our people
The (small) team behind Talent Professionals
our people
The (small) team behind Talent Professionals
our people
John
Adil
I was very lucky to grow up in the beautiful Malvern Hills, in the west of England - an idyllic bucolic childhood with my brother and sister spending lots of time outdoors and, as we got older, modelling the very best in '80s childhood fashion.
A lot's changed since then! After finishing my studies, I worked in telecoms but I didn't find my niche until I got a role at Badenoch & Clark as a contract / interim recruiter, setting up and scaling the FMCG desk, before moving onto a smaller agency and growing out their Commerce & Industry recruitment section. I knew this was something I enjoyed and was good at but, after a few years of working for other people, I wanted a new challenge.
In 2012 I set up Talent Professionals and I've not looked back. hAving worked in A&F Recruitment in the FMCG and Consumer Healthcare sectors since 2007, some call me a guru. I'm somewhat more humble about this title, though I'm happy to admit to being an expert in my field.
People often ask me what it's like to run your own business and I always say, without fail, exactly the same thing: I absolutely love it; it's the most empowering thing I've ever done.
If you're interested in how I did it or are even thinking about treading the same route yourself, read more about my journey here.
I grew up on the outskirts of Nottingham with my older brother, riding my bike, playing lots of sport and dreaming of becoming a F1 driver. I also vowed not to follow in my father's footsteps and become an accountant...
Things changed...! After completing my qualifications within practice (audit and assurance) I moved into corporate finance. More recently I was Head of Financial Planning and Analysis for Ladbrokes and helped facilitate the successful merger with Gala Coral.
I am an analytically-minded recruitment finance specialist with an interest in systems, AI and automation and though I didn't make it into F1 thankfully some things never change: I still love sport and am keen Nottingham Forest supporter as well as a dad to 3 boys!
My experience within the recruitment sector led me to join my wife Poonam in setting up Azuki Accounts in 2017. We specialise in assisting small to medium-sized recruitment businesses and I'm involved in implementing new systems for them, such as 'Pay & Bill' and general accounting systems.
Since 2019, I have overseen all of the business finances of Talent Professionals and the back-office operations.