You aren't the Recruiting Leader.
You’re the Chief Growth Officer

Your company's growth and success starts with who gets hired. Hire better talent, the company will grow.
It's time to embrace the idea that you aren't head application-collector to lead ATS-filler.

You're so much more important to the company.

Keynote Overview

Your New Title: Chief Growth Officer

A keynote for leaders who are ready to drive revenue, not just requisitions.

Your company is looking to help grow the company, they just don't know it yet.

Growth isn’t a campaign. It’s who you hire.

If you fill seats, you maintain. If you attract builders, you grow. This 50-minute keynote reframes Talent Acquisition as the most controllable lever of company growth, and gives your team the plays to prove it.

Why this keynote? Why now?

Your competitors can copy your ads, your tech, even your benefits. They can’t copy a system that consistently attracts people who build products faster, open new markets, and improve the business every week.

This session shows your team how to stop acting like an HR cost center and start operating like a Chief Growth Office for talent: measuring and managing what actually compounds value for yourself, your team, and your company.

Investment: $5,000–$10,000
Formats: Virtual • In-Person • In-Person + Workshop

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What your audience will take away

The Four Transformations that unlock growth

  1. Job Boards → Pipelines
    (demand creation beats demand capture)
  2. Transactions → Systems
    (repeatable, inspectable, improvable)
  3. Order-Taker → Consultant
    (business outcomes > req filling)
  4. Cost Center → Value Driver
    (tie hires to growth metrics)

Five CGO plays to change how leadership sees you

  1. Growth Persona Matrix: Who will grow the business?
  2. Differentiated Value Messaging: What are we saying others can't?
  3. Pipeline Architecture: ABC - Always Be Connecting.
  4. Signal over Noise: Reach is dead. Resonance rules!
  5. Recruiter and Hiring Manager enablement

Expected outcomes (what changes next month)

  • Fewer, better candidates who match how you actually win.
  • Faster time-to-impact because you hire builders, not seat-fillers.
  • Higher offer acceptance rates
  • Lower failure cost from mis-hires and churn.
  • A TA story a CFO believes (and wants to fund).

Who this is for

  1. CHROs who need recruiting to pull its weight in revenue terms.
  2. HRBPs and recruiters who are done being order-takers.
  3. Signal over Noise: Reach is dead. Resonance rules!
  4. Business leaders who ask, “How does recruiting move the P&L?
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What’s included with every booking

What makes this keynote different

Pricing

Virtual - $5,000

  1. 50-minute talk + 10-minute Q&A
  2. CGO Playbook (PDF) + 30-Day Pilot Plan
  3. Recording license for internal replay (30 days)

Live on stage - $7,500

  1. Everything in Virtual, delivered onsite
  2. Post-talk roundtable with TA leadership (up to 45 min)

Complete workshop - $11,000

  1. In-Person Keynote
  2. 2-hour working session with your TA leaders & hiring managers to:
  3. Run your Differentiation Quality Scorecard
  4. Build a better job posting template
  5. Brainstorm future content

FAQs

  • Can you tailor examples to our industry and priority roles?
    Yes. That’s part of the discovery and slide customization.
  • Will we get the slides?
    You’ll receive the CGO Playbook PDF (selected slides, templates, checklists).
  • Can we add a private AMA for leaders or recruiters?
    Absolutely—add a 45-minute session to any package.
  • What’s the lead time?
    Most events confirm 2–4 weeks out; rush is possible if the calendar allows.

Ready to turn TA into a growth engine?

If you want prettier job ads, hire a designer.
If you want growth, book this keynote.
You’re the Chief Growth Officer gives your team the language, plays, and metrics to stop chasing applicants and start compounding value: fewer, better hires, faster ramp, lower failure cost, a story your CFO will fund.
Let’s turn TA into your company's unfair advantage. Lock in your date now.

Talent Acquisition Grows Companies

Your leadership is looking at you and your team skeptically. The usual grab-bag of job boards, ads and tech tools isn't working (and yet keeps getting more expensive).

A new strategy not only makes every tactic and tool more effective, it highlights your skill as a leader, as someone who understand that their job isn't to fill the ATS, but rather to help grow the company.

Send your timing and I’ll return availability and an activation timeline tailored to your roles.

Let's get you your seat at the table.

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What are you trying to achieve?

Maybe you need to get your teams excited about employer branding.
Or you need to bring teams together to become advocates.
Or you need to teach your hiring managers how to support TA.
Or you need to get leadership onboard a strategy shift.🔥
Or you need to train your recruiting teams.
Or you need to brainstorm employer brand activation.
Or you just need to make your CFO happy.📈

As a featured keynote at in-house events for Coca-Cola, Kohler, Concept Bureau, Alstom, Schlumberger, Deutsche Bahn Group, MOL Group, Twitter (RIP), Indeed, and many others, I've helped companies hire better by re-thinking the power of their employer brand and building creative recruitment strategies.

In short, I can get your people excited about what we do.

The intersection of experience and storytelling

Creating change isn't easy. It doesn't happen because you have better data. It doesn't happen because it helps the company. It doesn't happen because you're right.

People change and take action because you get them to enroll in your vision. You fire up their emotions, change their perspective, and give them the tools to make change.

I know you want your company or organization to achieve more through talent: attracting better people faster and easier, getting them to fall in love with your brand, and stay longer.

Whether it is getting executive buy-in, training TA teams, or turning different teams into employer brand advocates, I can help you make your vision real.

"James is not only an expert in his field but also an exceptional storyteller and presenter. His session with our HRIT Connect community of HR system administrators was not only insightful and thought-provoking, but also hilarious!"

"It was amazing! I kept getting pings on teams from people saying “He’s so great! This is amazing!” Etc. The overall explanation of how we need to differentiate and then digging into their questions and real world examples got the creative juices flowing. You kept it engaging and fun and I got a lot of great feedback about that too."

"James is an event organizer's dream speaker. He is professional, personable, easy to communicate with, compes with great knowledge, and really understands how to engage an audience by expertyly blending information, inspiration, energy, and entertainment."

"If you want your organization to understand the value employer brand brings to your business (and the bottom line), look no further. You are up for the professional treat of a lifetime."

"I said this at the of our last call too, but it bears repeating, because how often do we get to say this after a call, really?! I feel smarter. THANK YOU for that invaluable reframe."

"James Ellis is BRILLIANT when it comes to leveraging content to recruit talent. If you want to attract the best talent, this is a must-listen."

"Seriously, I’ve never walked away from a conference session with so many action items that I can put to use tomorrow."

"You're going to get something different when you get James Ellis up on stage: Unique insight and unique delivery. If you need someone to wake the crowd up with expert insight and creative storytelling, James is your guy."

"This was time definitely well spent! And more important: it was really fun. Lots of food for thoughts and ideas on how to use the insights gained further."

"Engaging, and high-energy, he is a powerful voice and expert in employer brand. From bridging the gap between marketing and human resources, to developing a cohesive and effective employer brand outreach, he understands long-term goals."

"James’s energy and straight-talk approach is so appreciated."

"James combines brilliant storytelling and experience with his in depth knowledge of employer branding. Thanks James for bringing your energy and passion. It was certainly refreshing!"