Former Netflix Talent Acquisition Lead Joins U.K. Recruiter Ibison Talent Group
January 6, 2023 – U.K.-based executive recruiting firm Ibison Talent Group (ITG) has named former Netflix talent acquisition executive Lynnette Happ as a partner. “This appointment is significant as we continue to expand our business into the U.S. market,” said Nicola Ibison, CEO of ITG. “We’ve recently attracted outstanding U.S.-based talent to roles in the U.K., and Lynnette’s appointment will not only enable us to expand this offering, it will give us a real opportunity for trans-Atlantic growth.” Ms. Happ spent six years at Netflix, overseeing end-to-end recruitment for scripted and unscripted series, international film, documentaries, kids and family content, as well as acquisitions and licensing, production, post-production, production finance, and business and legal affairs. She also led a team of researchers and recruiters in Netflix’s U.K. office and its headquarters in Amsterdam, and managed dozens of searches in the U.K. across Europe, and in the Middle East and Africa.
Before Netflix, Ms. Happ served as senior associate and North American generalist practice group leader at DHR Global. Prior to that, she served as a senior account executive at E-commerce marketplace Groupon.
At ITG, Happ will be responsible for helping the firm achieve growth across its executive search division as it expands in the U.S., overseeing leadership searches for ITG’s business partners. She will also be responsible for expanding ITG’s network both in London and globally. Her focus will be on leadership searches across documentaries, unscripted/factual, scripted, film, and news.
2023 Growth
“After a tremendous six years at Netflix, I am beyond excited to join the brilliant team at Ibison Talent Group,” Ms. Happ said in a LinkedIn post. “Nicola Ibison and Roland Carreras – 2023 is going to be an amazing year for ITG!”
Hunt Scanlon Media Launches M&A Advisory Service for Recruiters
These have been sobering days for executive recruiting firms around the globe. Most of them, regardless of size, location, or specialization were caught flat-footed by one of the most sweeping economic crises to ever hit the sector this past year. As a result, the nation’s top search consultants have been resetting expectations and, in the process, setting a new course.
Professional services firms – and executive recruiting outfits in particular – have a long history of finding their way through tough times. Many search firms have used this time to dust off their own continuity and succession plans, or to reconsider that merger or acquisition which was something of a nuisance when times were flush. Others have taken a hard look at their capitalization strategies. This crisis, like no other, has driven many of the most well-known and respected brands in the recruiting business to reassess everything about their businesses, top to bottom.
Behind the scenes, this has been an active period for executive recruitment firms. To meet their advisory needs, Hunt Scanlon Media launched a new set of solutions to assist search firms and talent solutions providers seeking mergers, acquisitions, or funding connections. Founders Scott A. Scanlon and Christopher W. Hunt sit down to discuss Hunt Scanlon Ventures and the state of the executive search industry.
ITG places talent into roles both on and off-screen via its executive search and artist management divisions. The firm’s executive search division specializes in leadership media roles across scripted, unscripted, sports, news, and digital.
Ms. Ibison founded ITG in 2015 and has worked alongside the U.K.’s top commissioners and producers, She has managed some of Britain’s most famous faces, including Clare Balding, Gabby Logan, Eamonn Holmes, and the Hairy Bikers. Before founding the firm, Ms. Ibison was head of the factual, sports media, and specialist departments at James Grant Management (now YMU Group).
“I really enjoyed working with Tim Mitchell and Nicola Ibison on the search for a very senior role, which was crucial to get right. It felt like a partnership from the outset, with thoughtful insight into finding the right candidates, despite time pressures, and a well-run process throughout,” said Rachel Corp, CEO of ITN.
Related: Hunt Scanlon Media Launches M&A Advisory Service for Recruiters
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
