Michael Williams

Bank ABC

Head of Talent 

BNY Mellon

EMEA Chief Administrative Officer, Technology Services Chief of Staff, Senior Vice President

EMEA Technology Workforce Transformation Lead, Chief of Staff - Poland & CEE, Associate Director

Recruitment Team Leader, Associate Director

HSBC

Senior Recruiter, UK&CI and Zurich

Various Specialist Recruitment Firms

Senior Recruiter (UK & Europe)

Talent Acquisition Lead ✦ RL100 Member ✦ Views are my own

A results-driven HR and Talent Acquisition professional with International experience. I specialise in aligning people strategies with business goals to fuel growth and performance. With extensive experience in global banking, financial services, and technology, I have a deep understanding of the complexities of talent management, workforce planning, and regulatory compliance within the financial sector.

✔ End-to-End Recruitment Expertise: Successfully hired top talent across Front Office, Middle Office, and Corporate Functions within banking, managing searches at all levels up to Managing Director (MD).

✔ Talent Strategy & Workforce Planning

✔ HR Transformation & Change Management

✔ Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) 

✔ Leadership Coaching & Performance Management

✔ HR Analytics & Data-Driven Insights 

✔ Regulatory Compliance & Risk Management

I am passionate about building future-ready workforces, driving innovation in talent acquisition and HR strategy, and fostering environments where people and businesses thrive.

Head of Talent

Recruitment Lead responsible for all lines of business hiring from entry to Board level, covering Corporate Functions through to the FrontI office. 

2021 Achievements:
→ Recruitment Framework & Governance Implementation 
→ IR35 Lead (Successful HMRC Audit)
→ Reduced time to hire to 41 days

2022 Achievements:
→ ATS Implementation 
→ Talent Management Framework Design
→ Gender Diversity recruitment policy implementation 

2023 Achievements (YTD):
→ Direct recruitment model implementation 
→ Direct Recruitment (91% YTD)
→ Internal Mobility (63% increase YTD)
→ Branding

Key Placements:
→ European Chief Risk Officer, London
→ Chief Risk Officer, Paris
→ European Head of Internal Audit
→ UK MLRO / European Head of Financial Crime
→ European Chief Financial Officer
→ Head of Market Risk & Reporting
→ Head of Credit Risk
→ Head of Enterprise Risk Management 
→ Head of Operations 
→ Head of Business Management
→ European Head of Banking
→ European Head of IT
→ Head of Communications - Europe
→ European Head of Treasury & Financial Markets
→ Business Manager to the CEO, IB

Hannah Yurk

I help HR Managers thrive in global roles, demonstrate their expertise and value, and unlock career growth, by speaking confident and effective English in meetings.

English Specialist for HR Managers | Founder of Speak HR

Newborns, Limited.

- Planning and Project Management
- Time Management & Prioritisation
- Empathetic leadership
- Effective communication through active listening
- Negotiation and conflict resolution
- People Management
- Crisis management and adaptability

Stay-at-Home Parent

British School Verona

Planned, prepared and delivered stimulating and appropriate lessons both in school and off site to adults for Business English, General English and exam preparation. Qualified and worked as a Cambridge Speaking Examiner (FCE, KEY, PET, YLE).

Cambridge Speaking Examiner and English Teacher

Break Into English

Developed the company's range of English language learning content for their blog, Youtube and Facebook through articles, video lessons and social media. Pursued new partnerships with other English learning websites in order to increase the company's online visibility. Built a Youtube video lesson channel with 40+ self-directed videos. Converted potential clients into paying students by teaching free trial lessons.

Online English Academy Manager and Administrator

Stafford House International

Provided exceptional support to both the management and teaching teams by assisting with all aspects of academic management and proactively fostering teacher development through mentoring and training. 

Selected contributions:

* Ensured consistently high levels of positive student satisfaction by conducting monthly and ad hoc student tutorial meetings that offered counselling and support with students' academic aims whilst immediately attending to any issues.

* Delivered ongoing professional development to teachers through formal observations and giving constructive feedback, guidance with DELTA preparation and leading a variety of in-house training seminars. These included 'Authentic Materials in Use', 'The Lexical Approach', 'Differentiation', 'Autonomous Learning' and 'Developing Listening Skills' (also presented at the Stafford House Cambridge conference in 2016). 

* Deputised and performed more senior academic management duties while continuing to succeed in the senior teacher role, leading to an official promotion to Assistant Director of Studies. 

*Trained and experienced in interviewing CELTA candidates, Cambridge exam invigilating.

Senior Teacher and Interim Assistant Director of Studies 

Designed and taught innovative, creative and dynamic lessons to a wide variety of multilingual students of differing ages and levels, taking a special interest in continuing professional development and utilising technological resources. Maintained up-to-date knowledge of current teaching practices by regularly attending professional development seminars.  Shared industry knowledge with fellow teachers by giving workshops and through a mentoring 'buddy' system: engaging in shared reflective discussion about conducted experimental classroom practice.

English Language Teacher

Link School of English in London

Tailored and delivered engaging lessons for small groups and one-to-ones, with a focus on students requiring English for Business purposes and English to live in the UK.

Business English Language Teacher

SELC Education Group

Taught shared multi-lingual classes and elective courses; organised and led a variety of social programme activities for students around Sydney, particularly with a learning focus.

Infinity Media and Communications

Account Manager

Sensometrics

Product Testing Operations Supervisor

BALGOWLAH R S L MEMORIAL CLUB

Catering Supervisor

Is your English stopping you from appearing as the expert HR Manager you truly are?

Let me know if this is you 👇

👉 You prepare a lot for English meetings because speaking spontaneously feels impossible and you’re afraid you won’t find the right words.

👉 You stay quiet in meetings and miss opportunities to share valuable ideas, because you feel like your English is the worst in the room

👉 You don’t perform your job the best because you don’t feel comfortable speaking English, and you feel senior managers don’t have a good impression of you.

If you answered “Yes,” you’re not alone.

Most multilingual HR Managers I meet are facing these exact challenges.

Even if you’ve studied English for years, traditional classes haven’t prepared you for the demands of your HR role.

That’s because most English classes:
❌ Focus too much on grammar or general conversation and vocabulary
❌ Don’t teach the real-world communication skills HR professionals need, like leading discussions, reporting results, or handling tough questions in meetings
❌ Don’t give you enough opportunities to practice SPEAKING!

Because of this, many talented HR Managers miss opportunities for promotions or better-paid positions in multinational companies.

But it doesn’t have to be this way.

Imagine stepping into any meeting feeling confident, prepared, and sure of yourself.

You’re expressing your ideas clearly, contributing effectively, and being recognised as a leader in your field.

You’re thriving in your global role and ready to take on new challenges.

"How am I going to get to that stage?" I hear you ask.

Here’s how:

With my Speak HR Accelerator program, you’ll go from hesitating in English-speaking meetings to confidently demonstrating your expertise in just 12 weeks.

Working with me, you’ll :
✔Develop confidence in your English communication so you stop holding back.
✔Express your thoughts clearly and naturally in English so you sound like the professional you are
✔Manage unexpected questions in meetings without so much anxiety
✔Speak up and lead conversations in meetings so you can demonstrate your expertise
✔Open doors to better roles, promotions, and recognition in your career.

My programs have already helped over 80 HR Professionals to thrive in global roles and achieve their career goals.

Are you tired of holding back in meetings? 
Are you ready to speak with confidence and show your true potential?

Let’s talk.

Send me a message with the words 'Speak HR' and I'll tell you how I can help you.

taplio

The Battle

Michael Williams

Hannah Y.

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