Meet the Representative Committee
Our Representative Committee plays a critical role in ensuring that our strategy and business plans are focused on the needs of our members and support the best interests of the recruitment profession.
The Committee is elected by our membership and elections are held every two years. Any APSCo member can stand for the Committee which comprises 4 permanent members of APSCo staff; elected recruitment members and 1 Trusted Partner member. A Chair is elected by the Committee and usually serves for two years.
The 4 permanent members
Ann Swain
Ann is founder and Global CEO of APSCo, an international trade body representing the professional recruitment sector with operations in the UK, Germany, Australia and across South East Asia.
She has over thirty years’ recruitment experience including time as UK Sales Director of multinational staffing firms and Managing Director of recruitment training company Learning Curve before establishing APSCo in 1999.
In 2009, she was honoured to receive a fellowship from the NSPCC and in 2018, received the prestigious Leadership Award from the Trade Association Forum. Ann currently features in the SIA ‘Global Power 50’ list of the most influential women in international recruitment. She is also one of the select recruitment sector leaders to have made the Staffing Industry Analysts Hall of Fame, which celebrates individuals in the recruitment field whose accomplishments, dedication and drive are making a difference to work today, and to what work will look like in the future.
Ann is an acknowledged thought leader and her articles feature regularly in the national and recruitment media. An award-winning business leader and inspirational keynote speaker, she is also the co-author of the best-selling ‘Professional Recruiter’s Handbook’.
- Twitter:
- @AnnAPSCo
- LinkedIn:
- https://linkedin.com/in/annswain/
Stephen Hill
Stephen joined APSCo as Finance Director in April 2015. Stephen provides strategic financial support and guidance to APSCo both in the UK and internationally.
Stephen qualified with Procter & Gamble in the 1980s and went on to hold a variety of senior positions with the company in the UK and continental Europe. He has over 25 years’ experience as a Finance Director of various international organisations and has spent the last 15 years mainly in the recruitment sector.
- LinkedIn:
- https://linkedin.com/in/stephenhillfd4/
Samantha Hurley
As APSCo's Operations Director, Sam has responsibility for the development of APSCo’s presence and reputation within the UK. She ensures innovation, development and improved delivery of existing and new members services, resources, and engagement through the various delivery teams, and the continuing improvement and development of the operational running of the UK business.
Sam has over 30 years’ experience in the UK recruitment sector, and previously ran APSCo’s legal and public affairs offering. Prior to joining APSCo in May 2013, Sam owned and ran a legal services company and held senior management positions within the recruitment sector.
Moya Rylands
Moya leads both the new member and talent development teams for APSCo. This involves supporting the needs of recruitment firms across the UK in professional staffing sectors and communicating the ways in which APSCo can effectively provide representation and support. Through the talent development team, she is responsible for the ongoing design and delivery of innovative training to meet the evolving needs of members.
Moya brings a passion and enthusiasm for recruitment having spent 30 years in the sector in a variety of operational roles. Prior to joining APSCo in 2012 she ran her own training business
- LinkedIn:
- https://linkedin.com/in/moyarylands/
Elected members
James Wakefield
James is the CEO of RBW Consulting, a highly innovative US, UK and EU-focused life sciences recruitment business with purpose. He was previously Group Head of International for Kernel Global, and CEO of Cobalt Recruitment, where he spent 14 years playing a leading role in transforming the company into an APSCo award-winning international success story.
James started his recruitment career in the City with Michael Page after serving for six years as an Infantry Officer in the British Army. Having commissioned from Sandhurst, he completed multiple operational tours and was awarded a Queen’s Commendation for Valuable Service in Iraq in 2003.
James is a highly active member of APSCo on an international basis. In his spare time, he is also a Director of Morecambe Football Club, proud husband to Christine, and father to Grace and Emily-Jane.
Amy Gudgeon
Amy has spent a third of her life working in recruitment. Initially starting her career within the social work sector, she became well established as a leading recruiter.
