Dear friends, clients, and colleagues,
You may have seen the announcement on my
LinkedIn post yesterday. Still, I also wanted to send a more personal note to everyone here in my Proactive Talent Tribe, from former employees, clients, and partners to close friends and confidants, to let you know about some exciting news. But first, I want to start by thanking you all for the incredible support you have given me and our tribe over the nearly 10 years since I launched Proactive Talent back in 2015. From the bottom of my heart, I am deeply grateful for the trust, collaboration, and friendships that have come from our work together. What we’ve accomplished as a company and community has been nothing short of extraordinary, and I couldn’t have done it without you.
Over the past decade, my team and I have had the privilege of working alongside 500+ companies, helping to shape and scale their talent acquisition strategies, build and improve employer branding, and drive real business results. Along the way, I’ve connected with thousands of brilliant professionals and witnessed firsthand the power of innovative talent strategies that put people first.
Here are a few highlights from this incredible journey:
- 500+ companies served, from startups such as Calendly, Gong, and Discord to industry giants GE, Boston Consulting Group, Siemens Energy, and Bio-Rad Laboratories.
- Over 10,000 talent professionals connected and empowered through our partnership with my community for Talent Acquisition and Employer Branding leaders, Talent Brand Alliance
- Successfully scaling Proactive Talent from a solopreneur lifestyle consultancy in 2016 into a global, holistic, and agile RPO solution powerhouse, winning over a dozen awards and being recognized as an Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Company by 2022.
Countless careers have been made. From the hundreds of tribe members that have come through our firm to the thousands of talented people we've helped our clients hire and the millions of eyeballs we've helped attract to our client's employer brands.
Thank you to my tribe and to everyone who has ever been a part of Proactive Talent. So many of these folks have gone on to do amazing things and become extraordinary leaders at some of the world's best companies.
The most incredible honor and reward of this 10-year stint in entrepreneurship has been the ability to give others a platform and space to become the best they can be and help others fulfill their purpose through meaningful work. I can't wait to partner with you again in my next adventure and give you a big hug at the next conference or event we run into each other at.
In short, I’m incredibly proud of everything we’ve achieved together at Proactive Talent, and I can’t thank you enough for being a part of this journey. But while this chapter may be ending, a new and exciting one starts next month.
New Chapter: Joining Talentful
After much reflection, I’ve decided to step back from the relaunch of Proactive Talent and take on an exciting new role as Vice President of Community at Talentful, starting March 3rd.
In this new role, I will be building on my experience in community-building, talent acquisition, and employer branding to drive thought leadership and community engagement at Talentful, leading their HIGHER community in the US, which has a global network of over 12,000 senior talent acquisition leaders, helping each other navigate the evolving landscape of recruiting and talent strategy.
At Talentful, I’ll focus on:
- Growing the HIGHER community, creating meaningful relationships among senior TA leaders
- Leading events that promote knowledge sharing and industry collaboration
- Producing content and resources to empower TA leaders in tackling the challenges of modern hiring
What excites me most about this opportunity is the ability to combine my passion for community-building with Talentful’s innovative approach to shaping the future of recruitment, which CEO, Chris Abbass, has built with a very similar vision and model as my own when I was building Proactive Talent. This role allows me to scale my impact on our industry and continue working toward my mission of revolutionizing recruitment through community, cutting-edge technology, innovative strategy, and flexible and experienced support for TA teams when you need it most.
JOIN ME ON THIS JOURNEY
As part of this exciting new chapter, and if you'd like to stay connected with me and my content and learn from over 12k+ fellow Talent Acquisition leaders, I’d love for you to join the HIGHER community. It's the world's largest TA community! If you’re a senior TA leader or passionate about the future of recruiting, this is your opportunity to connect with some of the brightest minds in talent acquisition, share knowledge, and stay ahead of the curve in our fast-evolving industry.
You can learn more and sign up for the HIGHER community here: https://www.higherhq.com/
Thank you again for your support over the years, but this is not goodbye. I look forward to staying connected and collaborating in this new phase of my journey. Together, let’s continue to shape the future of recruiting!
Warmly,
Matt Staney