Paul Farrer.

​I was never much of an academic and was 23 when I started to look for a career. I went to a recruitment agency called HMS and instead of trying to place me, they hired me! Recruitment has proven to be enormous fun and a profession I hugely enjoy. In my view it is the most challenging complex three-dimensional 'sales consultancy' role that you can do. From the outside it looks easy but when your 'products' are people you soon discover that you are involved in a sector where logic can yield to emotion and the unconscious bias of 'gut feel' has to be challenged to stop it trumping more suitable skills and competencies. I am lucky because I find people and organizations equally interesting.

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I am committed to Diversity and Inclusion, I acknowledge unconsciously bias made decisions of my past and that we are all human and prone to mistakes. So creating inclusive environments where people can securely and freely challenge what they deem inappropriate with the support of their colleagues and leadership is vital if we aim for a happy and engaging work life for all.

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​ I founded what we now call Aspire, in 1992 and have been lucky to surround myself with talented people that have enabled the business help change thousands of peoples lives by helping them find the roles they seek and improve many organizations’ performance by finding them the talent they need to hire to achieve their goals.

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My role at Aspire is to create and develop a clear vision that we can all aspire towards. My role is high in touch and visibility so I spend a lot of time with clients, candidates and our own people.

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​ Outside of work I am married with 3 grown-up, children, love sport and major events and support Tusk, for community-based conservation in Africa, The NSPCC, and Guide Dogs for the Blind.