In 2016, Amy was fundamental to the creation of the education department for 3D Recruit, with the vision of ‘supporting local’ on a national scale whilst maintaining high quality standards and service. Amy’s focus is always people, where she strongly encourages best practice and promotes personal and professional development for both internal staff and candidates. Her commitment to best practice extends to those across education and social work, representing 3D Recruit at sector meetings, as well as being an active committee member of APSCo Compliance+.
Amy is enthusiastic about women in business and feels that her career is an example of how others can succeed to Board level. She is keen for the voice of SMEs to be heard, as well as supporting the development of the standards and practices within recruitment with a keen interest of how technology will shape the future of the industry. She follows in the footsteps of 3D Recruit’s Chairman and Managing Director, who led the way in setting national standards for safer recruitment.
Barry Cullen
Barry is a solicitor to the recruitment industry and partner at recLAW, a firm of solicitors exclusively geared toward the recruitment industry. The firm covers a full range of legal services including litigation, debt recovery, commercial/terms and employment.
With over 20 years in the recruitment sector, previously as recruiter/agency owner and now as solicitor, Barry's personal specialism is avoiding or resolving litigation including recruitment fee disputes/backdoor hires through education of opponents and court action where required.
As a member of the Representative Committee, Barry ensures Trusted Partners' voices are heard and represent the interests of suppliers across every sector. He is keen to hear ideas to add to his own about how to further improve the benefits of being a Trusted Partner, and he will communicate regularly with the community to that end.
Barry also looks forward to continuing to play an active part in helping to shape the future strategy of APSCo.
- LinkedIn:
- https://linkedin.com/in/barrycullen/
Che Hookings
Che has been an APSCo Chair for the Southwest Business Forum for just over one year and he has thoroughly enjoyed his involvement, whilst taking the opportunity to engage his peers seriously.
Working in many locations across the UK, The Netherlands, Belgium, and the USA during his 26 years in the professional recruitment sector has taught Che many things about international trade, surviving traumatic economic events and keeping ahead of the rapidly evolving technological landscape. However, he now considers the most rewarding part of his role to be utilising his privileged position as a business leader to influence change. We face many challenging scenarios such as climate change, the battle for greater diversity, maintaining competitiveness in a global market or possibly more immediately tangible to our sector, improving the perception of recruitment through ensuring higher standards, better professional development, and compliance. Che believes that as leaders with enthusiastic and well-networked teams, we have a large reach and a significant ability to influence behaviours and opinions across our ecosystems. His role is to try to shepherd that responsibility wisely and sensitively, something which he really enjoys and something Che would relish the opportunity to share as a member of APSCo’s Representative Committee.
Lucy Morgan
Lucy Morgan is Pod Talent’s CEO, and one of the co-founders of the business. Lucy has been working in Supply Chain recruitment for 14 years and is passionate about both recruitment and Supply Chain as industries.
Pod was started to change the negative perception of the recruitment industry - Pod does recruitment in the right way, driven by company values and with people at the heart of everything they do. Pod feels they are doing something right, having won 4 industry awards; and Lucy is most proud of “best recruitment company to work for”.
Lucy became Managing Director in 2020, and after successfully navigating Covid, Pod went on to have their best-ever year in 2021. As an openly gay, non-binary leader, Lucy is a strong advocator for D&I in both the recruitment industry and also Supply Chain. Both industries are under-represented in terms of gender, sexuality, and racial diversity, so Lucy is passionate about doing everything we can to drive change.
- LinkedIn:
- https://linkedin.com/in/lucymorgan/
Mark Baker
Mark began his recruitment career in 1989 and set up Claremont Consulting in 2002. Since then, he has successfully built the business into a global provider of Talent Solutions with offices in London, Europe, USA and Hong Kong by hiring, managing and motivating the right people to help the business grow. Mark his passionate that all of Claremont's business relationships across the globe are built on the firm foundations of trust, professionalism and partnership and that its clients and candidates are getting a world class service every single day.
