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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.
With skills shortages continuing across the UK, could employers be overlooking a huge pool of talent?
In this episode of the Talking Recruitment podcast, REC Chief Executive Neil Carberry is joined by Neil Wood, Chief Operating Officer at the Fair Chance Business Alliance, and Simon Blockley, CEO UK & Europe at HeadFirst Global, to explore the business case for fair chance hiring.
There are 9.6 million working-age people in the UK with a criminal record, yet misconceptions, outdated recruitment practices and concerns about risk can create barriers to employment. The guests discuss how employers can widen their talent pools while making informed hiring decisions, and why fair chance hiring is about smart workforce strategy as well as social impact.
They also explore the Fair Chance Business Alliance’s Unite 1K campaign and the role recruiters can play as strategic advisers, helping clients rethink traditional hiring criteria and access overlooked talent with confidence.
In this episode, you'll hear about:
Host: Neil Carberry, Chief Executive, REC
Guests:
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
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View our 2025 schedule of Neil's Talking Recruitment webinars and book your place early.
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