Jo Riley

Business Director

Nationwide

Recruitment has been part of my life for so long I’m struggling to remember working life before it. I feel so fortunate to have found a career that I genuinely love and still get excited about.

It was 20 years ago that it began and I joined Macildowie in 2003 after a 2 year stint elsewhere and following a total career change from policing. From Sergeant to Consultant and interviewing of a somewhat different nature. Looking back I feel a bit sorry for those early candidates of mine, some intense interviews there!

I was at Macildowie as was for getting on for 10 years before moving in to the pure Exec Finance arena for a different regional recruiter. I have sat in that space ever since, including setting up my own business and have truly found my home in this world.

There is nothing better than positively affecting peoples’ life choices as well as delivering exceptional hires. Seeing them tangibly make such a huge difference to workload, stress levels, value-add or bottom line is job satisfaction at its best.

Jo Riley enjoys...

At home my life is both full and rewarding. With 3 children (2 girls and a boy), the youngest of whom is a manic 5 year old, 2 dogs and a cat, life is never dull :)

My utopia is time away with my family making as many memories as possible… even when things might not go quite to plan! As a parent I have learnt more skills than I ever thought possible, negotiating being the most transferrable one.

Jo Riley's Testimonials

As a candidate I have been extremely impressed with Jo Riley throughout the recruiting process: she has been very professional and supportive; and gave me valuable advice on my career outlook. She has been available at unconventional times to take calls and we debriefed each interview. My unusual circumstances would have discouraged most recruiters and I don’t think that I would have moved on from my current job had she not been there to understand what I was facing and giving me time to absorb and evaluate matters. Jo has simply been the best head-hunter that I have met. I used Jo to find me a new role and help with the transition from audit practice to industry. Jo was very professional and used her extensive network to get me interviews within a matter of days, which lead to an offer inside of a month. Jo kept me fully informed throughout the process and negotiated the best possible deal on my behalf. I would not hesitate to recommend Jo to anyone seeking a career move.

Group Financial Controller
I have worked with Jo over the past few months for the first time. I found her to be thoroughly professional, and would not hesitate to recommend her services and skill set to others in the finance sector.

Group CFO
Jo is an exceptional recruitment professional who always delivers an excellent level of service.

Operations Director
During my twenty years of using recruitment agencies, both in the Midlands and the North East, Jo has by far been the most professional I have come across in the field. The areas where she tends to excel are in keeping the candidate informed with all updates, providing constructive feedback and securing interviews with the right, carefully selected, businesses, so that neither the candidate nor the business recruiting an individual should ever feel like time has been wasted. I therefore would not hesitate to use her again, both from a candidate and an employer perspective. In Jo, people get a recruiter that is a breath of fresh air, honest by nature, helpful and I always feel has the candidates’ best intentions at the forefront of her mind. Jo helped me to recruit two senior finance roles. Jo is very focussed and has an extensive candidate knowledge. I was delighted with the high quality candidates she found and she successfully filled both roles. I would recommend Jo and will certainly use her in the future.

Director of Finance
I used Jo to find me a new role and help with the transition from audit practice to industry. Jo was very professional and used her extensive network to get me interviews within a matter of days, which lead to an offer inside of a month.

Group Financial Controller
As a candidate Jo impressed me greatly with her professionalism, attention to detail, understanding and enthusiasm for her clients business. Jo's speed of response, clarity and honesty are something that seem somewhat unusual in todays marketplace. I believe that Jo can provide significant value to both clients and candidates who engage with her.

Senior Analytics Consultant
Jo was extremely professional in her approach and kept me up to date with where we were in the recruitment process. It was through Jo's promotion of me to clients that I was placed in my latest role.

Group CFO