Recruiting Alchemy Ep.18: Tom Way - How One Choice Transformed Everything

In this episode of Recruiting Alchemy, host Andy Simpson sits down with Tom Way, CEO of UK and Ireland at Hays, to explore the high-stakes world of leading one of the world's largest staffing companies.

Tom provides a deep-dive look at the "sliding doors" moments that define a career, from being one deal away from being fired to leading a organization of 2,300 people. The conversation explores the massive shift toward tech-enabled recruitment, the challenges of managing 290 million in revenue, and why the recruitment landscape in 2026 requires a "customer-centric" approach that balances AI with human connectivity.

Episode Timestamps:

[00:00:00] Intro & Welcome: Tom discusses the accountability of a PLC strategy and why you can't just "go off piste".

[00:03:30] The Early Hustle: Growing up in Paris and North London, and how working two paper rounds at 14 built a foundation for relationship building.

[00:10:43] The Sliding Doors Moment: How one deal with America Online (AOL) saved Tom from being fired and launched his recruitment career.

[00:14:12] Winning in California: The "coming to Jesus" moment in San Francisco that took a struggling team to market dominance through in-person meetings.

[00:32:00] Hays & The Tech Masterstroke: Why Hays decided to "skip a generation" of technology to wait for the right AI integration.

[00:41:57] The Future of Talent: Tom's vision for AI-stack development and why training people is the missing piece in the productivity puzzle.

[00:45:25] Quick Fire Section: Tom shares his outlook on the Hays share price, poor cricket, and the 2026 vision.