Mark is also hugely passionate that the Claremont team are able to work in a diverse and inclusive environment and carry that into their external relationships with clients and candidates, and that they can work with autonomy and self-motivation and have no barriers to success. He has a strong belief that Health and Wellbeing also plays a major part in building a successful team and that is something he really focuses on to ensure Claremont has the right environment for people to thrive.
As part of the drive to create a culture of diversity, inclusion, wellbeing, enjoyment and success, Claremont were awarded the ‘5th Best Company to work for in the UK’ and the ‘2nd Best Company to work for in London’ awards in 2022 by Best Companies.
Michelle Palmer
Michelle is the CEO & Founder of TheDifferenceEngine, an international award-winning recruitment business specialising in IT hires.
The first leg of Michelle's career, straight after her Chemistry PhD, was in software engineering and IT management. The second leg of her career has been in business. She founded TheDifferenceEngine more than a decade ago. Today, she partners with corporations and fast growth scale-out business to produce outstanding results.
Highlights over the years include
- Building, from scratch, the European IT team that supports one of the world’s most successful mobility providers
- Consistently top-ranked on Tier 1 corporate PSLs and
- Having the privilege of being retained to help scale-out firms build their leadership “dream teams”, direct & exclusively, through our relationships with some of the world’s very best VC funds, both here and in the States
Outside of the business, Michelle never fails to be inspired and energised by new entrepreneurs in her role as a start-up mentor at Imperial College, London, in support of their community of students and academics. She has also made invaluable connections and friends through her membership of MDSUK, WEConnect and WPO, organisations which throw the spotlight on women and ethnic minority owned businesses, like TheDifferenceEngine.
Michelle has also been engaged in diversity thought leadership and debates in “All Party Parliamentary Committees” that have gone on to inform government policy. She believes APSCo has been an amazing resource as she navigates the business through changes in legislation, business sentiment and priorities. As a smaller business owner, she is delighted to have a seat at the APSCo table to provide a different perspective and a voice to represent others like her.
Rhona Carmichael
Rhona Carmichael was appointed Managing Director UK North & Ireland at Harvey Nash in 2020 after successfully launching, building, and leading the Scotland business from a start-up in 2008. Rhona’s role includes responsibility for Scotland, Ireland, Newcastle, Manchester, Leeds, and Nottingham.
Rhona is heavily involved in a variety of initiatives to encourage more females to consider a career in technology, as well as supporting disadvantaged groups into employment. She has worked to advise some of the UK’s most successful organisations on talent attraction, retention, and workplace culture - from start-ups that became unicorns to well-known brand names and digital and technology teams shaping the public sector.
With a career spanning over 20 years in Technology & Digital recruitment, she has worked for privately owned companies, PLCs and private equity backed businesses. Living in Scotland, Rhona hopes to bring a bit of geographic diversity to the Representative Committee.
- LinkedIn:
- https://linkedin.com/in/rhonahutchon/
Richard Harris
Richard is the Chief Legal Officer of Robert Walters Group and is responsible for all legal services worldwide. Before joining the Robert Walters Group in 2011, Richard was a technology lawyer at a leading London law firm before moving in-house. He focused on B2B transactions with blue-chip and government partners in the online gaming, media & telecommunications sector. He also was Chief of Staff to Resource Solutions (also part of the Robert Walters Group), working on delivering central group functions (HR, IT and finance).
Richard is passionate about the recruitment industry and what it can become. This is his second term on the RepComm; the first term was dominated by the complexity of navigating the pandemic, furlough, Right to Work checks, the return to the office, and not to forget IR35. He was also heavily involved in APSCo's input on the new Outsource Guiding Principles - a step forward to a better relationship between agencies, RPOs, and MSPs.
Diagnosed with dyslexia at a young age, Richard is resolute and committed to making the workplace as fair and accessible as possible to those with disabilities. He is a regular speaker on Diversity & Inclusion matters especially involving Neurodiversity and Mental Health in the workplace.
