Leaders

The importance of having the right set of employees can’t be stressed enough in the current ultra-competitive and dynamic corporate realm. Most businesses struggle with their talent strategy as they need to focus on the core areas of their business and also owing to the significant talent crunch across various industries. Trusted talent consultants at Headhunting Pte. Ltd. can cater to the varied requirements of their clients seamlessly given the team's collective experience and network. Headhunting is a boutique recruitment agency backed by industry leaders and they specialize in the financial services and growth company sector. The company consists of professionals who have a proven track record and experience in building teams and businesses in APAC and India.

Nitu Sinha the Founder and CEO of Headhunting, when asked about their uniqueness says, “what sets us apart is our industry experience and vast network we bring on board along with our group of advisors and talent partners who are all industry veterans and bring their unique subject matter expertise and connections to the business.”

In an exclusive interview with WOMEN ENTREPRENEUR, Nitu gives more insights on her professional journey and the unique business operations of Headhunting.

Take Us Through Your Early Educational Journey And Prior Industry Experience That You Bring To The Table.

I have a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from Calcutta University, and I also hold a post graduate degree in Management from IMI, Brussels. I started my career as a banker in Singapore and thereafter began my recruitment journey as a consultant with a global recruitment agency called Morgan McKinley. I then got an opportunity to set up HR and recruitment function for a financial services start-up before moving into leading banks like Deutsche and Nomura as their Recruitment Partner. Over a decade of extensive recruitment experience has shaped me as a recruitment leader as I can relate to the needs and frustrations felt by both employers and candidates in identifying a suitable match.

What Led To The Foundation Of Headhunting? Tell Us About The Underlying Idea Behind Establishing The Company And Its Unique Features.

Having worked so many years as an In-house recruitment partner, I had the opportunity to understand the challenges which in-house recruiters face in a time sensitive, candidate short, governance heavy environment. We can understand and connect with the employers better. Our expertise enables us to understand their requirements better and hence helps us to source and bring in the right talents.

Throw Some Light On The Various Roles And Responsibilities That You Shoulder As The Ceo? What Are Some Of The Most Pressing Business Challenges That You Face In Your Current Role And How Do You Mitigate These Challenges?

As the CEO of the company, I manage multiple aspects of the business. I provide the strategic direction to the company and solve operational problems simultaneously. I am also actively involved in marketing. I also take care of executive recruitment given both the hiring managers and potential candidates require a lot of attention, negotiation and expectation matching to make the placements successful. In this virtual world, I make sure that we connect with our employees on a regular basis and guide them, which is something I am very particular about. I believe in connecting with my employees, listen to their daily issues and providing solutions wherever possible. I follow consensus leadership and I like to listen to the team’s thoughts and ideas which they bring to the table and we all brainstorm and come up with the next best course of action.

In Your Opinion What Have Been Some Of The Most Significant Milestones That You Have Achieved In Your Professional Journey? What Has Been The Driving Force Behind Your Success As A Business Leader?

There are a few significant milestones we have achieved including: a) We have been able to attract some major brands as our clients in the Blockchain, Insurance and Fintech/Insurtech space. We are specialized in these sectors and would like to go deeper into these industries rather than spreading ourselves thin across other industries, b) We have made successful placements not only in Singapore, but also in India, Thailand, Vietnam, UAE, USA, and the UK, and c) We have been able to expand as a brand and grow significantly in the last one year. I believe in organic growth and only hiring the best suited talent for our own team which we have been able to achieve so far and look to follow the same vision as we move forward.

“It’s important to dream big and then once the goal is set, one should break the vision down to smaller milestones and work towards achieving them”

Driving Force: The major driving force that inspired me to start my own recruitment firm was the fact that when I was working in-house, I worked with many agencies who were bombarding us with CVs which were just based on key word searches and there was a real dearth of agencies which understood the mandates and could recommend candidates which are properly qualified. Every challenge creates an opportunity for a solution and this situation prompted me to create an organization which makes a real difference. We do not believe in bombarding our clients with irrelevant profiles. As an organization, we believe in sending quality profiles by understanding the requirements of the clients and conducting interviews with candidates ourselves and properly qualifying them for the positions before they are presented to the clients.

Drawing From Your Experience As A Successful Business Leader, What Would Your Advice Be To Young Women And Girls Who Also Aspire To Become Business Leaders And Entrepreneurs In The Future?

Dream Big: It’s important to dream big and then once the goal is set, one should break the vision down to smaller milestones and work towards achieving them. It’s also important to enjoy the journey and celebrate the small wins and be happy and grateful in every step of the way. I come from a very small town in West Bengal, India and my dream was always to be in a leadership position where I can add real value to an organization and people at large. I made conscious life choices keeping my goal in mind and worked towards achieving them. It’s inevitable that one would make mistakes and that’s part of the journey, but the important aspect is not to be disappointed but to take valuable learnings from them and come out as a better version of yourself and keep moving forward.

Nitu Sinha, Founder & CEO, Headhunting Pte. Ltd.

A pioneering business leader aspiring to create a centre of modern-day excellence that prioritizes on offering client-centric recruitment solutions.