April Himel
Santa Monica,CA
Summary
Executive search leader known for a thoughtful, strategic style and a relationship-first approach to hiring. Brings a unique blend of finance grounding and hands-on startup operating experience, having built and scaled recruiting functions across high-growth companies in the ad tech and digital performance space. Analytical and solutions-oriented, with a strong instinct for navigating complexity. Trusted for clear communication, fast rapport-building, and delivering a high-touch experience that elevates processes, strengthens teams, and creates a lasting impact.
Overview
17
17
years of professional experience
Work History
Executive Search Partner
Growth by Design Talent
03.2022 - Current
- Lead executive searches from Director through C-level, across Talent Acquisition, and People/HR leadership roles.
- Drive an end-to-end search strategy, from kickoff and stakeholder alignment to mapping, candidate development, assessment, and close.
- Build strong, trust-based relationships with candidates and clients; known for a thoughtful, strategic advisory style.
Director of Talent Acquisition
Tinuiti
Los Angeles, USA
12.2019 - 08.2021
- Oversaw the talent acquisition and recruiting operations strategy; reported to the Chief People Officer.
- Cultivated a high-performing 12-person talent team, enhancing recruitment efficiency and effectiveness across multiple channels.
- Partnered with senior leadership, HR, finance, and sales to align on quarterly business goals, and develop proactive strategies to meet our hiring needs.
- Scaled the agency from 500 to 1,000+ employees in a highly competitive market by driving proactive, data-informed hiring strategies.
- Reduced time-to-fill by 24% by introducing a scalable, structured interview process that streamlined our hiring and improved the candidate experience.
- Increased hiring of underrepresented talent by 8% through launching the company's first D&I Action Plan.
Talent Acquisition & People Operations Consultant
CreatorIQ
Los Angeles, USA
06.2019 - 12.2019
- 6-month assignment post-Series B. Reported to the President. Partnered with senior leadership, finance, and head of talent on the staffing plans across the LA, Chicago, NYC, and London offices.
- Managed full-cycle recruiting across various business units (Client Success, Support, Product, Marketing, Finance)
- Redesigned the recruitment workflow to increase productivity and create a best-in-class candidate experience.
- Served as the primary People Ops resource for employee HR inquiries.
- Redesigned onboarding for a consistent, global experience.
Head of Global Talent Acquisition & People Operations
Relatable, Inc
Venice, USA
03.2018 - 06.2019
- Spearheaded global talent acquisition and people operations across Stockholm (HQ), London, and LA; reported to the Co-founder/CEO.
- Helped launch and scale new markets in Los Angeles and London, UK.
- Grew the company from 15 to over 50 globally while building foundational people programs and culture initiatives.
- Served as a trusted advisor to the business, and was a key member of the 8-person leadership team.
- Implemented the 'Interviewing Best Practices' training to hire top talent and improve the overall candidate experience.
- Created culture programs to unify distributed teams, such as employee pairing every two weeks and employee feedback surveys.
Talent Acquisition & Business Operations Manager
MuteSix
Los Angeles, USA
10.2016 - 03.2018
- Founding recruiter and people ops; reported to the co-founder/COO.
- Designed the end-to-end talent acquisition strategy from scratch, playing a pivotal role in scaling the agency from 12 to over 100 employees.
- Managed all aspects of People Ops/HR, including onboarding, payroll, and benefits.
- Led efforts across agency-wide technology adoption and process improvement.
- Designed and led the MuteSix Internship Program. Managed 30 interns total for four consecutive quarters.
Institutional Marketing Manager
Guggenheim Partners
Santa Monica, USA
01.2014 - 01.2016
- Founding member of the West Coast Institutional Marketing team.
- Partnered with sales executives to build effective go-to-market plans to drive revenue and retain clients.
- Launched a new collateral development process and strategy for Guggenheim's suite of investment products.
- Led the implementation of new automation software that reduced content production time by 75%.
Supervisor / Senior Associate, Marketing & Communications
PIMCO
Newport Beach, USA
01.2010 - 01.2014
- Oversaw the day-to-day operations of the Newport Beach MarComm Team (HQ); coached and managed nine direct reports.
- Coordinated across multiple departments to craft marketing collateral tailored for Fortune 500 clients.
- Created a global onboarding program, reducing time and cost by 50%.
- Played a key role in team expansion, training, and improving regional processes in our Munich, Germany, office.
- Designed the 'Global Employee Training' program; shortened the onboarding period, and cut costs by 50%.
- Spearheaded the 'Revamp Recruiting' project to increase the quality of hire and reduce hiring time.
Treasury Analyst Intern
BlackRock
London, UK
01.2009 - 01.2010
- Managed treasury activity and redesigned daily cash reporting.
- Analyzed cash flow forecasts to ensure liquidity and operational efficiency.
- Developed reports on market trends to inform treasury management strategies.
Education
B.A. - Economics
University of Washington
Seattle08-2008
Timeline
Executive Search Partner
Growth by Design Talent
03.2022 - Current
Director of Talent Acquisition
Tinuiti
12.2019 - 08.2021
Talent Acquisition & People Operations Consultant
CreatorIQ
06.2019 - 12.2019
Head of Global Talent Acquisition & People Operations
Relatable, Inc
03.2018 - 06.2019
Talent Acquisition & Business Operations Manager
MuteSix
10.2016 - 03.2018
Institutional Marketing Manager
Guggenheim Partners
01.2014 - 01.2016
Supervisor / Senior Associate, Marketing & Communications
PIMCO
01.2010 - 01.2014
Treasury Analyst Intern
BlackRock
01.2009 - 01.2010
B.A. - Economics
University of Washington