Deb Houston

Background

About Deb Houston

Strategic Talent Acquisition Partner | Employer Branding Advocate | Candidate Experience Champion After 20+ years in recruitment, I’m now looking for my next in-house role where I can help a business scale by doing what I do best: attracting top talent, reducing recruitment spend, building employer brands that people remember, and creating candidate experiences that make people say “wow”. For the past few years, I’ve run my own business (Phlox Consulting), where I helped startups and scaleups build high-performing teams; particularly in Pharma, MedTech and Healthcare. From launching new recruitment functions to scaling teams from 5 to 20+ in under six months, I’ve delivered outcomes that saved hundreds of thousands in agency fees and gave smaller businesses the ability to compete with the big guys. Now, I’m ready to bring this expertise back in-house and contribute to a business that values strategic hiring, meaningful candidate engagement, and the power of strong employer branding. Here’s a quick snapshot of what I bring: 15+ years in Talent Acquisition across Australia and the UK hires made and counting $300K+ saved in agency fees in one 6-month project Average time-to-fill of 37 days 100% of surveyed candidates said they’d recommend the company based on the recruitment experience alone Trained hiring managers on how to attract and assess talent Deep experience in Pharma, MedTech, Healthcare – but industry agnostic and excited for new challenges Currently studying Employer Branding Certification (but already using it daily!) What drives me? Creating recruitment strategies that are scalable and human. Helping businesses become employers of choice. Making hiring more inclusive, transparent, and efficient. And yes — giving candidates a truly great experience. Looking for: A strategic Talent Acquisition or Employer Brand role in a business that’s growing, values people, and wants to level up how they hire. If that sounds like you (or someone you know), I’d love to connect.