Karen Kesner
Wellington
Summary
Results-driven Talent Acquisition Leader with extensive experience in building high-performing teams across B2B, B2B2C, and tech sectors, including Fin-Tech and Health Tech. Demonstrated ability to optimize hiring processes, enhance team engagement, and reduce reliance on external agencies through strategic automation. Proven track record in developing and implementing effective talent acquisition and development strategies that attract top-quality candidates. Strong partnership development and program management skills, driving efficiency and organizational success.
Overview
18
18
years of professional experience
Work History
Head of Talent
Synergy Pet Group
Lakewood
08.2024 - Current
- Lead Recruiting and conduct all hiring for mission-driven and diverse teams; SAAS, Pet Insurance, IT, Sales, Customer Success, Product and Marketing and Leadership
- Upskilled function to include reducing time to fill, and eliminating agency spend
Founder
Sailfish Talent Partners, LLC
Remote
08.2023 - 08.2024
- Lead full-cycle recruitment and HR programs, providing tailored hiring and people solutions for immediate impact.
VP, Talent
PelagoHealth
Remote
09.2022 - 07.2023
- Built a high-performing Talent Acquisition Team, exceeding hiring goals within 6 months.
- Integrated automation and tools to enhance recruitment efficiency.
- Reduced agency dependency, achieving significant cost savings.
- Layed-off
VP, Talent Acquisition
Vroom
New York
07.2020 - 07.2022
- Scaled hiring from 30 to 100 hires per month within 3 months; 1500+ hires in 2021.
- Grew TA team from 5 to 20, implementing new hiring processes and training programs.
- Reduced agency spending from $1M to nearly zero within 5 months.
- Layed-off
Chief People Officer
The Culture Trip
London
11.2019 - 07.2020
- Led global People strategy across HR, Workforce Planning, DEI, and Talent Acquisition.
- Developed employee training, engagement programs, and performance management systems.
- Layed-off
Senior Director, Talent Acquisition
Booking.com
Amsterdam
09.2017 - 11.2019
- Centralized 180 TA professionals to hire 4000+ employees annually across 60+ locations.
- Established workforce planning, branding, and leadership hiring functions.
- Increased diversity hires to 45% for Director+ roles.
- Reduced global hiring costs by 15% through process optimization.
VP, Talent Acquisition
Audible (An Amazon Company)
Newark
07.2016 - 08.2018
- Scaled Audible from 1000 to 1700 employees in 2 years.
- Launched the Recruitment Operations function, improving analytics and hiring processes.
- Developed EVP, recruitment branding, and diversity hiring strategies.
- Built centralized campus recruiting and improved referral programs.
VP, Talent Acquisition
Yodle (Acquired by Web.com)
Austin
01.2011 - 01.2014
- Managed 100+ hires per month across sales, product, marketing, and UX teams.
- Increased recruiter productivity (2.3 to 8.4 hires per recruiter).
- Reduced agency spend by 90% through sourcing and branding improvements.
Global Head, Talent Acquisition
Visa
Foster City
01.2007 - 01.2011
- Scaled Visa from 5400 to 7500 employees.
- Built and led a centralized TA team, eliminating agency dependency.
- Launched Visa’s first global Campus Recruiting Program and employment branding strategy.
- Reduced global recruiting costs by $4M in one year.
Education
B.A. - Sociology
Western Washington University
Skills
- Recruitment strategy
- Talent acquisition
- Process optimization
- Workforce planning
- Diversity hiring
- Employee engagement
- Team leadership
- Data analytics
- Automation tools
- Stakeholder management
- Cost reduction
- Candidate sourcing
Affiliations
- Lifting heavy weights
- Growing - whenever and whatever I can
Timeline
Head of Talent
Synergy Pet Group
08.2024 - Current
Founder
Sailfish Talent Partners, LLC
08.2023 - 08.2024
VP, Talent
PelagoHealth
09.2022 - 07.2023
VP, Talent Acquisition
Vroom
07.2020 - 07.2022
Chief People Officer
The Culture Trip
11.2019 - 07.2020
Senior Director, Talent Acquisition
Booking.com
09.2017 - 11.2019
VP, Talent Acquisition
Audible (An Amazon Company)
07.2016 - 08.2018
VP, Talent Acquisition
Yodle (Acquired by Web.com)
01.2011 - 01.2014
Global Head, Talent Acquisition
Visa
01.2007 - 01.2011
B.A. - Sociology
Western Washington University
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