Brendon Smith-Westergaard

– Supporting SaaS and technology companies on a project and advisory basis across GTM, leadership and technical hiring. Partnering with founders and executives on hiring strategy, org design and critical searches while exploring my next long-term opportunity

– Joined as Talent Acquisition hire #1 at Series B to build Datamaran's global recruiting engine from the ground up and support rapid growth through Series C. Operated as a hands-on founding recruiter while partnering closely with founders, executives and People leadership to scale AI, SaaS and ESG teams globally – Delivered >55 cross-functional hires end-to-end in year one as sole recruiter, while designing the scalable and sustainable hiring foundations for future growth – Partnered with founders and execs on org design, workforce planning and hiring strategy; led Director, VP, C-suite and NED searches globally – Built and developed an in-house TA team (5 FTEs), operating as a hands-on player-coach and establishing operating standards and capability – Embedded direct sourcing and long-term pipelining as the core hiring model across four global hubs – Transitioned from agency reliance to an in-house model, reducing cost-per-hire and improving hiring quality and speed – Selected and implemented a new ATS end-to-end; introduced AI-enabled tooling to improve signal, efficiency and recruiter leverage – Established data-driven hiring metrics and continuous improvement practices, reducing time-to-hire and increasing predictability – Partnered with Marketing to launch employer branding and referral programmes, strengthening inbound pipeline and candidate engagement

– US SaaS company, leader in visual collaboration (Lucidchart, Lucidspark, Lucidscale) – Hired as the first Talent Acquisition partner outside the US to establish and scale Lucid's EMEA recruiting capability. Owned end-to-end hiring while building the processes, partnerships and brand foundations to support rapid GTM growth across the Amsterdam hub – Delivered full-cycle hiring across Sales, Customer Success and regional leadership roles, personally owning the majority of senior and critical searches – Partnered closely with the EMEA VP Sales, GM and global leaders on workforce planning, org design and hiring strategy – Built and embedded the regional recruiting framework, introducing consistent processes, structured interviewing and data-driven decision-making – Implemented proactive direct sourcing and referral programmes, eliminating agency reliance within six months and materially reducing cost-per-hire – Reduced time-to-fill to under 30 days while improving candidate experience, DEI outcomes and offer acceptance rates – Led employer branding initiatives across LinkedIn, Glassdoor, RepVue and local events to strengthen awareness and inbound pipeline – Hired and developed the first regional recruiting support, operating as a hands-on player-coach – Acted as the EMEA-US bridge across Talent, People Ops and leadership to align hiring plans and execution globally

– Discovery platform start-up offering hybrid TA solutions to the video-games industry. – Served as lead contact for partner studios including Sony, Xbox Studios and Jam City, advising on growth, operations and product-market hiring strategy.

– Partnered as an external recruiting consultant to SAP | Sony PlayStation (SIE) | Xbox Game Studios (Microsoft) | Additional SaaS & technology organisations delivering executive, tech and GTM hiring while embedding closely with leadership teams – Built the foundations of my recruiting career across global enterprise and high-growth technology environments, delivering executive, technical and GTM hiring at scale. Owned complex searches across engineering, product, commercial, corporate and leadership functions while partnering closely with senior stakeholders and hiring managers. – Progressively expanded scope from individual delivery into early team leadership and recruiting operations, developing a sourcing-first, consultative approach and the stakeholder credibility that continues to underpin my work today.