his business partner turned their vision into reality, the lessons they’ve learned in managing people, and the role of marketing and industry events in creating a standout recruitment agency. Chris also opens up about his stance on remote work, the potential of AI in recruitment, and what’s next for Techfueld.

What to expect in this episode:

This episode is packed with actionable insights and advice for anyone in recruitment or looking to build a business in a competitive industry.

// ABOUT CHRIS EVERITT

Chris Everitt is the Co-founder of Techfueld, with over 5 years of experience in automotive technology recruitment. Specialising in ADAS, Infotainment, Connectivity, Software, and Electrification, he helps Tier 1s, start-ups, and OEMs scale teams globally. Known for his transparency and expertise, Chris is passionate about his niche and stays engaged through global travel and industry events.

// ABOUT WAVE

Wave is the candidate attraction solution for recruitment agencies. Source high calibre candidates faster and hassle-free. Build and grow a high-performing recruitment website. Buy and manage your job board contracts with ease.

In episode 307, Wave CEO and Founder, Dave Jenkins sits down with Simon Malpass of TRS Media to debate the reoccurring question of, are job boards are dead? The conversation delves deep into the relevance of job boards, the impacts of AI on recruitment, and some practical tips on how to improve job board ROI.

Before founding TRS Media in 2022, Simon spent over 20 years in recruitment, including 6 as an Account Director at Totaljobs and Jobsite, working with agencies of all sizes, helping them purchase and optimise the right advertising. Now, Simon focuses on helping recruitment agencies maximise their advertising using a data-driven approach, leveraging their own data to achieve better results with less.

Wave attracts more candidates to recruitment agencies like yours. Our products, WaveTrackR (candidate sourcing tool), WaveSites (recruitment websites), and WaveMedia (job board management) provide a full-scale solution for candidate attraction, offering recruitment agencies a complete set of tools.

In episode 306, Wave CEO and Founder, Dave Jenkins sits down with Richard Caldicott of Caldicott Consulting to discuss the top things that recruitment agencies get wrong about IT. From robust CRM system to the future impact of AI on the recruitment industry, this episode is a goldmine for recruitment business owners looking to optimise their tech stack, enhance security, and prepare for the future.

With over 20 years IT experience and over 8 specifically in the recruitment sector, Richard is passionate about leveraging the power of technology to help recruiters and recruitment business work smarter not harder, providing end-to-end IT and Technology consulting.

Wave attracts more candidates to recruitment agencies like yours. Our products, WaveTrackR (candidate sourcing tool), WaveSites (recruitment websites), and WaveMedia (job board management) provide a full-scale solution for candidate attraction, offering recruitment agencies a complete set of tools.

In Episode 305, host Dave Jenkins sits down with Holly Langley, founder of ReStack and Automation Station, to discuss the complexity of recruitment technology, common pitfalls in tech adoption, the importance of continuous training, and the role of automation in making businesses more profitable.

Holly is one of the leading voices in recruitment technology, known across the industry as a trusted source of ideas and information. With a background in Recruitment Operations Management, Holly established RE:STACK to save clients time and money by maximising the potential of their existing technology. Whether the focus is on winning more clients, streamlining operations, training a high-performance team, or increasing revenue, she specialises in optimising recruitment agencies for success.

Wave attracts more candidates to recruitment agencies like yours. Our products, WaveTrackR (candidate sourcing tool), WaveSites (recruitment websites), and WaveMedia (job board management) provide a full-scale solution for candidate attraction, offering recruitment agencies a complete set of tools.

In episode 304, Wave CEO and Founder, Dave Jenkins is joined by Jade from Branded by Aquila, to discuss how recruitment agencies can build and manage effective sub-brands across different sectors. Jade offers insights on building effective campaigns, the importance of sub-brands, and how to strategically create and manage them.

Jade is a commercially-savvy business leader with a proven marketing track record and a passion for brand strategy. Armed with an Executive MBA and 10 years of recruitment marketing experience, she founded Branded by Aquila, a self-propelling brand and marketing partner that consistently delivers. Having worked her way up from a social media exec to a c-suite marketing professional, Jade works with SMEs seeking sustainable growth through effective and measurable brand and marketing solutions.

Wave attracts more candidates to recruitment agencies like yours. Our products, WaveTrackR (candidate sourcing tool), WaveSites (recruitment websites), and WaveMedia (job board management) provide a full-scale solution for candidate attraction, offering recruitment agencies a complete set of tools.

Episode 303 of Wave’s Talent Matters podcast features Wave CEO, Dave Jenkins talking with RecConnect Co-Founders Simon Lewis and Grant Bristow as they dig recruitment community, leadership and the power of learning.

From recruiter to supplier to RecConnect co-founder, Grant has worked from both angles of the industry for over a decade and a half. With a specialism in marketing and customer service, he brings a unique perspective to the conversation.

Former Sunday Times journalist turned recruitment community leader. As a multi-award-winning business leader, project manager, creator, collaborator, strategist, mentor, and change maker, Simon is passionate about developing people through high performance, psychology and mindset in the workplace.

Wave attracts more candidates to recruitment agencies like yours. Our products, WaveTrackR (candidate sourcing tool), WaveSites (recruitment websites), and WaveMedia (job board management) provide a full-scale solution for candidate attraction, offering recruitment agencies a complete set of tools.