Michael Williams

Talent Acquisition Lead ✦ RL100 Member ✦ Views are my own

Over 19 years experience and have previously worked at HSBC, UBS and BNY Mellon. I am very passionate about my work and have had the privilege to partner with Global Banks and Financial Institutions in the identification and attraction to hire senior leaders, ranging from C-Suite to Board level across the UK, Europe, North America and APAC. 

Experience working at the intersection of Executive Recruitment, Talent Intelligence, Talent Management and Workforce Planning, I support HR Leaders in building high-performing teams that drive growth and transformation. 

Core Specialties:
➝ Executive Recruitment & Talent Acquisition (C-Suite, CEO -1 and -2 level, MD, Board).
➝ Talent Intelligence, Market Insights & Competitor Benchmarking.
➝ Workforce Planning, Succession Strategy & Leadership Assessment.
➝ Senior Stakeholder Management & People Leadership.
➝ Direct sourcing & Vendor Management.
➝ Successfully built a TA function from the ground up.
➝ Built C-Suite Leadership teams via direct sourcing channels and networks.

Industry Focus:
➝ Banking, Financial Services, Wholesale Banking, Asset Management, Investment Management, Private Bank, Investment Banking.
➝ Front Office, Middle Office, Corporate and Control Functions.

Chartered MCIPD qualified professional who has a data-driven and hands-on approach, combining analytical insight with strategic execution to deliver measurable impact in leadership hiring and talent strategy.

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

Global Banking & Corporate Functions Talent Acquisition | Natixis Corporate & Investment Bank

City Of London, England, United Kingdom (On-site)

Job by Natixis Corporate & Investment Banking

Director, Relationship Manager - Real Estate Structured Finance  

We are recruiting for this Chief Client Office UK CIB vacancy at Natixis Corporate & Investment Banking in London, UK

Currently recruiting for the below Murex Support Specialist FTC at Natixis Corporate & Investment Banking

We are recruiting for this new Director, Real Estate Finance - Relationship Manager vacancy at Natixis Corporate & Investment Banking.

A great permanent opportunity for a Senior Murex Support Specialist (with FO module and experience of M 3.1) to join the team in London at Natixis Corporate & Investment Banking.

Senior Murex Support Specialist (Front Office)  

🌊⛵ Lost in The Bermuda Triangle Of Recruitment? (High Cost, Slow Progress, Low Quality) - Learn how to find and hire Software and AI Talent faster and of higher quality, for a better price. 

See more here 👉🏻 http://www.sw5consulting.com

Hello, my name is James and I help businesses grow their Software & AI teams by simplifying processes. After 19 years of doing this I am starting to get pretty good at it 😉

Some info about me:

➡️Successfully worked with 100+ companies
➡️Worked with Start-Ups to Global Enterprises
➡️Placed over 500+ candidates
➡️Hired in over 25+ countries
➡️Led Recruitment Teams from 3-25 headcount on Global Recruitment assignments

📢 How Can I Help You?

Simply by helping you find and secure the best Software & AI talent for your team. 

I call this 'Navigating the Bermuda Triangle of Recruitment'

Would your job be easier if you knew you were going to find the best talent for your team and ensure that your business hits their deadlines? If yes, then book a FREE Review. 

If you are lost check this out 👉🏻 http://www.sw5consulting.com for a FREE review

James Davey

The Fake Profile Debate 


LinkedIn removed my post about fake candidates last week.

Apparently they're not interested in "fake profiles."

Except... I've reviewed 47 applications in the past month where the candidate didn't exist.

AI-generated photos. Stolen credentials. Made-up work history. Even showed up to video interviews using deepfake tech.

This isn't a theoretical problem anymore. It's costing companies real money and wasting real time.

Here's what I'm seeing in 2026:

→ 1 in 12 applications now contain fabricated elements 
→ Startups are the biggest targets (less rigorous vetting) 
→ The fakes are getting REALLY good

Three red flags I now check on every resume:

→ LinkedIn photo looks too perfect (run it through reverse image search) or no photo at all
→ Too much tech listed, you can't be an expert in them all
→ No digital footprint outside LinkedIn (no GitHub, no conference talks, no blog posts for a "senior" engineer)

→ I have a couple more tricks too but I do not want to reveal them all as the FAKES will then find out 😉

I'm not trying to create panic. I'm trying to help you avoid what three of my clients dealt with last quarter: hiring someone who literally didn't exist, then scrambling to refill the role.

If you're hiring right now, especially for remote roles, you need to be more paranoid than you were in 2024.

What verification steps are you adding to your hiring process?

#fakecandidates #ai

Tech Recruiter - 15+ years connecting tech talent across the US and Europe... over 100 companies helped so far

taplio

The Battle

Michael Williams

James Davey

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The Battle

Michael Williams

James Davey

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Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Michael Williams's LinkedIn Performance

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