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Heidi Eckersley
Regional Talent Acquisition Leader UK&I, Europe, Africa and The Middle East at Kantar
Professional Background
Heidi Eckersley is a seasoned recruitment professional with a rich history of shaping and leading talent acquisition strategies across various regions, including the UK, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Currently serving as the Regional Talent Acquisition Leader for Kantar, Heidi has effectively utilized her extensive expertise in the field to develop streamlined recruitment processes that align with the organization's strategic goals. Her leadership in recruitment operations has made a profound impact on her team and the organization overall.
Heidi's career at Kantar has been marked by several key roles, including her previous position as Global Head of Operations - Talent Acquisition, where she directed the global talent acquisition strategy, implemented innovative recruitment solutions, and optimized operational efficiency. Prior to this, she excelled as the Head of Recruitment Operations for EMEA and America's, demonstrating her ability to navigate complex international labor markets and effectively manage diverse teams.
Her journey began as the Head of Talent Acquisition for the UK and Ireland, where she laid the groundwork for successful recruitment initiatives that significantly enhanced Kantar's employer brand. With a commitment to fostering a culture of inclusivity and excellence within recruitment practices, Heidi was instrumental in driving positive change that reverberated throughout the organization.
Before joining Kantar, Heidi sharpened her recruitment acumen as an Associate Director at Circle Square Talent, where she collaborated closely with clients to provide tailored talent acquisition solutions. Additionally, her role as Senior Recruiter / Account Manager further developed her skills in client management and strategic recruitment planning.
Education and Achievements
Heidi Eckersley’s academic background is as impressive as her professional portfolio. She holds a Bachelor of Arts with Honours from the prestigious University of Arts Bournemouth, where she honed her skills in communication and creative thinking. Following her undergraduate studies, Heidi pursued a Master of Arts (M.A.) degree from Kingston University, delving deeper into areas that have bolstered her strategic approach to talent acquisition and organizational development.
Her educational achievements, combined with her practical experience, have equipped her with a unique perspective on the challenges and opportunities in recruitment and talent management. Heidi's dynamic approach and commitment to professional development underscore the valuable knowledge she brings into her roles.
Achievements
Heidi has made a significant impact throughout her career at Kantar and Circle Square Talent. Her most notable achievements include:
- Developing and implementing scalable talent acquisition strategies that have improved recruitment turnaround times and candidate quality.
- Leading high-performing teams across multiple geographies, resulting in enhanced cohesion and collaboration in talent sourcing.
- Establishing frameworks that have driven diversity and inclusion in recruitment, aligning with best practices and corporate objectives.
- Articulating Kantar's employer brand in the market, thereby significantly increasing both the quantity and quality of applicants.
Her dedication to the field of talent acquisition is evident in her ongoing pursuit of excellence and her commitment to mentoring the next generation of recruitment professionals. With her extensive experience handling international recruitment needs, Heidi continuously sets the standard for operational efficiency and strategic thinking in the industry.
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Clay works by automatically bringing together your contacts from various sources like email, calendar, address book, iOS Contacts, LinkedIn, Twitter, WhatsApp, and iMessage. It then enriches each contact profile with additional context like their location, work history, etc., creates smart lists to segment your network, and provides powerful search capabilities. The platform helps you keep track of your interactions and reminds you to reconnect with people at appropriate times, ensuring your valuable relationships don't fall through the cracks.
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Clay offers tiered pricing options to suit different needs. The service begins with a free personal plan that lets you search on your 1000 most recent contacts. Clay offers a Pro Plan ($10 when billed annually) with unlimited contacts. Clay for Teams starts at $49/month/seat. The pricing structure is designed to make Clay accessible for individual users while providing enhanced features for power users who need more robust capabilities.
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Clay is considered the best personal CRM and team CRM on the market. Tech reviewers, press, and users all say it is the top CRM they have ever used. Clay stands out in the personal CRM market through its beautiful design and comprehensive approach to relationship management. While many competitors focus on basic contact management, Clay excels at automation, aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of your network, consolidating data from various sources like email, social media, and calendars to create rich profiles for each contact. Its AI-powered Nexus feature sets it apart by allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network, something few competitors offer. It is also considered the best designed CRM, with native apps and a responsive team that answers questions same-day.
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Clay offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Clay is designed to help you organize contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. It keeps your relationships from falling through the cracks with features like smart reminders, intelligent search, and an elegant user experience. Clay's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Clay has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Clay is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Clay beneficial.
Clay offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Clay offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Clay's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Clay offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Clay focuses on aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of a user's network, consolidating data from various sources. Its Nexus AI feature is particularly innovative, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network. Clay also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
Yes. Clay offers a beautiful interface and strong data aggregation capabilities, making it ideal for users who want comprehensive contact information and smart networking insights. Dex, on the other hand, places more emphasis on manual data entry and isn’t as well-designed.
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