SmartRecruiters has announced the appointment of Rebecca Carr as its new Chief Executive Officer, transitioning from her role as Chief Product Officer. “Rebecca not only knows our company and culture inside and out, but also has the visionary leadership and technology expertise to build for this new future in talent acquisition”, said Jerome Ternynck, SmartRecruiters Founder and Chairman.
From CPO to CEO
Rebecca Carr, a seasoned product leader with over 15 years of experience in the recruiting and HR technology space, transitions from her role as Chief Product Officer to drive corporate strategy and advance SmartRecruiters’ industry-leading talent acquisition technology. Her appointment also includes joining the company’s Board of Directors.
“Businesses today face unprecedented challenges in hiring, requiring technology that can adapt and evolve to meet the complex needs of recruiters and hiring managers”, said Jerome Ternynck, SmartRecruiters Founder and Chairman. “Rebecca not only knows our company and culture inside and out, but also has the visionary leadership and technology expertise to build for this new future in talent acquisition. We look forward to having Rebecca continue to expand our global leadership position as we help enterprises worldwide attract and retain top talent.”
A vision for the future of hiring
In a 2023 interview with Recruitment Tech, Carr emphasised the importance of speed and quality in hiring. “Speed is important, especially in our core customer profiles of retail, manufacturing, healthcare, high tech, where every day means that they can’t deliver revenue back to their business because they might not have a candidate in seats.”
“Most talent acquisition technologies haven’t caught up to the demands their customers face, forcing these organisations to support a web of disparate systems and data silos.”
Now, as CEO, Carr reiterates this vision. “Talent professionals now need to hire faster and smarter. Most talent acquisition technologies haven’t caught up to the demands their customers face, forcing these organisations to support a web of disparate systems and data silos.”
Embracing AI and innovation
SmartRecruiters has been at the forefront of integrating AI into recruitment processes. In our previous conversation, Carr revealed several AI initiatives, including candidate matching, AI Copilots for task automation, and the use of generative AI for creating job descriptions and reports.
As CEO, Carr plans to double down on these innovations. “As we embrace this challenge with customers both old and new, SmartRecruiters is better positioned than ever to solve for these challenges through cutting-edge innovations such as integrated AI and intelligence, simplified user experiences, and robust APIs.”
Holistic approach
One of the key philosophies Carr shared in our 2023 interview was SmartRecruiters’ company-wide view of the hiring process. “Hiring is critically important to every single person in the organisation,” she stated. “And therefore, we should build company products for companies, not just for recruiters.”
