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Hi, I'm Ben

Fractional & freelance recruiter for UK teams.

Senior hiring help, without the full-time hire.

I run your hiring end to end, from role intake and market insights to sourcing and offer negotiation. 44 of my last 49 hard-to-fill roles filled, usually within 30 days. I slot into your talent acquisition team, or become your team of one.

Free job ad review.

11 recommendations Search 200+ roles I've hired

Teams I've hired for

ASICS Nike Booking.com MR MARVIS Otrium bloomon Harver Homerun INDG and Grip Innatera
A real recruiter

Not an AI recruiter.

Ben standing outside the MR MARVIS office in Amsterdam
On site
Ben under the ASICS 'Sound Mind, Sound Body' sign
EMEA HQ
Ben speaking on a panel about hiring
On stage, talking hiring
Ben presenting to a team at LevelUp
Presenting at LevelUp
A startup office in Amsterdam with an orange wall
Startup day in Amsterdam
A bright coworking space at SPACES
Day in SPACES
The SwipeGuide office with its blue logo wall
SwipeGuide first day
Ben with two colleagues at a desk
Working within a recruitment team
A group of developers gathered around a screen
Startup developer hiring
View over a laptop into a startup office on a first day
First day at startup
Ben in a chef apron plating Sunday roasts
My old workplace 🧑‍🍳
Ben at his home office holding The First 90 Days
At my desk
15
years in recruitment, half NL, half UK
300+
hires, from intern to CEO
30+
successful projects, startup to corporate
<30
days, my usual time to hire
44/49
of my last roles, filled
Recommendations

In their own words.

"He had a huge impact in the organisation, including the team, who learned from Ben …"
Raquel Peña AlonsoDirector of Talent, ASICS EMEA
An owner's view
"No pile of CVs, no guesswork. Just the right people, presented at the right time."
Mark KranenburgOwner, Upsmart
Startup
"Ben's not your typical recruiter: he brings a deep understanding of startups, challenges hiring managers (in a good way), and knows the type of people that fit well over here."
Gerben MeyerCTO, Resumedia
Scale-up
"Ben helped us scale our engineering team in the summer of 2024, exceeding our hiring expectations while keeping our cost-per-hire impressively low."
Arkaitz GarroGroup CTO, ISH
A candidate's view
"His approach was refreshing, the conversation was pleasant, no-nonsense and personal."
Chris SnijderCTO, Locus EU
Read all 11 See them on LinkedIn
What I hire

Have I hired your role before?

200+ different roles at startups, scale-ups and corporates, from a CTO in Amsterdam to a brewer in Yorkshire. If I've done yours before, it'll likely be a faster start. Try it.

How I work

A typical hire in ~4 weeks.

Stage 01 of 08 · Week 1

Kick-off

What you get

    Transparent all the way through. You see what I'm doing, what's working and what isn't, in a rhythm that fits your team.

    Why me

    Why am I different?

    Flexible and fractional

    • Part of your recruitment team, or your solo recruiter.
    • I run 1 to 20 open roles at a time, from brief to signed offer.
    • Scale me up or down as hiring changes.
    • My wife Libby (Colourfox) is a recruiter too, which helps with capacity 😉

    A proper toolbox

    • 15 years of sourcing, now sharpened with the latest AI tools.
    • A 13,000-strong candidate network across the Netherlands and the UK, in every job function.
    • Structured, tried-and-tested interview notes, with AI transcription on for fairer, more inclusive decisions.
    • A pool of 300+ candidates per role, left behind for your next hire.

    An HR brain

    • I've been Head of People, scaling a startup from 8 to 35.
    • I know Dutch and UK employment law.
    • 15 years of working with hundreds of tough hiring managers.
    • An HR lens on every hire.

    Agency, in-house or me?

    Comparison of an agency, an in-house recruiter and Ben
    What you getAgencyIn-house hireBen
    A talent pool left behind for next timeNoYesYes
    Builds your employer brandNoYesYes
    Understands your culture and businessRarelyYesYes
    Objective advice, even when it means saying noNoYesYes
    Flexible, turn on and offYesNoYes
    HR and recruitment advice in oneNoNoYes
    How you pay20 to 25% of salaryA full salaryFreelance or fixed fee

    Companies rarely need a full-time recruiter, especially startups. No cure, no pay? Yes, I do that too. It costs a bit more, but it's low risk.

    Founder? Startup hiring is different, here's how I set it up →

    Hiring something tricky?

    Tell me what you're hiring for and I'll come back with a rough plan.

    Working together

    Ways to work with me.

    Freelance

    Interim Recruiter

    4 to 40 hours a week, as part of your TA team or your solo recruiter.

     Fixed fee

    Single Search

    One role, start to finish. No cure, no pay: the risk sits with me.

     For close clients

    HR as a service

    For some of my close clients, I also provide HR as a service.

    Want my pricing?

    Drop your email and I'll send it over, usually the same day.

    Book a call WhatsApp