Harry Bigwood

Harry Bigwood · 2026-07-07T15:28:48.353Z

Give a TA team a capacity problem and they'll reach for the one lever they get measured on. Headcount. "How many people do you need?" It's the first question most TA teams ask a hiring manager. It might also be the one holding the whole function back. I spent this morning at a breakfast with a room full of TA leaders, hosted by Exec TA Social, mapping what happens when a TA team stops being a headcount service and starts operating as something closer to Talent Orchestration. The difference isn't cosmetic. Today the model runs like this. A stakeholder has an outcome to hit, they decide that means X new hires, TA goes and finds X new hires. The number gets locked in before anyone has asked whether hiring is even the right answer. A Talent Orchestration partner starts somewhere else entirely. Not "how many people do you need", but "what are you actually trying to deliver, and what are all the ways we could get you there". Because headcount is only one lever. We can also look to tap into: 💡Internal mobility and upskilling where the capacity already exists. 💡There are AI agents and automation now doing work that used to sit inside a job description. 💡There's offshore and nearshore. 💡There are external partners and suppliers. Hiring is on that list, but it's one option, not the reflex. In a world where AI is rewriting what half these roles even involve, reaching straight for "let's open a req" is the slow, expensive answer to a problem that often had a faster one. The capacity problem has near unlimited solutions. We've just trained TA to reach for the only one it gets measured on. So here's the first move, and it costs nothing. Next time a manager hands you a headcount number, don't open the requisition. Ask what outcome they're chasing, then map the levers before you map the roles. You'll be surprised how often the answer was never a new hire. Thanks to ExecTASocial for the room, and to Metaview, who we supported the session alongside and who are doing genuinely sharp work on AI agents in sourcing and screening. the rec hub. Rex Rusling

London Area, United Kingdom

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I love love love love brands that respond and engage with future customers on Instagram ✨ I am in the market for a new pair of running shorts so…

I love love love love brands that respond and engage with future customers on Instagram ✨ I am in the market for a new pair of running shorts so…

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Give a TA team a capacity problem and they'll reach for the one lever they get measured on. Headcount. "How many people do you need?" It's the…

Give a TA team a capacity problem and they'll reach for the one lever they get measured on. Headcount. "How many people do you need?" It's the…

Shared by Harry Bigwood
Fantastic day at ‘The Boodles’ tennis yesterday, great food, company and plenty of sunshine! There was even a chance to do a bit of celeb spotting…

Fantastic day at ‘The Boodles’ tennis yesterday, great food, company and plenty of sunshine! There was even a chance to do a bit of celeb spotting…

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Honors & Awards

Best Recruitment Agency of the Year (Micro)

The Recruiter Awards

Jun 2017
Manager of the Year - 2016

Darren Ryemill - Group CEO Opus PSG

Dec 2016

Award for the Manager voted by peers in Opus Professional Services Group.
Newcomer of the Year - 2016

Darren Ryemill - Group CEO Opus PSG

Dec 2016

Award for the Newcomer of the Year voted by peers in Opus Professional Services Group.
Best Engineering Recruitment Agency

Recruiter Magazine

May 2015

The Recruiter Awards for Excellence is the largest event for the whole recruitment community recognising best practice and superb client and candidate service.

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Articles by Harry

The graduate freeze got blamed on AI. The numbers say payroll.

Tech Talent Times - The season of recalibration

Tech Talent Times - Inside Europe’s Talent Market Reset

The Talent Times - Follow the Money, Find the Talent: Q1’s Hiring Heatmap

Diversity & Inclusion... Why you should care and how to improve it

Embedded Talent ... 🤔 What is all the fuss about?

The Rise of Large Scale Machine Learning

A green future for Cryptocurrencies? Managing the energy demands of Bitcoin

The changing shape of the energy market - how will our lives change?

Why are households uncertain about smart meter technology?

Activity

I love love love love brands that respond and engage with future customers on Instagram ✨ I am in the market for a new pair of running shorts so…

Liked by Harry Bigwood

Give a TA team a capacity problem and they'll reach for the one lever they get measured on. Headcount. "How many people do you need?" It's the…

Shared by Harry Bigwood

Fantastic day at ‘The Boodles’ tennis yesterday, great food, company and plenty of sunshine! There was even a chance to do a bit of celeb spotting…

Liked by Harry Bigwood

Experience & Education

the rec hub.

***

View Harry’s full experience

Honors & Awards

Best Recruitment Agency of the Year (Micro)

The Recruiter Awards

Manager of the Year - 2016

Darren Ryemill - Group CEO Opus PSG

Newcomer of the Year - 2016

Darren Ryemill - Group CEO Opus PSG

Best Engineering Recruitment Agency

Recruiter Magazine

Languages

English

Native or bilingual proficiency

Recommendations received

Katalin Fazekas

Daniel Suceava

View Harry’s full profile

Other similar profiles

Jamie Kenward

Ibrahim Thomas

Troy Woods

Aaron Kelly

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