Talent Spotlight — Andrei Campean (No. 1 — 2025)

Welcome to Talent Spotlight — where every month, we shine a light on standout talent professionals and the real stories shaping our industry.

Hey Andrei, tell us a bit about yourself. Who are you, where are you, and what keeps you busy these days?

Hi, my name is Andrei. I am a TA professional with over 14 years experience in recruitment. Originally from Romania, I settled in Dublin, Ireland 8 years ago where I live with my 2 ginger cats (yes I'm a cat dad 😂).

• I am an avid audible book listener (32 titles and over 263 hours of listening time in 2024) with a very keen interest in cosmology and business.

• These days I'm focused on researching AI's impact in TA and what tools and initiatives are really a game changer. A must-read book from 2024: Nexus by Yuval Noah Harari — explores the age of AI rush (much like the Gold rush), how to deal with this new information network and the threats it poses.

Your Story

A small moment that taught you a big lesson:

It's never too late to learn new skills.

About 3 years ago, at the age of 37 I dared myself to learn how to ride a bike 🚲. After a nearly full weekend of trial and error, bashing my body off the pavement every 15 seconds or so, I finally did it!

I was on the bike pedaling and — most importantly — not falling off 😂. But the feeling, OMG the feeling — pure joy, excitement, and freedom. I was a kid again and I felt so alive.

Something from a completely different field that helped your talent work:

I am very passionate about cosmology and one of the interesting dilemmas in astrophysics is the 3-body problem.

Much like the 3-body problem in space, my work revolves around 3 centres of gravity: my team, stakeholders and my peers in the wider TA/People function. Similarly there is no solution to this "problem" either, and the gravitational pulls are going to be very different at different points in time.

Talent Talk

The most unconventional thing you've done in recruiting that worked really well:

Many years ago the company I worked for needed to hire an Infosec specialist. It was the first role of its kind in the region and I had never worked on Infosec before.

To prep for the brief with the CIO and Head of Infosec for Europe, I met with the ISACA Director who certifies CISM, CISA, CISSP professionals — and he gave me a plethora of information that helped me not only to be prepared for the brief, but also how to attract and hire the right candidate. It was unconventional as generally ISACA deals with exams, certifications and training. I still think about that interaction even 12 years later.

A trick or productivity hack that makes life easier:

"What does the data tell you?"

That question helps me understand where I need to dive deeper, informs my future action items, plans for correction, and helps me set clear guidelines on moving forward.

One thing about TA you've completely changed your mind about:

Data, Data, Data. Initially in my career I was a mess when it came to organisational skills and having data ready to present — it was all about feeling and in the moment. I quickly realised that's a path to failure and I needed to upskill how I worked with data. It's still about the people you meet, and I get an amazing buzz whenever an offer goes out — but now I know this needs to be complemented with the data behind it. Only then can we really become partners to the business and build a scalable, predictable TA function.

Community Connection

Who in your community inspires you:

1. Oana Iordachescu — for her amazing work and progress on DEI initiatives, her career progression, and her ability to take risks and move into a field where companies don't invest much. It takes courage and self-belief to build something from scratch like she did with the Fair Conference.

2. Luke Eaton — for his Data Driven Recruiter newsletter. I love when TA people are so passionate they find time during busy schedules to contribute to the wider TA population.

One question you've always wanted to ask other talent professionals:

How do we (TA) stay valid in an AI world where, let's be honest, we're not very liked by candidates and people out there say we will be replaced by automation?