Glasgow-founded scaleup Willo has appointed Jim Berrisford as its new vice president of partnerships to kick off what co-founder Euan Cameron described as ‘a pivotal year’ for the recruitment tech firm.

Berrisford joins Willo with over twenty years’ experience in the talent sector, including in recruitment, in‑house acquisition, and senior commercial and partnerships roles at vendors like Vonq and Reezomo, alongside his work as a business ambassador for a UK autism charity.

Having cut his teeth with a recruitment firm in London, Berrisford has held leadership positions across sales and partnerships, working with applicant tracking systems, HR tech platforms, job boards and RPO providers, and was recently appointed to the board of the Association of RecTech Providers.

As VP of partnerships, Berrisford will lead Willo’s global partner strategy, focusing on scalable infrastructure and developer toolkits embedded with ATS and HCM providers.

His remit will include reshaping legacy relationships, building new ‘pure play’ strategic alliances with key players in the hiring ecosystem, and ensuring Willo is tightly integrated within customers’ existing tech stacks.

This expanded partnerships function will work closely with Willo’s product, sales and customer teams in the UK, North America, and other priority markets, with further hires expected over the coming year.

“As a buyer, I’ve been sold tools that promised everything and delivered very little – so I know how frustrating that can be – but I’ve also helped vendors and ATS providers make their products more meaningful and usable for recruiters, ensuring they are relevant for modern demands,” said Berrisford.

“What excites me about Willo is that it sits in that ‘next system of productivity (NSOP)’ space – giving partners and customers an embedded, best-of-breed solution that removes friction rather than adding to the noise.

“My focus will be on building fully aligned partnerships – with ATSs, HRIS platforms, RPOs and others – where Willo is integrated, trusted and clearly adds value for candidates, buyers and vendors alike.”

Berrisford’s appointment follows a period of expansion for the Scottish tech firm, with Willo opening new UK offices in Glasgow and Manchester, as well as growing its team across North America, where the firm already generates over half of its revenue.

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Last year, Willo secured a £3 million injection from Mimecast founder Peter Bauer, the largest single funding round in the company’s history, with plans to use the influx of funding to expand in the North American market and launch a suite of tools to help employers sift through CVs and profiles.

The company has claimed rapid growth since launching in 2020, having experienced a 64-fold revenue growth since its first year of trading, with the platform now operating in 195 countries, conducting millions of recruitment interviews a year.

“This is a pivotal year for Willo as we invest off the back of last year’s support,” said Euan Cameron, Willo co-founder and CEO. “Jim will be a key figure in making sure Willo is the most trusted, integrated video platform in our space – and that we do it in a way that keeps hiring fair, efficient, and human-led.”