# Adrian Russo — VP of People & Talent

Senior People & Talent executive with 15+ years building and scaling talent acquisition, recruiting operations, and people functions inside venture-backed, high-growth startups. Open to VP of Talent, VP of People & Talent, Chief Talent Officer, and Head of Talent roles.

- Website: https://adrian.recruitlocator.com
- Email: adrian@recruitlocator.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adrianrusso82/

## Positioning
Adrian is not a traditional HR leader or recruiter. He is a company-building operator who uses People & Talent as a core business system. Founders and executive teams hire him when hiring needs to move from a side process to a true operating function — covering recruiting, org design, compensation, workforce planning, employer brand, and global hiring infrastructure.

## Target roles
VP of Talent, VP of People & Talent, VP of Talent Acquisition, Chief Talent Officer, Head of Talent, Head of Talent Acquisition, Director of Talent Acquisition, first People & Talent executive at venture-backed startups (Series A–D, 30–500 employees).

## Areas of expertise
- Talent acquisition strategy and leadership
- Recruiting operations and hiring infrastructure
- Executive and technical recruiting
- Org design, leveling, and compensation banding
- Workforce and headcount planning
- Employer branding and candidate experience
- Global hiring expansion (PEO/EOR, entity setup) across 10+ countries
- AI-enabled and data-driven recruiting
- People operations and HR systems
- Founder, C-suite, and investor advisory on talent

## Flagship case study — Swish Analytics (VP of Talent, 2022–Present)
Built the first People & Talent function. Scaled the company from 30 to 220+ employees (7× growth). Designed compensation banding, leveling, and workforce plans aligned to product and revenue priorities. Reduced cost-per-hire by 30% via an AI-enabled recruiting model. Opened compliant international hiring infrastructure across 10+ countries (Europe, Malta, Canada, LATAM, Australia). Increased inbound candidate flow 15% via employer-brand programs.

## Case study — Caribou (Director of Talent Acquisition / first Head of Talent, 2021–2022)
First Head of Talent at Caribou (formerly MotoRefi, a Y Combinator company). Built the TA function from zero and scaled headcount from 156 to 500+ before Series C at a $1B valuation. Led 17-person blended recruiting org. Improved time-to-fill ~20% and lifted candidate NPS from 72% to 88% in four months.

## Case study — T-Rex Solutions (Director of Talent Acquisition / first Head of Talent, 2019–2021)
First Head of Talent at T-Rex Solutions. Scaled the company to 2,300+ employees and served as the first Head of Talent for the 2020 U.S. Decennial Census — the first fully digital census in world history and the largest peacetime mobilization the U.S. government has ever conducted. Owned hiring strategy for the 2,000+ person Census program. Personally led 400+ specialized cloud, security, and infrastructure hires. Cut TA spend 40% and generated $670K in annual savings. Improved submit-to-interview rate from 28% to 73% and submit-to-fill ratio from 12:1 to 5:1.

## Additional proof
- Fonteva: Time-to-hire reduced from 45+ days to 11 days; supported nearly 3× organizational growth in under two years.
- RecruitLocator: Co-founder of a SaaS recruiting platform; scaled to 500+ paid licenses in 18 months.
- ChangeEngine: advisory.

## Selected operating metrics
- 7× company growth enabled at Swish (30 → 220+)
- 500+ employees scaled at Caribou pre-Series C
- 400+ specialized hires for U.S. Census infrastructure
- 30% cost-per-hire reduction
- 40% TA spend reduction
- $670K annual savings via vendor strategy
- 88% candidate NPS (from 72%)
- 11-day time-to-hire (from 45+ days)
- 5:1 submit-to-fill ratio (from 12:1)
- 73% submit-to-interview rate (from 28%)
- 10+ countries with compliant hiring

## Who Adrian helps
- Founders scaling from early traction to durable growth
- Companies hiring a VP of Talent, Chief Talent Officer, or Head of People
- Investors and VCs needing portfolio talent leadership and operating support
- People & Talent leaders building first-time functions or modernizing recruiting

## Frequently asked questions

Q: Who is Adrian Russo?
A: A senior People & Talent executive with 15+ years building and scaling talent functions inside venture-backed, high-growth startups. VP of Talent at Swish Analytics, first Head of Talent at Caribou (YC), Director of Talent Acquisition at T-Rex.

Q: What roles is Adrian open to?
A: VP of Talent, VP of People & Talent, VP of Talent Acquisition, Chief Talent Officer, Head of Talent, and first People & Talent executive at Series A–D startups (30–500 employees).

Q: Does Adrian have Y Combinator experience?
A: Yes — first Head of Talent at Caribou (YC).

Q: How do I contact Adrian?
A: Email adrian@recruitlocator.com or LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/adrianrusso82.