Loxo's 2026 List of Recruitment Leaders to Watch

Modern recruiting doesn’t stand still, and neither do the people shaping the future.

The leaders, setting the strategy. The tacticians, doing the hard work every single day. Those who go beyond "recruitment" and have adopted a true talent advisory mindset.

As technology evolves, client and candidate expectations shift, and markets move faster than ever, a new generation of recruitment leaders is redefining what great looks like.

Because the future of recruiting isn’t being written in boardrooms — it’s being shaped in real time by the people asking better questions, testing smarter ideas, and sharing what they’re learning along the way.

Loxo’s 2026 Recruitment Leaders to Watch are the thinkers, builders, and practitioners we believe are worth following closely this year. They bring sharp points of view, deep industry expertise, and a willingness to challenge outdated norms — all while navigating the constant change inherent to modern recruiting.

We think they're pretty great and worth a follow, so we've curated this list to make it easy for you to do so! 

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This year's list of recruitment trailblazers

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Addison Bolin | Creative People

Follow Addison for insights into growth and strategy — as well as thoughts on recruitment for creative roles in the age of AI.

‍AJ Develos | Cloud Employee

Follow AJ for a data-driven approach to technical sourcing, sourcing software engineering talent from the Philippines, and her deep pulse on the evolving developer landscape.

‍Alan Mait | LEAD3R

Follow Alan for insights on aligning leadership capability with business ambition while navigating shifting risk — and helping companies hire for impact throughout it all.

‍Andrew Cook | Round-Peg Solutions

Follow Andrew for insight into Director-level approaches to customer expectations and market trends, specifically in markets such as Aerospace, Defense, Energy, Medical etc.

‍Andrew Henke | BRIX Recruiting Partners

Follow Andrew for his expertise in high-growth technology and go-to-market recruitment, where he focuses on scaling specialized teams and sharing strategic insights on navigating the competitive landscape of modern talent acquisition.

‍Ashley Alfred | Sage Recruiting

Follow Ashley for her expertise in full-cycle tech recruitment and talent advisory, where she shares actionable advice on navigating the software engineering job market and building authentic, candidate-first hiring processes.

‍Ashley Watson | AC Lion

Follow Ashley for insights into how she optimizes People, Process, and Performance — as well as her innovative strategies in employer branding and her commitment to fostering authentic, human-centric connections in the talent space.

‍Bjorn Gjolme | Capus

Follow Bjorn for a sophisticated perspective on leadership dynamics and the complex hiring needs of the modern enterprise in the Nordic region.

‍Brooke Melidoni | Cloud Employee

Follow Brooke for her unique ability to align brand identity with top-tier human capital and her forward-thinking approach to building modern agency cultures.

‍Chris Rowbotham | Cromwell Banks

Follow Chris for his deep operational insights as Managing Director at Cromwell Banks & RK Group & Fusion People.

‍Chris Vasquez | Quantum Talent Group

Follow Chris for his Investor & founder insights of building world class teams for AI start-ups.

‍Craig Endean | Intech Solutions

Follow Craig to see how he's leveraged his 15 years of recruitment experience with his own start-up.

‍Dan Munn | GlobalCity

Follow Dan for specialist insights in HCM and finance transformation across UK and Europe.

‍Dante Nino | Tiello

Follow Dante for insights on the importance of niching down in recruitment — with his own focus being on Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) recruitment.

‍Daren Jacobs | Olyn Roofing

Follow Daren for his fresh perspective on in-house recruitment at a boutique roofing company.

‍David Sutherland | Cruinn

Follow David for insights on technology leadership hiring, executive search, and building high-performing tech teams.

‍Emma-Louise Kear | ELK Search

Follow Emma for her honest and authentic representation of modern recruitment in the UK.

‍Ferris Aitchison | Techne

Follow Ferris for his refreshing perspective on future-focused, up & coming fields like Future Mobility, Clean Energy Infrastructure, and Battery Development, etc.

‍Fiona McCarthy | Focus 5 Recruitment

Follow Fiona for stories and insights regarding what it takes to run a recruitment agency in the UK.

‍Ged Walsh | Everpool Recruitment

Follow Ged for his proven track record across multiple industries, with a core specialism in Healthcare, Legal, Office & Commercial, Property, Marketing, Engineering, IT, and Telecommunications.

‍Greg Fischer | Well Oiled Machine

Follow Greg for his superior storytelling abilities and his expertise in scaling recruiting agencies through high-performance offshore teams.

‍James Shaw | R2R London

Follow James for insights on his Managing Director role at R2R London, heading up a team of 16 consultants specializing within the senior end of the London recruitment market.

‍Jason Chetram | NY State Solar

Follow Jason for insights on opportunities in the solar and renewable energy industry.

‍Jeremy Jenson | Encore Search Partners

Follow Jeremy for his expertise in headhunting services for tough to find professionals.

‍Lauren Price Adams | Career Innovator

Follow Lauren for her expertise in human-centric recruitment and her focus on building deep, trust-based partnerships between talent and innovative companies.

‍Lexi Jenkins | Emerald Sourcing Group

Follow Lexi for her fun stories and her expertise in executive recruitment within the accounting and finance sectors.

