In this week’s B&T Best of the Best, we take a look at the recruiters who place the top talent around the industry in agencies and beyond.
You won’t see all the roles that these recruiters fill being advertised on LinkedIn. Instead, find the most important people for the most important roles because of their softer skills and deep knowledge of people and the industry. These 10 professionals are at the very apex of the industry. However, there are plenty more who just missed out on the top 10.
Coming up next in the Best of the Best series we have Project managers, Data Scientists and media agency Heads of Investment and Trading.
If you know anyone who should be on any of these lists, please email editorial@themisfits.media, and we’ll consider them. You should also check out our most recent Best of the Best Technologists list, featuring names from Publicis, WooliesX, Accenture Song and more.
10 Belinda Lodge, founder and CEO, iPopulate
Lodge founded iPopulate back in 2009 and she has helped place staff in senior roles across adland with her fun and unique approach to LinkedIn job announcements that feature all manner of cute little critters that catch the eyes of potential candidates. She also serves as the deputy chair of RMIT University’s Industry Advisory Committee. Her influence on adland should not be underestimated, either — after posting on LinkedIn “Cannes in Cairns doesn’t really roll off the tongue” the landmark event is returning in 2025 as Cairns Crocodiles.
9. Ryan Kelly, founder and CEO, Creative Natives
Kelly founded Creative Natives in 2019 but thanks to his expertise, the firm has grown rapidly with offices in Melbourne, Sydney and the Gold Coast and 11 employees with deep specialisms in different areas of the industry from creative, design, UX and UI roles to PR and comms roles and account management. Creative Natives is a thoroughly modern recruitment operation that Kelly said stands apart “by listening, being nice and giving a shit”. It also produces industry-leading reports and data on salaries and other workplace issues. It’s also carbon neutral.
8. Dene Gambotto, founder and managing director, iknowho
Gambotto founded iknowho in April 2008 and the firm now has eight experienced recruiters with marketing backgrounds themselves, ensuring iknowho’s clients get the best possible service. Regularly recruiting for account director roles and up for brands including Apple, Nickelodeon, Woolworths, Expedia and The Sydney Opera House. It’s no surprise she and the inkowho team have a trophy cabinet stuffed with recruitment industry awards.
7. Mitch Hoare, founder and CEO, Mitch & Partners
After spending time as a professional rugby player at the turn of the millennium, Hoare founded Mitch & Partners back in 2006, with the firm leading the charge in recruiting exceptional talent for businesses of all sizes. Now Mitch & Partners works with agencies including Innocean, Kaimera and EssenceMediacom, as well as with a number of publishing businesses, placing senior talent in roles spanning every function of these businesses.
6. Nick Williams, founding partner, Williams International
Williams founded his eponymous recruitment firm back in 2004 to become the talent partner he’d always wanted to work with but couldn’t find after spending time as a group account director and new biz boss at Leo Burnett in London and Sydney. Now, he’s regularly placing top talent at agencies across the country and even led the search to bring Ryan Menezes from Starcom to become GroupM Nexus’ chief technology and transformation officer.
5. Anna O’Dea, founder, Agency Iceberg
O’Dea founded Agency Iceberg more than a decade ago and it has become one of the most important recruitment firms in the industry. Regularly releasing resources on salary and culture in different sectors of the industry, as well as headhunting huge names for its clients, Agency Iceberg is a leader in its native Melbourne market and around the country. But there’s more, O’Dea is a regular public speaker and a trusted authority and advisor on workplace matters including culture, diversity and inclusion and anti-bullying initiatives. Plus, she’s a regular judge for the B&T 30 Under 30 and B&T’s Women in Media Awards.
4. Courtney Robertson and Sarah Jones, directors, The Human Co
Robertson and Jones are the directors of The Human Co. Both have significant experience recruiting top talent within agencies, with Robertson having served as national talent manager at Leo Burnett before becoming the head of talent acquisition for the whole of the Publicis Groupe. Palmer, meanwhile, also managed Leos’ hiring, having made the shift from account management. For the last two years, Palmer has also been the acting people experience director for M&C Saatchi. Together at The Human Co, they place leaders and consult on organisation design, DE&I, performance management and L&D.
3. Lea Walker, founder, Mrs Walker
Walker started out her career agency-side, working for Leo Burnett in Sydney and Chicago. Then she swapped account management for executive search, spending two years at Hourigan before heading to Portland to join Wieden + Kennedy as the agency group’s top recruiter. Back in Sydney and having set up shop on her own with Mrs Walker, she has an unparalleled level of expertise and access to these in the industry.
In fact, Magnus Djaba, chief client officer, Publicis Groupe, said she was the “industry at its best”.
2. Karen Taylor, CEO, Hourigan International
Taylor has been with Hourigan International for more than 16 years, serving as its CEO for the last two years. After starting her career as a journalist, she swapped the newsroom for the advertising industry and then swapped adland for a career in executive search.
Recently, she has placed some of the most important C-suite execs into significant roles. For instance, last year, it placed the new Tech Council of Australia CEO and pulled Stuart Tucker, former Hipages CMO, to Hourigan as its newest partner. She also brought Michelle Klein, chief customer and marketing officer at IAG out of the US and Meta back to Australia.
1. Esther Clerehan, founder and CEO, CLEREHAN
Clerehan was number one last year and she’s number one again. Clerehan has been operating in the creative industries for more than three decades, beginning her career at Ogilvy in Melbourne. In 1993, Clerehan founded her eponymous recruitment firm and the rest is history. Her greatest hits include placing then-26-year-old David Droga at Saatchis Asia as its regional ECD. She also got Ned McNeilage and Linda Knight jobs at Wieden + Kennedy in 1994 — the storied agency’s first international creative hires.
But there’s much, much more to Clerehan. She is the OG mentor and meddler at The Aunties, having advised and guided the most powerful women in the Australian creative scene. She is also a prominent speaker and panellist on vital topics including diversity, leadership and career planning. Her extensive involvement with AWARD School since 1993, where she has lectured more frequently than any other industry leader and served on its Council for eight years, highlights her long-standing commitment to nurturing creative talent. That’s why Clerehan is truly the Best of the Best.
Plus, at this year’s Women in Media Awards, Clerehan was awarded the Lifetime Achievement. She gave a stirring speech at the ceremony and a candid interview with B&T’s Aimee Edwards after receiving the trophy.
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