Building an award-winning talent acquisition function

At IHR Live London 2025, Paul Thornton, Talent Acquisition Director at Kier shared his 20-year journey in talent acquisition through a powerful metaphor: building a school.

From solid foundations to the final décor, every layer represents the key elements of a high-performing TA team, and his message is clear: awards follow fundamentals, not the other way around.

Paul unpacked what truly makes a TA function thrive: exceptional candidate and hiring manager experience, authentic employer branding powered