Meet the 9 Talent Makers award finalists championing great hiring
3 mins, 44 secs read time
Whether they attract top talent by leveraging their network, encourage data-driven hiring by supporting TA teams or build a strong culture of hiring – Talent Makers® are innovators in hiring.
We’re excited to announce the 2025 Talent Makers award finalists who have gone above and beyond to become great at hiring.
So, what is a Talent Maker? Someone who believes in the power of great hiring and prioritizes inclusive hiring practices. Talent Makers can be executives, business partners or hiring managers who commit to great hiring through their actions.
The three types of Talent Makers – all who foster a culture of nurturing talent – include:
- Talent magnets who attract diverse talent and inspire others to want to work with them
- Talent partners who collaborate with and support hiring teams to make data-driven hiring decisions
- Talent leaders who build a strong culture of hiring by modeling a better way to hire
Ready to meet the finalists?
Meet the talent magnet finalists
Amber Trapp, Vice President, Talent Acquisition, NFL
Why we loved Amber’s nomination: Amber is dedicated to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and creating an exceptional candidate experience. She champions inclusive hiring practices and implemented candidate surveys to ensure the NFL was providing a great candidate experience.
Padraic Ryan, Corporate Recruitment Manager, Lush Handmade Cosmetics
Why we loved Padraic’s nomination: Padraic collaborated with internal employee resource groups (ERGs) to review the talent attraction process. He continues to invest in building an authentic employer brand while working with TA teams to create more inclusive job descriptions that attract more diverse talent.
Christina Rudnytzky, Recruiter, Dyopath
Why we loved Christina’s nomination: Christina understands hiring manager needs – especially for hard-to-hire roles with a limited pool of qualified candidates. She has found more qualified candidates and cut the number of interviews by listening to her team and asking the right questions.
Meet the talent partner finalists
Talitha Shiroma, Talent Operations Program Manager, Datavant
Why we loved Talitha’s nomination: A true partner, Talitha stepped up to execute a high-stakes migration that allowed the team to scale hiring operations. Talitha unified high-volume hiring operations in Greenhouse – eliminating redundant systems, saving $500k annually and creating a seamless recruiter-hiring partner experience.
Maria Luna, Sr. Tech Talent Partner, SpotHero
Why we loved Maria’s nomination: Maria’s a data-driven talent partner who used gap analysis to reduce reliance on third-party recruiters while promoting hiring manager and recruiter alignment. She partners with hiring managers to understand their needs and trains hiring teams on recruiting and hiring best practices.
Jemma McCreesh, Senior Talent Operations Partner (EMEA), AppLovin
Why we loved Jemma’s nomination: Jemma streamlined technology and hiring operations by consolidating systems into a centralized hiring platform – her efforts resulted in more data-driven hiring, solidifying AppLovin’s ability to attract and retain top talent.
Meet the talent leader finalists
Brandon Morrill, VP, Talent Brand and Talent Acquisition, CarGurus
Why we loved Brandon’s nomination: When the TA team struggled to keep up with CarGurus’ rapid growth, Brandon reimagined hiring. He added a recruiting ops function – partnering to improve processes and leverage tech – and rolled out structured hiring across the company that’s led to strategic hiring decisions.
Clarence Lal, Global Head of Talent Acquisition, Planet Labs PBC
Why we loved Clarence’s nomination: A clunky process and disjointed data made it near-impossible for the hiring team to scale and hindered decision-making – until Clarence stepped in. He upskills and pushes his team to get the most out of Greenhouse to improve the hiring process and deliver a stellar recruiting experience.
Alicia Erickson, Manager, Recruiting Operations, PetVet Care Centers
Why we loved Alicia’s nomination: Alicia implemented Greenhouse to help her team manage candidates more effectively. Not only did she launch a new product, but she also trained herself and her team – ensuring everyone’s success with the new system – and got the entire recruiting process back on track.
Congratulations to all our finalists! Stay tuned – we’ll announce the winners for each category and share their stories in the coming weeks.
Want to learn more about what makes a Talent Maker? Head on over to the Talent Makers page.
Hayley Handler
is a Senior Manager of Customer Marketing at Greenhouse who strives to deliver exceptional customer experiences that engage and build community. When she’s not busy strengthening and nurturing relationships with customers, she’s getting lost in a good book and throwing frisbees for her poodle, Lucy