In Conversation With: Emma Mirrington

What is your history within the Talent space?

My background has always been in Talent working for organisations such as Unilever, Sky and Mars in roles spanning early careers recruitment through to talent attraction, acquisition and talent management. It has always been a passion of mine!

Why did you start The Firm (now The Talent Labs)?

As said previously I’ve always been passionate about supporting fellow talent professionals and making the industry a better place to work. As recruiters and HR professionals, we have a fantastic opportunity to really make a difference in people’s lives.

But despite this big responsibility, I saw there wasn’t a dedicated space where we could come together, share knowledge, and get resources tailored just for us.

That’s where the idea for The Firm (all the way back in 2007 now!) came from, initially as a LinkedIn group but now as a fully-fledged global organisation. I wanted to ensure that no-one ever had to start from scratch in their roles, that we could provide people with the insight, knowledge, and tools to do their jobs effectively. I feel blessed that we’ve been able to build a community that continues to empower talented professionals to excel in their roles.

How have you found the process from transitioning to The Talent Labs to The Firm?

There have been more than a few sleepless nights!

I think the main thing people love about us is that they feel we really care about the progress of them as individuals, the organisations they work for and the Talent space as a whole. We really didn’t want to lose that essence of The Firm and I think as a team we have delivered something that focuses on the entire Talent industry, without losing any of the gold dust that made The Firm such a vital part of members’ working lives.

I’m really confident, and I can see from the enthusiasm in the team and initial feedback, that we’ve made a really positive step forwards as The Talent Labs.

I want to say a huge thank you to The Talent Labs team who have been amazing in making all of this possible with their hard work and dedication.

Why did you decide to expand from focusing solely on talent acquisition to also covering talent management, and development?

When we first launched, our primary focus was on talent acquisition because 1. That’s the space in which we had experience and 2. That’s where we saw the most opportunity to make a positive impact.

As we have grown and the Talent space has evolved, it has become clear in the conversations we have, the feedback we receive, the data we compile, and the things we see on a daily basis, that the status quo approach to Talent is becoming a thing of a past. It’s no longer right to work in silos and this should now be replaced by an integrated approach where external hiring and internal optimisation become part of the same conversation.

From 2021 to 2023 alone, the data shows us that there has been a 33% increase in the prioritisation of internal talent, with a 16% decrease in external hiring prioritisation in the same period.

Our goal, like it’s always been, is to support individuals and teams as they adapt and evolve, expanding knowledge in relevant areas and building capability across the entire talent space.

What does the future hold for The Talent Labs?

We are going to continue to support, develop, connect and inspire the talent community but will broaden our reach internationally and provide deeper insights, services and support across the entire talent spectrum.