Antonio Papa

Established Netiro partnership to provide bespoke executive search and cultivate long-term client relationships. Placed high-quality candidates across diverse roles, including MDs, CMOs, and Animation Heads. Collaborated with clients to develop talent pipelines aligned with strategic objectives, ensuring long-term success.

• Developed and maintained strong relationships with clients, understanding their unique requirements and providing tailored recruitment solutions.
• Conducted in-depth interviews with candidates, assessing competencies and cultural fit for specific roles and organisations.
• Facilitated negotiation processes between clients and candidates, achieving agreeable terms for both parties.
• Handled sensitive information with discretion, building trust with clients and candidates alike.

• Partnered strategically with senior hiring managers to implement recruiting best practices, delivering consultative expertise that enhanced decision-making capabilities and developed internal hiring competencies
• Led interim TA operations across EMEA markets, serving as primary point of contact for European talent acquisition team while executing full-cycle recruiting for all organizational levels and disciplines
• Managed complex international recruiting requirements across London, Spain, Dublin, and Turkey markets, collaborating with Sr. Global TA Manager and Legal teams to ensure full compliance with local employment legislation
• Championed inclusive recruiting initiatives focused on global talent sourcing strategies, maintaining high-touch service approach that strengthened relationships with business stakeholders, candidates, and cross-functional partners
• Optimised candidate experience by managing onsite interview logistics and contributing to process improvement initiatives and global recruiting projects
• Ensured integrity and compliance across Greenhouse ATS and related TA tools, supporting operational excellence during global process harmonisation efforts
• Drove special projects and improved documentation, including social media content creation.

• Appointed to develop client relationships and led executive-level searches across Games, Metaverse and Esport sectors.
• Mandated by business leaders and investors to source and place management, senior leadership, and c-suite talent into innovative, future-focused businesses in the UK, Europe, and the USA.
• Managed entire recruiting process, communicating with applicants, interviewers and hiring managers from search to onboarding.
• Developed and implemented targeted recruitment strategies for clients in the Games industry.
• Clients: Epic Games, Hardball Games, Build A Rocket Boy, Ubisoft, Rebellion, Next-Gen Dreams, Strategic Alternatives LLC, BM Digital, Forcefield, Gameforge, Denstu Gaming, Bandai Namco Mobile etc...
• Executed talent acquisition strategies to identify and attract top candidates.
• Conducted executive search for senior leadership roles in various industries.
• Developed business development initiatives to expand market reach.
• Conducted recruiting efforts to source qualified candidates for open positions.
• Formulated recruitment strategy to attract diverse talent pools.
• Oversaw account management tasks to ensure client satisfaction and retention.
• Engaged in business-to-business (B2B) activities to foster partnerships.
• Managed business relationships to cultivate long-term partnerships.
• Oversaw people management practices to enhance team performance.
• Engaged in networking activities to build professional connections.
• Delivered high level of service to customers in effort to build upon future relationships.

• Led a team of five in global roles and implemented new tools and processes to address coordination errors and reporting gaps.
• I was tasked to implement a new set of rules and processes during COVID, coaching my team through a difficult and confusing time.
• Despite this challenge, I closed extremely hard to fill roles that had been unfilled for 200+ days.
• 1st Recruitment hire for Build A Rocket Boy prior to my appointment all recruitment had been executed by the Studio Head and HR Manager, with dependence on over 16 Recruitment Agencies with a spend of £500,000 per annum.
• My first port of call was to reduce both of those numbers by 50%.
• Hands on recruitment with a high growth business - targeted to grow the business by 100% in 2 Years.
• Introduced robust enablement processes, including ATS (Greenhouse).
• Introduced data-driven focus on recruitment with robust enablement processes, emphasising time to hire and effective reporting.
• Built and Managed a team of Recruiters, Coordinators and Sources, to enable them to surface the best possible candidates for high priority positions.
• Managed relationships with over 20 stakeholders and hiring managers; identified candidate shortage areas and developed effective forecasting plans.
• Reported monthly on employee retention, candidate effectiveness and staffing forecasts to improve department planning.
• Relocated candidates from around the globe and implementing change management to the visa process during COVID & Brexit.
• Revised our onboarding procedure to meet with our high velocity of recruitment.
• Conducted benchmark research on compensation and benefits within the games industry to inform recruitment strategies.
• Oversaw onboarding process for new hires, ensuring smooth integration into the company and facilitating early engagement.
• Developed HR strategies and initiatives, aligning with overall business strategy.
• Managed recruitment budget, optimising spend across various sourcing channels to achieve cost-effective hiring solutions.
• Managed full recruitment cycle, from job posting and sourcing to interviewing and offer negotiation, enhancing candidate experience.

• I was the 1st Recruiter for EPIC in the UK, The first 6 months was a wild departure from what I had done previously.
• I focused on hiring technical staff and supported marketing and sales roles.
• To get the results the business needed, I led a team of sources.
• Contributed to a heavy-hitting recruiting team that connected talented candidates with their new home at Epic Games.
• I managed the International recruitment effort based out of our London office.
• I covered US, Europe, Korea, Japan & Australia.
• Delivered exceptional candidate experience that reflected Epic's commitment to quality and community engagement.
• Built and managed relationships with candidates and hiring managers, prioritising positive experiences and developing technology candidate pipelines to achieve team hiring objectives.
• Partnered with hiring teams to build effective sourcing, assessment, and closing approaches with an ability to manage customer/partner expectations through a deep understanding of return on investment.
• Articulated in writing a plan with deliverables, timelines and a formal tracking process.
• Interviewed candidates within the framework of the position specification and Epic Games Leadership Principles.
• Possessed a strong ability to screen, interview and prepare a candidate slate within an appropriate and consistent timeline.
• Managed a full-cycle recruiting process with a focus on strong hiring manager partnership and candidate advocacy.
• Trained hiring managers on effective recruitment strategies.
• Sourced, evaluated, and closed candidates in technical, creative, and business roles.

• I worked predominantly within the fashion retail industry headhunting internationally for Creative Marketing, Digital, Buying & Merchandising, Sale and Sports Marketing.
• My role was to direct source and deliver of all senior hires, typically Head of level, CEO & MD- I mapped the industry to help my clients target the best senior talent in Europe.
• Clients: VF Corporation, Zalando, LVMH, MATCHESFASHION.COM, TOPSHOP, C&A, Alpinestar, Tommy Hilfiger, Nike, Adidas, Puma and more…
• Contributed to the senior management team in a leading recruitment agency with offices across London, Paris, and the United States, headquartered in New York City.
• The business provided dedicated recruitment services for its clients internationally which included retained executive search.

• Secured PSL status with companies including ASOS, Net a Porter, and Arcadia within first 3 months, expanding client portfolio significantly.
• Promoted to lead the entire team across retail & media pitching, securing and educating new clients with developed sales skills.
• Launched the media offering within Freedom's newly formed digital division.
• Head hunted to launch the media section within the marketing department.
• Recruited and managed a team of four consultants, set budgets, and conducted one-on-one meetings.
• Negotiated advertising prices on various job boards.
• Freedom Digital is a specialist recruitment consultancy purely focused on working with the best Digital Sales and Marketing talent in the market.

• Media

• Hospitality

• Media