The ITAs are adjudicated by an independent panel of Leading TA Professionals, Previous ITA Winners, and Industry Experts.
Five Judges will assess each nomination against the award criteria, with the Winner announced at the ITAs Gala Event.
*It is important to note that no judge will be assigned to adjudicate on a category where they (or any business they are associated with) have an affiliation. The ITAs are committed to the complete integrity of the awards.
Let’s meet our Judges.
Regional Director APAC – Smart Recruiters – MAJOR SPONSOR
The majority of the time it doesn’t feel like a job to Rich because he is incredibly passionate about people, process, technology and transformation around talent.
Rich has worked in the HR & Recruitment industry for 15 years and has had the pleasure of working for organizations of all shapes and sizes that were open to change and digital transformation around HR and talent acquisition strategy.
Rich’s passion for technology whilst working in this space has allowed him to explore how we can embrace and utilise technology for better experiences, efficiencies and results.
Rich is excited by the “Future of Work” and how we are all either working in or walking towards a world where AI, machine learning and automation will be used everywhere for the greater good.
Founder and Managing Director – TQ Solutions
Living in Melbourne, Australia, Gareth is best known for his role of Managing Director of TQSolutions, a market leading consulting and advisory business solving client’s talent and workforce challenges. He is also a co-founder and Director of The Career Conversation, an early stage micro-learning services business focused on developing human skills for early career and professional workers. In his consulting work with TQSolutions he advises enterprise customers on their talent and workforce strategy; the design and development of service and operating models; and the selection and implementation of HR and Talent technology. Gareth is deeply passionate about optimising the talent lifecycle, from initial talent attraction and employer branding through to talent and workforce mobility, development and retention. He is hoping to shift corporate and leader mindset towards talent, enabling them to become ‘talent makers’ rather than ‘talent takers’, and ultimately moving to a world of high value talent engagement and mobility.
General Manager – ATC Events
Jo works with the talent community to improve the way that everyday people are hired, a flow on effect that impacts most of the working population of Australia.
Jo explores talent and workforce trends around the world, reviews and share in-house talent stories and help to launch new Talent Tech Start-ups as part of her work as Curator and Host of the Australasian Talent Conference.
Her journey through Recruitment, Learning & Development, Career Coaching, Psychometrics to Talent Events began in 1998 but it is the challenges and opportunities of today’s market and workforce that has never been more exciting.
Founder of BoldHR™
Rebecca has over 20 years experience in Talent and is an expert on mid-level Leadership.
Formerly Head of Talent and Careers for Australia Post Group, she has been instrumental in developing the culture, capability and careers for literally thousands of people. Rebecca is an AHRI Talent Strategy and Golden Quill award-winner as well as the best-selling author of IMPACT: 10 Ways to Level Up your Leadership. She is a member of the British Psychological Society and a SAFE Agile Program Manager. She is also the architect of Level Up, the only program of its kind dedicated to busy B-Suite Leaders.
Known for her practical, generous and no-nonsense style, clients rave about her ability to gain cut-through, build trust, and support impact.
Rebecca works at the individual, team and organisational level to enhance their impact. Rebecca is the mentor, facilitator and advisor of choice to international brands such as Clarins, Heinz, as well as to a range of Government Departments and Universities in Australia
Co-founder of ATC Events,
ITA’s Winner 2022- Lifetime Achievement Award
It’s difficult to think of many people who have made a bigger contribution in this country to recruitment and talent acquisition than Trevor Vas. But like most of us, he didn’t start life in recruiting, but as a qualified accountant before becoming an IT Recruitment Consultant over 30 years ago.
For the last 20 years, he has led the way in TA & Recruitment consulting in Australia and NZ. The ‘who’s who’ of companies have had their TA operating model and strategy designed by Trevor.
Many people in our industry owe a lot to Trevor. He has always been Avery generous with his time and guidance, and he has helped build many of the amazing TA careers we see across the country today.
By creating the largest Talent Acquisition Conference in the region in the mid 2000’s our industry was transformed to a level of professionalism not previously seen. There wouldn’t be many TA professionals who haven’t been to the ATC.
Co-founder, iSTEM Co. and DEIR Board Director, Women in STEMM Australia. Winner, Emerging Leader in STEM for the 2022 Women’s Agenda awards.
Dr Morley Muse is an entrepreneur with a Chemical, Environmental and Renewable Energy Engineering background. She holds multiple leadership positions, including being a board director for Women in STEMM Australia, an Advisory Group Member for the Elevate: Boosting Women in STEM Program with the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering, an executive committee member with Science Technology Australia, an Energy Reference Group member with Jemena Energy, and a member of the RISE Expert panel with Diversity Council Australia.
Dr Muse has been recognised for her outstanding contributions to advancing women in STEM, She received the 2022 Women’s Agenda Emerging Leader in STEM award and was a finalist in the 2022 Victoria University Alumni Awards. She continues to break barriers as a finalist in the CEO/Board Executive category in the 2023 Recalibrate Gender Equity Awards.