‍Lisa Kennedy | Scudl

Follow Lisa for masterclasses on elite sourcing and high-level recruitment strategy based in Sydney.

‍Luke Campbell | Techne

Follow Luke for insights into the recruitment industry as a co founder and podcast host. Listen to the podcast whilst you’re there too!

‍Luke Grant | Spirehouse

Follow Luke for his expertise in legal recruitment, where he specializes in placing locum, interim, and permanent legal professionals within top-tier firms and high-street practices.

‍Marti Glass | Wayseersguide

Follow Marti for her relevant, authentic and helpful posts about AI in Recruitment, building your own business, and more.

‍Matt Collingwood | VIQU IT

Follow Matt for his unfiltered, straight-talking insights on the recruitment industry and his expertise in scaling VIQU into a multi-award-winning IT recruitment powerhouse.

‍Matt Hannah | SCN

Follow Matt for insights on how to develop strong relationships with hiring managers over the years, and how to be the ‘go-to’ firm to get the job done.

‍Matt Meyerkopf | Hawkeye Search Group

Follow Matt for his expertise in a wide range of specialist disciplines in the ever-evolving permanent, temporary/contract, and deliverables-based recruitment markets.

‍Matt Owens | Instinct Resourcing

Follow Matt for his passion of recruiting, coaching and motivating a hugely talented team of specialist recruiters within Digital Learning, Learning Technology, & E-learning.

‍Mike Jones | Corrigan Bentley

Follow Mike for insights into the building technologies market — and especially for his expertise in Lighting & Electrical Technologies Markets.

‍Mush Ali | One Ten Associates

Follow Mush for his expertise in hiring solutions, career advice and options  for the non investment roles in the fund management industry.

‍Naftuly (Tuli) Kraus | Blackbird Recruiting

Follow Tuli for his expertise in the New York accounting and finance market, where he pairs a high-touch, relationship-driven approach with sharp insights on navigating the complexities of public and private sector executive search.

‍Nick Poloni | Cascadia Search Group

Follow Nick for his focus on making precise connections—understanding each candidate’s unique skills and motivations and aligning them with companies on the leading edge of science and medicine.

‍Nitin Sharma | RecTalk

Follow Nitin for his expertise in recruitment technology and automation, where he shares how to leverage modern tools and AI to streamline workflows and give recruiting agencies a competitive edge.

‍Rey Stoddart | Mass Mutual

Follow Rey for a holistic approach to financial services recruitment, building market knowledge in whatever industry you specialize in, and being a true talent advisor.

‍Ryan Levy | Cruit Recruit

Follow Ryan to learn how a boutique recruitment agency hyper-focused on partnering with high growth startups and innovative companies.

‍Sam Trinder | Trinity Exec

Follow Samuel to learn how to build a strong network of clients and candidates using an open and honest style with transparent communication and a strong consultative approach.

‍Spencer Faudree | Charles Street Talent Advisors

Follow Spencer for his expertise in supply chain, operations, and engineering recruitment, where he acts as a strategic partner to hiring managers by blending AI-powered sourcing with a deep focus on cultural alignment.

‍Susan Thomas | Heyman Associates

Follow Susan to learn more about how an executive search consultant with experience in London, New York, and Hong Kong works.

‍Terri Lecheva | Triton Exec

Follow Terri to dive into her podcast She Who Leads and see for yourself why she was selected as a Management Today 35 under 35 Winner in 2024.

‍Thais Cacador | TechTree

Follow Thais for her expertise in multilingual recruitment and people-centric talent strategy, where she focuses on creating joyful candidate experiences and helping businesses scale through a deep alignment of values and long-term retention.

‍Theodora Savlovschi-Wicks | CluePoints

Follow Theodora for her deep understanding of the cultural and legal nuances across regions, the evolving landscape of the pharmaceutical, devices and technology, biotech and CRO world.

‍Thomas Alascio | Palermo Rhodes

Follow Thomas for his expertise in the "no plan B" approach to headhunting and high-volume phone work, where he shares decades of experience in construction and sales recruitment alongside his passion for mentoring the next generation of elite recruiters.

‍Tim MacMilan | Enable Recruitment

Tim founded Enable Recruitment — follow him for lessons as he leads the Commercial division as a specialist Sales Recruiter, with a strong track record of identifying tech sales talent, from graduate level to executive appointments. (Side note: they're a certified B-corp!) 

‍Torin Dragsbaek | JVT Advistors

Follow Torin for insights on global consulting, scalable hiring solutions, and building high-impact consultant networks.

‍Will Gilbert | Socium Recruitment

Follow Will for information and opportunities in the technology and transformation staffing sectors.

‍Will Grashoff | Will’s Talent

Follow Will for a laugh (like, actually). He does hilarious skits that demonstrate what it's like working in recruitment, all while providing commentary on the ever-shifting landscape of modern recruitment in the age of AI.

‍Zahra Yaquob | One Ten Associates

Follow Zahra for insight into how she attracts the best talent within technology and transformation. We do that through innovative service models, delivered at pace.