Meet Alison Humphries
Alison Humphries
Honorary Fellow of the Recruitment & Employment Confederation |
Fractional Non-Executive Director | Board Advisor | Executive Coach |
Training Specialist | Author | Podcast Host | Event Commentator |
Awards Judge | REC Examiner
Who is Alison Humphries?
With nearly four decades of experience, Alison Humphries is a distinguished recruitment industry leader and advisor.
As an Oxford graduate and Fellow of the UK’s recruitment professional body (REC), Alison combines deep market expertise with a hands-on, people-first style. From leading teams and launching new divisions at listed companies, to being a sought-after consultant and coach, her boutique consultancy Recruitment Leadership Ltd has helped hundreds of agencies maximise performance, enter new markets and prepare for sale.
Alison is known for cutting through complexity with clear guidance – a no-nonsense approach that consistently delivers measurable improvements. She is equally at home in the boardroom or on the training floor, and is praised for being both approachable and highly strategic in her advice.
Alison’s contribution to the industry doesn’t end there – an in-demand speaker and awards judge, she is also the host of The Recruitment Leadership Podcast and a co-founder of Women In Recruitment Leadership.
Values & Approach
Strategic & Profit-Driven
Alison is known for her clear-eyed focus on profitable growth. She keeps “an eye on profitability rather than vanity metrics,” ensuring every initiative boosts the bottom line. Her advice is always tied to concrete business outcomes.
People-Centred
Alison believes great leaders build great teams. She emphasises leadership development and staff engagement, helping businesses triple billings and dramatically raise performance through effective training.
Bespoke & Hands-On
No off-the-shelf fixes. Recruitment Leadership delivers face-to-face, customised consulting that aligns with each client’s unique culture and DNA. Alison works closely with owners and managers, acting as an integrated partner rather than a distant advisor.
Straightforward & Supportive
Alison’s style is both warm and no-nonsense. She speaks candidly about challenges but always in the service of practical progress, making complex issues easy to address.
Why Work With Alison
Recruitment leaders partner with Alison to unlock growth and sanity in their businesses. Among the reasons top firms seek her counsel:
Scale Their Recruitment Business
Alison has a proven track record of helping recruitment businesses grow; recently, she added £3m to a client’s gross profit, and she led another through a successful £20m+ trade sale.
Enter New Markets & Launch New Services
In advisory roles, Alison has helped firms break into new markets and achieve extraordinary profit gains – for example, boosting a client’s gross profit by 350% in three years.
Increase Efficiency & Productivity
Working with recruitment businesses facing challenges in these areas, she has been instrumental to them turning around their outlook, with £10m gross margin gains achieved across her clients in the last 10 years.
Boost Profitability
She has personally negotiated major contracts (worth over £200 million) with global clients like RBS, IBM and Boots.
Upskill Their Team Or Grow As a Leader
A skilled and knowledgeable Alison not only helps her clients with training, she also knows how to make the learning stick. As Chief Examiner for the REC, you can be confident that her guidance is industry-leading.
Tap Into Alison’s Expertise
With nearly 40 years immersed in recruitment (including executive roles at top agencies), Alison brings current, comprehensive knowledge of the market. She understands compliance, technology, and client demands at a senior level, allowing her to spot opportunities and risks others might miss.
Ready to transform your recruitment business?
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