Akilan Thiyagarajan

• Lead and mentor a team of 8 recruiters and coordinators covering high-demand tech domains: AI, Cybersecurity, Cloud & Edge, Data Engineering, DevOps, Software Development, IT Operations, Network Engineering, and IT Project Management.
• Collaborate with CXO leadership (CIO, CTO, CISO, CHRO) to develop annual hiring strategies and execution plans; present monthly dashboards to senior stakeholders.
• Spearhead end-to-end design and integration of Advanced Analytics and Governance Modules for enterprise migration to SAP SuccessFactors ATS, enabling smarter insights and stronger compliance.
• Drive key recruitment KPIs: Diversity Hiring %, Vendor Usage %, TAT, and POSI (Percent on Seat Index); collaborate cross-functionally with BGV, RMG, Administration, and Induction teams.
• Define vendor recruitment scope, SLAs, payout terms, and conditions for all recruitment partner agencies.

• Served as Lead Recruiter for UAE/GCC markets across BFSI, Healthcare, and Automotive verticals — directly partnering with C-Suite hiring managers across the UAE and broader Middle East.
• Managed end-to-end leadership and volume recruitment for premier UAE accounts: Emaar Properties, Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADCB), Alpha Dhabi Holding, DEWA, Etisalat Group, ADNOC, International Holding Company (IHC), IBM, DP World, Cisco Systems, Oracle, Dell Technologies, Volvo, Wells Fargo, BNP Paribas, JetBlue Airways, Credit Suisse, Marsh & McLennan, Fiserv Inc., CIT Bank, Commonwealth Bank, and Johnson & Johnson.
• Executed full recruitment lifecycle: requirement gathering, competitor mapping, Boolean/X-Ray sourcing, candidate marketing, offer negotiation, and onboarding. Proficient with LinkedIn Recruiter, Naukri Gulf, and GCC job portals.
• Delivered 3 CXOs, 5 VPs, and 37 Graduate Engineer Trainees (GETs) from premier institutions (IITs, NITs, Anna University, BITS Pilani).
• Rolled out 35+ offers in the BFSI vertical within 2 months; built and managed a high-performing team of 10+ recruiters for on-time delivery.
• Drafted fortnightly talent acquisition progress reports for the Chairman's Office; streamlined induction and onboarding processes to enhance candidate experience.
• Acted as Single Point of Contact (SPOC) for Indian and global recruitment consulting firms partnering with UAE clients.

• Managed 18-25 simultaneous open positions in FinTech, Financial Services, and Central Growth Marketing across the APAC region.
• Partnered with SVPs, VPs, CPO, and 10+ Engineering Managers for full-cycle recruitment across Product and Engineering functions (PM, Analytics, Data Science, FE, BE, Full Stack, DevOps, SRE).
• Managed end-to-end LeetCode Hackathon with 20, 000+ participants and 12, 000+ job expressions of interest; evaluated sourcing platforms including Stack Overflow, GeeksForGeeks, and TechGig.
• Awarded Certificate of Appreciation by the CHRO for revamping employer branding; key contributor to Onboarding & Induction journey redesign.
• KPIs achieved: 20 offers/month, vendor usage 5%, drop rate ~11%, diversity ratio 33%; tracked TAT, Source Mix, and Offer-to-Join Ratio.

• Led a team of 3 recruiters; responsible for reporting, stakeholder alignment, and weekly planning.
• Developed search strategies including target organization mapping, talent pool assessment, and competitor intelligence for technology lateral hiring.
• Sourced, screened, and shortlisted candidates via internal database, headhunting, and job portals; conducted salary negotiations to secure win-win outcomes.

• Supported full recruitment lifecycle: sourcing, screening, interview coordination, candidate evaluation, offer management, and onboarding across multiple functions.

• Supported end-to-end sourcing for healthcare professionals across Qatar including physicians, nurses, and allied health staff as part of the Talent Management function.