As the co-founder of iSTEM Co., Dr Muse champions women’s employment in STEM, earning accolades such as a finalist in the 2022 Women in Digital Awards and a Merit award winner at the 2023 Tech Diversity Awards. Her latest venture, DEIR, a revolutionary recruit-tech platform combating recruitment bias using technology and soon-AI, garnered recognition, winning the Lift Women social impact award and the 2023 Equity in Innovation Award at the Start-up Burning Heroes Competition. Dr Morley Muse stands as a beacon for diversity and innovation in the STEM landscape, combining traditional expertise with cutting-edge recruitment solutions
Dao- Founder & CEO- ROI AI
Having spent 10 years recruiting and leading recruitment teams, Chris established Prominence, the region’s first dedicated Recruitment Marketing Agency in 2014. Fast forward ten years and he is now CEO of marketing automation business Roi-AI.
A serial entrepreneur and public speaker Chris loves discussing new ways marketing and technology can positively influence our talent community. He is inspired by people that break the mould and try to make things better.
Founder – Talentrich & The Circle back Initiative
Steve Gard was an In-house Head of Talent Acquisition for over 12 years prior to starting his own TA Strategy & Consulting business, Talentrich in 2019. He then launched The Circle Back Initiative in the middle of the COVID pandemic in July 2020 after seeing the stress and anxiety job seekers were experiencing.
He has over 20 years recruitment experience and extensive experience in leading major transformations of in-house Recruitment strategy, process & capability for Global organisations.
CEO – Employer Branding Australia
Mark Puncher is a Dad, a CEO and a big fan of gin. He’s spent much of the last 22 years with one hand in marketing, the other in talent attraction and engagement, and both feet in leadership. He has run marketing or employer branding operations in the APAC and the UK for organisations including Guardian News & Media, DMGT Group and Hanson Wade. Mark lives and breathes employer branding, employee experience and culture shaping. When he isn’t doing that, his current hobbies include 5am dance offs, organising playdates and trying to find food his kids will eat. He also has strong beliefs about the importance of wine.
See Mark introduce what he does and why in a short video at employerbrandingaustralia.com
Rachel Hill brings over 30 years of expertise in Recruitment and Talent Management. As the Managing Director of Hill Consulting HRS, she’s a trusted advisor known for enhancing organisations’ capabilities in Talent Acquisition (TA) and Recruitment Strategies. Passionate about Diversity & Inclusion and candidate experience, Rachel’s mission is to “Recruit Better.” Her leadership drives innovation, uplifts internal capabilities, and shapes industry practices. With a compassionate approach and commitment to excellence, Rachel inspires positive change, leaving an indelible mark on the Recruitment and Talent Management landscape.
Head of Talent Acquisition- Bechtel Group
Everyone’s favourite Irish export & adopted Aussie, Tracy has been working in TA & Recruitment for just over 2 decades both here & overseas in companies large & small, in-house & agency. In her current capacity as Global Head of TA Operations for Bechtel Corporation, what keeps Tracy energised is the fact that no two days are ever the same in our world & she is still motivated by that passion to connect people to jobs & careers that they love. Connecting, learning & all things TA Industry also led her to co-found the Brisbane Recruitment Meet Up Community last year which goes from strength to strength buoyed by a flourishing Queensland talent community.
General Manager- TQ Solutions
Nadine is the General Manager of People Solutions & Organisational Excellence at TQ, Australia’s leading Talent Consulting business. TQ solves complex talent and workforce challenges across hiring, careers and work.
Nadine is a powerhouse in talent acquisition transformation. She’s a passionate advocate for the industry, regularly sharing her perspective on how HR functions and talent leaders navigate the tight talent market employers are in right now, develop leadership influence, and embed a talent mindset by taking a ‘top-down’ approach. Nadine is seen as a thought leader around topics that are shaping the TA industry and a fierce advocate for senior female leaders in the industry.
Head of Talent Attraction- KPMG Australia
Rob is a high impact HR Executive with deep transformation expertise working as a strategic partner with senior executives and Board Members. He has broad ranging experiences from Technology Consulting and HR backgrounds that provide commercial outcomes aligned to HR priorities focused on the experience of the people they touch. Rob is recognised as an innovative and energetic leader with a passion for the joint success of the team.
Head of Talent Acquisition ANZ & Global Talent Sourcing Leader- Toll Group
Jess has spent almost 18 years within talent acquisition with some amazing brands including Toll, CBA, AMP, GE, Cisco and Thales, building, scaling, and leading strategic sourcing functions.
Having been an early adopter of recruitment technology, Jess started early in the world of proactive sourcing and thinking about different ways to identify and engage talent, well before the concepts of strategic sourcing had become mainstream.
Jess has built strategic sourcing functions from scratch which enabled organisations to significantly reduce recruitment costs including cost per hire, improve quality of new hires, reduce time to fill, reduce external recruitment agencies, right through to building proactive talent communities of critically aligned talent for future recruitment.
One of Jess’ core skills and passions is designing and operationalising talent sourcing functions and models and really designing talent solutions that solve for today’s challenging talent environments.
Jess is a true leader in the Talent Acquisition and Sourcing space.
Co-hosts – TaPod podcast
TaPod understands that the world of ‘Talent’ is serious. So they talk to serious people. But they also blend it with story-telling, humour and a hint of self-deprecation.
TaPod combines over 40 years of industry experience and what they don’t know they get a guest in to explain. Simple.
Both Lauren and Craig come from a strong background in recruitment and business. With key-note speaking experience and published content in the TA space they are widely viewed as experts in the ever-changing recruitment landscape.
Lauren & Craig bounce off each other to get to the ‘nitty gritty’ of the issues facing the TA community.
