Scottish recruitment technology scale-up Willo has appointed experienced industry leader Jim Berrisford as its new vice president of partnerships to kick off what founder and chief executive Euan Cameron describes as ‘a pivotal year’ for the Glasgow-founded company.
Berrisford’s appointment follows a series of exciting announcements for Willo, which last year secured a £3 million injection from Mimecast founder Peter Bauer, the largest single funding round in the company’s history.
The business has also moved into new UK offices in Glasgow and Manchester, supporting a growing team across the UK, North America, and beyond.
Willo, which provides video-led candidate screening and verification tools available to employers in all 195 countries, has reported 64-fold revenue growth since launch and counts brands including easyJet, Toyota, Samsung, DPD Group and the NHS among its customers.
Berrisford, who has worked most recently as a consultant, brings more than two decades’ experience across the talent market, having worked in agency recruitment, in-house talent acquisition and, for the past several years, senior commercial and partnerships roles on the vendor side with firms including Vonq, Reezomo, and a business ambassador for a UK Autism charity. He has held leadership positions across sales and partnerships, working closely with applicant tracking systems (ATS), HR tech platforms, job boards and RPO providers. Berrisford was also recently appointed to the board of the Association of RecTech Providers (ARTP).
Having cut his teeth with a recruitment firm in London, he moved to Scotland early in his career – and with family ties here – he said the opportunity to help build a high-growth Scottish-founded platform with global reach was a major draw.
As VP of partnerships, Berrisford will lead Willo’s global partner strategy, with a focus on scalable, robust infrastructure, support and developer toolkits embedded with ATS and HCM providers and other key players in the hiring ecosystem. His remit includes reshaping legacy relationships, building new ‘pure play’ strategic alliances and ensuring Willo is tightly integrated within customers’ existing tech stacks.
Berrisford said: “I’ve spent my career on every side of the hiring fence, in agencies, in-house and inside HR tech vendors. As a buyer I’ve been sold tools that promised everything and delivered very little – so I know how frustrating that can be – but I’ve also helped vendors and ATS providers make their products more meaningful and usable for recruiters, ensuring they are relevant for modern demands.
“The acceleration of AI-driven change in the recruitment industry has created huge uncertainty, and while that brings opportunities, it’s also at the root of confusion for employers who just want a tech stack that plays nicely together and actually helps them hire more effectively. What excites me about Willo is that it sits in that ‘next system of productivity (NSOP)’ space – giving partners and customers an embedded, best-of-breed solution that removes friction rather than adding to the noise.
“My focus will be on building fully aligned partnerships – with ATSs, HRIS platforms, RPOs and others – where Willo is integrated, trusted and clearly adds value for candidates, buyers and vendors alike.”
Euan Cameron, co-founder and CEO at Willo, said: “Jim brings a rare mix of deep recruitment experience and a shared visionary view of how HR tech should work. He understands the realities for talent teams, because he’s been in their shoes, and he knows how to build partnerships that go beyond a logo on an integrations page.
“This is a pivotal year for WIllo as we invest off the back of last year’s support, and partnerships are central to how we scale. Jim will be a key figure in making sure Willo is the most trusted, integrated video platform in our space – and that we do it in a way that keeps hiring fair, efficient, and human-led.”
Willo’s expanded partnerships function will work closely with its product, sales and customer teams in the UK, North America, and other priority markets, with further hires expected over the coming year.
For more on Willo visit willo.video/
