An executive talent leader with 20+ years' experience building, resetting, and scaling Talent Acquisition as a driver of enterprise value. Specialised in private equity-backed, multi-site platforms, Derek partners directly with boards, CEOs, and executive teams to transform hiring from a reactive service into a commercially aligned capability. His approach positions Talent as a lever for revenue growth, workforce utilisation, cost control, and exit readiness.

Private equity–backed Dental Support Organisation platform | ~A$300M revenue AUD $6.5M operating budget | Team of 14 across multiple geographies. Transform talent acquisition into a scalable workforce supply function supporting a multi-site healthcare platform undergoing operational reset and growth towards ~$700M revenue and ~350 clinics. - Delivered enterprise talent supply model to support acquisition integration and workforce scalability across ANZ. - Embedded workforce strategy into commercial planning to align hiring with utilisation, revenue and growth targets. - De-risked workforce constraints by establishing international clinician pipelines across Europe, UK, Canada and Asia. - Implemented AI-enabled recruitment ecosystem, enabling always-on sourcing and data-led hiring decisions. - Reduced reliance on external agencies, shifting to a direct sourcing model to improve cost efficiency and hiring control. - Established structured graduate and university pipelines, strengthening long-term workforce supply. - Formed strategic partnerships to create new international clinician entry pathways into ANZ markets. - Advised on workforce risk, hiring velocity and pipeline confidence, linking talent outcomes to business performance - Established partnership with Future Women to support return-to-work pathways for women and gender-diverse talent. - Member of AI Council and ESG Committee.

Private equity–backed veterinary and pet services platform | Estimated valuation A$4B+ AUD $3M operating budget I Team of 11 in talent acquisition. Responsible for scaling enterprise talent acquisition and mobility capability to support rapid growth and workforce demand. • Shifted TA from reactive to proactive supply model, increasing hiring output by 67% YoY. • Reduced agency spend by 86% and advertising costs from $2M to $250K, improving cost base and ROI. • Built “Grow Your Own” workforce ecosystem, creating end-to-end pipeline from students to qualified clinicians. • Implemented recruitment technology and automation, enabling scalable, data-driven hiring across the network. • Developed global mobility programs, addressing structural veterinarian shortages across ANZ. • Expanded early careers pipelines, strengthening long-term workforce sustainability.

Private equity–backed veterinary and pet services platform I Valued at A$1.2B AUD $2.5M operating budget I Team of 10 in talent acquisition. Built enterprise Talent Acquisition capability to support acquisition-led platform expansion (~20+ acquisitions annually). • Delivered TA capability from the ground up, enabling scale from 35 → 250 practices and 700 → 3,000+ employees. • Enabled workforce integration across acquisitions, ensuring continuity of operations and clinical utilisation. • Reduced time-to-fill for veterinarians from 6–9 months to ~9.5 weeks, unlocking revenue capacity. • Reduced agency usage to ~0.16%, transitioning to a predominantly in-house sourcing model. • Built global clinician supply pipelines across USA, UK, Canada and South Africa. • Strengthened domestic hiring and EVP, improving attraction, engagement and conversion in competitive markets. • Designed “Boomerang Vet” WHV program, providing flexible workforce coverage across ANZ. • Supported ~100-practice acquisition, focusing hiring on regional and hard-to-fill locations to stabilise operations.

Business Manager – Medical Imaging & Healthcare | Alexander Associates National Practice Leader – Medical Devices | EvansPetersen Healthcare NSW Team Leader & Specialist Life Science Recruiter | Persona Grata Consulting National Practice Leader – Actuarial Services | Ethos Corporation Director (Progressed from Associate Director, Actuarial Manager & Recruitment Consultant) | Darwin Rhodes Divisional Manager – Temporary & Contract | BH&A Consulting NSW Client Manager (Progressed from Consultant & Trainee Consultant) | Alexander Grey