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REC Podcast: Talking Recruitment
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A regular podcast featuring the leading thinkers from across the recruitment and business world
Meet our host, Neil Carberry
Neil Carberry was appointed as Chief Executive of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation in June 2018 having been managing director at the Confederation of British Industry, leading the CBI’s work on the labour market, skills, energy and infrastructure. In 1999, Neil began his career in recruitment working for executive search firm Fraser Watson before doing a post-graduate degree in Human Resources at the London School of Economics and joining the CBI in 2004. He is a Chartered Fellow of the CIPD and a Fellow of the RSA. He is a member of the council of the conciliation service ACAS and a former member of the Low Pay Commission, which recommends UK minimum wages. A three-time nominee to the SIA staffing100 in Europe, he is also on the board of the World Employment Confederation, Total People and a primary academy trust in Oxfordshire. Neil is an RFU qualified rugby coach and is one of the 8000 co-owners who made Heart of Midlothian the UK’s biggest fan-owned football club.
*The views expressed by guests on the REC's Talking Recruitment podcast are not those of the REC and reflect the individual's personal opinions.
Welcome to our 2026 series
Episode 87: The human advantage: what recruiters need in an AI world
AI is transforming recruitment, but technology alone won't create better hiring outcomes. As automation takes care of more administrative tasks, the value recruiters bring is becoming even more human.
In this episode of Talking Recruitment, REC Chief Executive Neil Carberry is joined by Laura Tressler, Managing Director, Access Recruitment, and Dominic Waters, Director, Paul Waters Associates, to explore what clients really want from recruiters in an AI-enabled world.
From improving hiring decisions and reducing the risk of costly bad hires to preparing for employment law changes that place greater emphasis on getting recruitment right first time, the discussion explores why technology should support, not replace, human judgement. The guests also examine how recruiters can use AI to remove administrative burden, strengthen client relationships and become more strategic advisers.
In this episode, you'll hear about:
- Why trusted advice is becoming more valuable than transactional recruitment.
- How AI can automate administration while creating more time for meaningful conversations.
- The importance of getting hiring decisions right first time as employment rights evolve.
- Why strong recruitment processes and effective assessment reduce the risk and cost of a bad hire.
- How recruiters can use technology to enhance, rather than replace, human judgement.
- The skills recruitment leaders should be investing in for the future.
Host: Neil Carberry, Chief Executive, REC
Guests:
- Laura Tressler, General Manager, Access Recruitment
- Dominic Waters, Managing Partner, Paul Waters Associates
Exclusive ERB Episode
Episode 61: The Employment Rights Bill exclusive with Justin Madders MP
In this exclusive episode of the Talking Recruitment Podcast, Neil Carberry sits down with Justin Madders MP, Minister for Employment Rights, Competition and Markets, for a timely conversation exploring the Government’s employment agenda and the future of work in the UK. With the Employment Rights Bill on the horizon and his recent fireside chat at RECLive25, this episode offers a front-row seat to the thinking behind the proposed reforms and what they mean for the recruitment industry.
Speaker: Justin Madders MP, Minister for Employment Rights, Competition and Markets
More episodes
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Enjoying our podcasts? Why not join Neil's live webinar to discuss the big issues affecting our industry?
View our 2025 schedule of Neil's Talking Recruitment webinars and book your place early.
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