Richard also regularly contributes to legal publications and websites on various legal and management issues. Richard is Company Secretary and Advisory Board member of the Raphael Row Foundation, which aims to work with those who administer prison systems throughout the world and inspire them to abolish dehumanising, degrading and dangerous practices.
Richard is a graduate of the College of Law in Guildford and holds a degree in Sociology from the University of Surrey.
Sachin Ruparelia
Sachin is the CEO of Camino Partners. The only specialists placing all non-sales roles within the recruitment sector, they recently celebrated their 10th company birthday. Thus, Sachin is uniquely placed within the sector; he can highlight and educate the value non-sales functions add to all recruitment businesses.
Having been on the committee for the last two years, Sachin will continue to provide a consultative service to all APSCo members. With a wealth of knowledge from his own career and experience running a business, but also from his network of recruitment clients, Sachin can provide key insights into the sector.
Sachin is also passionate about diversity and inclusion within the sector and is keen to play a part in highlighting and promoting diversity.
- LinkedIn:
- https://linkedin.com/in/sachinruparelia/
Terry Buckel
Terry is the founder and Chairman of Astute, having established the business from scratch in 2006. Starting out in a 1-man office, he successfully grew the business to over 50 people by 2020.
A former Royal Navy Engineer, in 2001 he started his career in Recruitment. With 16 years in business and 21 years in recruitment, Terry has seen the good, bad, and downright ugly of the industry. Having been through a recession, splitting from business partners and resolving numerous employment/client issues, there isn’t much he hasn’t seen and thus has a great deal of experience and knowledge to give back.
A champion of “good recruitment practice”, valuing people, respect and honesty, Terry is focused on ensuring that his staff are treated well and given real opportunity including best-in-class L&D, resulting in excellent customer service and quality, always learning and not afraid of change.
Continuously advocating the use of advanced technology including AI and big data, Terry believes he has a good understanding of most challenges facing APSCo members and can add a positive contribution to APSCo’s future direction. Most importantly, he wants to ensure that recruitment is done properly, and that the industry is viewed professionally.
- LinkedIn:
- https://linkedin.com/in/terrybuckel/
Thomas Way
Tom Way is currently the Managing Director for the UK and Ireland region at SThree PLC, the only global pure-play science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) recruitment specialist.
Having been at SThree for more than 14 years, Tom has built successful teams in the UK & Ireland, the US and Continental Europe, placing STEM experts in executive, permanent, and contract positions. This work has changed people’s lives for the better and has been core to SThree’s strategy and long-term success.
In his previous role as SThree’s Head of Life Sciences for Europe, Tom was responsible for maximising the growth and profit opportunities within the European life sciences sector for the company. In October 2019, Tom took up his latest post as the Managing Director for the UK and Ireland, with the region remaining a strategic priority for SThree.
As market trends shift, and STEM skills become ever more prevalent across the UK and the rest of the world, Tom and his team are helping to build communities of talent and to future-proof people’s careers while providing our customers with their most valuable asset - people.
Yvette Cleland
Yvette Cleland CEO of Cpl Life Sciences, a global staffing firm and division of Ireland's most successful recruitment companies, Cpl Resources Plc.
In 2019 and again in 2020, Yvette was nominated by Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA) as one of the top 50 most powerful women in staffing globally. After eight years working in the pharmaceutical sector, she moved to professional staffing and combines knowledge of both life sciences & staffing in her work at Cpl.
In 2012, she joined Clinical Professionals to scale the business for acquisition, drive growth and expand the brand portfolio and global footprint expanding into the US in 2017. Under her leadership the business was successfully acquired, launched the award-winning Graduate Academies and CEO/CMO Biotech summits and was involved in the UK apprenticeship trailblazers.
In 2019, she wrote a Parliamentary Review on life science skill shortages and her passion is addressing the growing skills gaps in life sciences.
- LinkedIn:
- https://linkedin.com/in/yvette-cleland/