Blog

Keegan is a Recrutiment Consultant within our Retail & Sales division.

Born and raised in South Africa, he started travelling to the UK six months at a time to play cricket as an overseas professional. After playing cricket for 6 years and working as an accomplished Level 2 cricket coach, in 2019 he decided to move to the UK permanently and start his career in recruitment.
At Priority Recruitment, Keegan specialises in both temporary and permanent roles within retail & sales and is the account manager for our Manchester City FC Stores project.

Keegan loves the close-knit, family-like atmosphere at Priority Recruitment. He finds it incredibly rewarding to have an influence on helping people find their perfect role.

Rhiannon is a Recruitment Consultant & Compliance Manager working within the Healthcare sector.

She comes from a healthcare background herself and possesses the invaluable experience of working as a Healthcare Assistant & Support Worker for 6 years before starting her career in recruitment. Rhiannon has also completed an NVQ Level 2 & 3 in Health and Social Care, which is a cherry on top of her practical knowledge gained over years working in care.

Rhiannon joined Priority Recruitment in 2022 and has quickly progressed to her current position through hard work, a great attitude, and an unmistakable grasp of the healthcare sector with all its complexity. She has made successful placements in areas across the UK but has forged significant client relationships in the North West, South East, and the London area.

The greatest satisfaction for Rhiannon comes from matching candidates with roles they genuinely love, and at the same time, the opportunity to provide individuals with the support they require.

Carl is a Senior Recruitment Consultant and the Area Manager for the North East region of the Healthcare division.

He joined Priority Recruitment in 2020 coming with 18 years of experience recruiting within healthcare for some of the biggest players in the sector. Over nearly two decades, Carl has built long-term relationships with clients and candidates in the North East area specifically but has a documented record of making successful placements across the UK.

He specialises in providing temporary and permanent staff to complex care environments. The thing he enjoys most about recruitment is proving to clients that we are not just in it for a quick fix. Working within healthcare gives him the unique opportunity to make a real difference in people's lives and he prides himself on providing continuously great service with integrity.

Mike is a Senior Recruitment Consultant and the Head of Healthcare at Priority Recruitment.

Before stepping into recruitment, Mike spent 13 years working as a Support Worker in a wide range of environments including NHS wards, care homes, supported living, and predominantly, case management. His multifaceted work experience is supported by an NVQ Level 2 in Health & Social Care. Mike's healthcare career has provided him with a multitude of patient success stories and lifelong professional connections.

He began his career in recruitment in 2017 and has quickly specialised in setting up brand new divisions within the market he knows best, healthcare. He joined Priority Recruitment in 2020 and was instrumental in growing our Healthcare division to what it is today.

Mike is a people person - he loves connecting with people and learning their stories. It gives him great satisfaction to give back to a sector he has worked in most of his professional life.

Julia is a recruitment marketing specialist with experience of developing brand and marketing strategies for recruitment agencies within a range of markets, including Healthcare, Hospitality, Retail, Sales, Legal, Manufacturing, Engineering & Digital.

She didn't plan to fall into recruitment and certainly not into recruitment marketing, a niche she barely knew existed when she graduated from a Filmmaking (BA) course at Manchester School of Art. Yet this odd, unique industry accepted her with open arms as a 21-year-old and continues to fascinate her today.

With her filmmaking background, the aspects of marketing that come to Julia most naturally are the ones most focused on storytelling, so her specialism lies within branding, marketing strategy, social media management, and content creation. She also comes with her own photo- and videography kit, making her the self-appointed In-House Photographer at Priority Recruitment.

Recruitment is a people business and that's one thing that's always on her mind. In addition to being a skilled marketer, she also has an impressive record in internal talent acquisition, line management, and building and managing both marketing and recruitment teams.

Julia joined Priority Recruitment in December 2022 and is responsible for creating and implementing our entire brand & marketing strategy.

Alex is the Managing Director of Priority Recruitment and the Recruitment Manager for our Healthcare division.

After completing his degree in Environmental Management at MMU, Alex began his successful career in Sales. Starting with climbing the ladder from Sales Advisor to roles within management and business development at O2, he then moved on to work for an international conglomerate as the European Distribution Sales Manager.

Coming with 12 years of experience in sales and management, he joined the senior leadership team at Priority in 2019 to help take the business to the next level. He currently heads up our fast-growing Healthcare division and provides assistance to all levels of the business.

As the manager of the Healthcare desk, Alex is daily motivated by the unique opportunity to provide the most vulnerable people with the right care and the ability to live better lives.

Dan is the Head of Priority Crypto, which covers the crypto, blockchain, NFT, and Web3 sectors.

He is a seasoned recruitment consultant with over 20 years of experience in the industry. But before he fell into recruitment, there are few things he didn't try: Dan first trained as a chef, later moved on to front-of-house management, and then owned and operated bars, restaurants, and clubs in the UK and Greece. He has also been a club and radio DJ, and has hosted a weekly conspiracy-themed radio show that aired in six countries.

With his multi-faceted hospitality experience, Dan quickly became the sector's go-to recruiter, placing countless professionals into hotels, restaurants, and bars across the UK over two decades. He joined Priority Recruitment in 2020 and initially managed the Hospitality & Healthcare desks before moving on to head the new Priority Crypto division which he has quickly accelerated to the international force it is today.

Dan leads a global team that connects top talent with innovative companies within the crypto and Web3 spaces. He enjoys getting to make perfect matches in this international community and working within the dynamic, constantly evolving market of blockchain technology and cryptocurrency.

Kieron Smithson (Assoc CIPD) is the Operations Director at Priority Recruitment and heads the Retail & Sales, HR & Operations, and Crypto divisions.

His impressive professional career began with 13 years in retail & sales, where he worked in senior management positions and gained invaluable experience in people management and a proven record of bringing the best out of staff reporting to him. In 2013, Kieron moved on to work in recruitment. After specialising in a variety of sectors including sales, marketing, HR, and operations, he joined Priority Recruitment in 2016.

As a seasoned recruitment consultant and a CIPD Level 5 qualification holder, Kieron manages the teams across Sales & Retail, HR & Operations, and Crypto desks. In addition to recruiting, he is responsible for internal people management and ongoing training and acts as the Data Protection Officer for the business.
Kieron's favourite part of recruitment is the ability to change people's minds and expose them to career moves or hires they might not have considered themselves.

Click here to find the most convenient way to talk to Kieron.

“Highly recommend Priority Recruitment! Especially Kieron who offered an excellent service. Very professional, enthusiastic, friendly & kept me well informed throughout my contract.”