Open to opportunities

Ashley McBean

@ashleymcbean

Message

Data-driven Talent Acquisition leader scaling global teams across AI, FinTech and SaaS with inclusive hiring.

United Arab Emirates

Message

What I'm looking for

I’m looking to lead talent strategy for high-growth AI/FinTech/SaaS teams—building scalable hiring systems, strengthening employer brands, and delivering DEI-focused leadership hiring with data-backed decisions.

I’m a strategic, creative, data-driven talent specialist with 10+ years in global tech/data recruitment, including senior appointments. I build high-performing teams by combining full-cycle recruitment with workforce planning, employer branding, and talent operations across AI, FinTech, and SaaS.

Most recently, as Talent Acquisition Lead at Qashio, I scaled the organisation by 75% in Q1, hiring 61 employees across Tech, Marketing, Finance, Product, GTM & Ops. I established the TA function from the ground up, implemented ATS tooling (including TeamTailor), and introduced data-driven hiring frameworks and KPIs (CV → interview → offer → acceptance) to improve decision-making—while staying hands-on for critical hires.

Previously, I led Data Science & AI recruitment across EMEA and North America and trained/mentored teams on business development and executive pipeline building. I’m also a Certified Organizational Development Coach with a passion for equity and impact, recognized via Communicate Online “Women to Watch List 2024,” and an active contributor through WomeninAI and major tech event panels.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Current

Talent Acquisition Lead

Current

Qashio

Nov 2025 - Present (7 months)

Scaled the organization by 75% in Q1, hiring 61 employees across Tech, Marketing, Finance, Product, GTM, and Ops. Built the TA function from the ground up with a lean team of 4 and implemented ATS plus data-driven hiring KPIs to improve decision-making.

Talent Acquisition ATS KPIs Workforce Planning

Current

Head of Talent Women in AI

Current

Women in AI

Jan 2023 - Present (3 years 5 months)

Led global recruitment efforts supporting AI and Data non-profit initiatives across the Middle East. Advanced diversity and inclusion through community outreach and event management, including participation as a panelist and speaker at major technology events.

Non Profit Talent Recruitment Community Outreach Event Management Talent Operations Global recruitment

Director, AI Data Recruitment

Surge Group SMP

Jan 2023 - Sep 2025 (2 years 8 months)

Led searches across EMEA and North America across AI, Data, and Tech, partnering with founders and boards to build leadership teams and define hiring strategy. Delivered executive pipelines via outreach and market mapping, including salary benchmarking and competitive intelligence, while shaping EVP and DEI-focused hiring through Women in Tech initiatives.

Executive Search Leadership Pipelines Market Mapping Competitive Intelligence Stakeholder Management DEI Coaching and Mentoring

Lead Consultant, Community Mgmt

SGP Technology

Jul 2021 - Jan 2023 (1 year 6 months)

Delivered embedded/RPO recruitment solutions across AI, FinTech, and SaaS across EMEA and LATAM, leading niche C-level and technical mandates. Managed a team of three consultants and implemented ATS (Lever and Greenhouse) while driving EVP initiatives and producing talent insights including market maps and salary benchmarks.

RPO Embedded Recruiting ATS Talent Intelligence Team Leadership

Lead Consultant & Community Manager

Coders Connect

Jan 2019 - May 2021 (2 years 4 months)

Led 360 recruitment for SaaS and FinTech start-ups across EMEA and North America, building senior engineering and C-level talent communities with 200+ members. Co-led and coached a team of six across the UK and South Africa, improving delivery performance via retrospectives, CRM optimization, and Slack workflow integration.

360 Recruitment Community Building Senior Engineer Process Improvement

Principal Consultant, OpenSource

SThree/SGI

Oct 2012 - Dec 2018 (6 years 2 months)

Delivered 360 recruitment services for SaaS and FinTech start-ups across EMEA and North America, managing senior and executive-level search mandates. Produced salary insights and supported client growth hiring strategies through networking events and market intelligence.

360 Recruitment Executive Search Talent Intelligence Stakeholder Management Search Mandate Delivery