Award categories and criteria

The SARAs are open to Australian and New Zealand-based recruitment agencies and RPOs. View the categories and criteria to determine the awards you'll enter and the information you need to showcase.

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Award categories

Recruitment Agency of the Year (Small, Medium and Large)

The winner of this award will be able to demonstrate their dedication and pursuit of excellence across culture, innovation, growth, candidate engagement and contribution to the success of the recruitment industry.

Innovation in Recruitment

The winner of this award will be a progressive recruitment agency that is harnessing insights and new ideas to solve business or clients’ challenges to fuel innovation within the industry.

Excellence in Candidate Experience

The winner of this award will be able to demonstrate their commitment to providing an exceptional experience for candidates throughout their job search journey.

Outstanding Progress in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

The winner of this award embeds diversity, equity, and inclusion into their business and their work with clients. They demonstrate this commitment not only through new initiatives, but also through the way they operate day-to-day, with inclusive practices, policies and behaviours that create lasting benefit for diverse talent pools and the recruitment industry.

Recruitment Leader of the Year

The winner of this award will be a recruitment professional who inspires and motivates their team, performs to business objectives, and makes a positive impact within their agency and the overall recruitment industry.

Recruitment Consultant of the Year

The winner of this award will be a recruitment professional who has excelled in the area of client and candidate engagement, and has contributed positively to the recruitment industry as a whole.

What the judges are looking for

Our panel of industry experts assess entries using the following guiding criteria. This criteria has been designed to recognise outstanding professional service and client support across the recruitment industry, and shine a light on the positive impact recruiters make on people’s lives. Here's an overview of what the judges will look for:

Client and candidate centricity

How are you putting the candidate and your clients at the centre of your strategy or initiative/s?

Innovation

How are you doing things differently and challenging the status quo? What sets you or your agency apart?

Growth

What are your targets and how do you know you are meeting them?

Industry impact

How does this achievement improve your team, your agency, or the broader recruitment industry?

Judges

Experts in their field, our exceptional judges have been appointed to select the winners and finalists of the SEEK Annual Recruitment Awards.
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We're still finalising our full judging panel but you can take a look at our confirmed 2026 SARAs judges below:

Rebecca Clarke

Recruitment, Consulting & Staffing in Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia (RCSA)

Rebecca (Bex) joined the recruitment & staffing industry in 2001 and has been passionate about it ever since. As NZ Manager & Digital Community lead for AU/NZ, she is a conduit and champion for RCSA member and industry voices across Aotearoa. She works closely with the wider RCSA team of specialists to support and empower their members to lead...

Maddock Price

Recruitment Manager, Kiwi Bank

Maddock currently resides in west Auckland with his wife and two boys. Maddock has worked in the Recruitment industry for the last 13 years, starting out of university at Hays in Auckland, then moved to London where he worked for an IT agency Square One. Upon returning home Maddock worked at Auckland Council and is now leading the Kiwibank Recru...

Sarah Artz

Talent Services Lead, AIA

With 15 years of experience in recruitment, Sarah began her career supporting the contract banking desk at a London agency. In 2016, she relocated to New Zealand and shifted her focus to professional services and procurement before AIA New Zealand provided the opportunity to transition to internal recruitment, gaining expertise in talent acquis...

Kym Farnham

Talent & Recruitment Lead, Mitre 10

I began my recruitment career in South Africa in 2013, gaining experience across multiple sectors including manufacturing, FMCG, construction, pharmaceuticals, and retail. This early exposure shaped my people‑first approach and reinforced the importance of thoughtful, values‑led recruitment. Over time, I found my passion in retail and internal r...

Kim Nicholas

GM HR - Talent Acquisition, Systems and Payroll, The Warehouse Group

Kim is currently the HR Area Lead – Talent Acquisition and Systems at The Warehouse Group where she has been for 8 years. While studying at the University of Auckland gaining a Bachelor of Science and a Post Graduate Diploma in Psychology and Forensic Science she also worked in retail at the local The Warehouse store. Kim then relocated to the U...

Melissa Karl

Director Recruitment & People, Diocesan School for Girls

Melissa has over 20 years’ experience working in recruitment. She is currently the Director of Recruitment & People at Diocesan School, where she leads strategic people initiatives and oversees end-to-end recruitment operations. Prior to this, Melissa was the Recruitment Manager at the University of Auckland, where she led multiple recruitment t...

Donna Mendjan

Head of Talent Resourcing & Acquisition ANZ, Downer

I’m currently the Head of Talent & Sourcing Acquisition for Downer Transport & Infrastructure across New Zealand and Australia, where I lead recruitment strategy and talent development initiatives across a broad and diverse operation. Over the past 15+ years, I’ve worked across public and private sectors—including roles with the Department of Co...

Rebecca O'Hagan

Talent Attraction & Recruitment Manager, Mercury NZ Limited

Rebecca O’Hagan brings more than 20 years of experience in recruitment and talent acquisition to the judging panel. For the past six years, Rebecca has led the recruitment function at Mercury NZ Limited as Talent Acquisition and Recruitment Manager, overseeing hiring across a wide range of roles and playing a key role in shaping the company's ta...

Zubair Mohammed

Recruitment Manager, Farmers Trading Company

Zubair Mohammed is a dynamic and experienced recruitment leader with a strong background in talent acquisition, employer branding, and employee experience. Currently serving as the Recruitment Manager at Farmers Trading Company Ltd, one of New Zealand’s most iconic retail brands, Zubair leads a team dedicated to attracting top talent across both...

Matt Bartlett

Head of Talent Acquisition, ASB

Approaching 20 years in recruitment, most of which has been spent internally in New Zealand organisations leading national and international Talent Acquisition functions, Matt is passionate about the value that Talent Acquisition can bring to an organisation, as well as the impact on peoples' lives. Matt by nature is a fan of innovation and crea...

Kristy Teece

Talent Acquisition Lead, AA New Zealand

With over 15 years of experience in talent acquisition and recruitment strategy, Kristy brings a strategic approach to hiring, blending people-first leadership with deep expertise in high-volume and specialist recruitment. Currently Talent Acquisition Lead at AA New Zealand, Kristy has held senior recruitment roles across diverse industries, inc...

Mark Sumner

Recruitment Experience Lead – Banking, Westpac New Zealand

Mark Sumner is a highly experienced talent acquisition leader with over 25 years’ experience across the UK, Australia and New Zealand, spanning both agency and in-house recruitment. Currently serving as Recruitment Experience Lead – Banking at Westpac New Zealand, Mark leads recruitment strategy and service delivery across Institutional & Busin...

Jenny Groom

Manager Talent Acquisition – Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment | Hīkina Whakatutuki

With 25 years of experience in recruitment globally, Jenny began her career at JPMorgan in London and New York before moving to executive search for one of London’s most successful financial services boutique headhunting firms. Having moved to Kenya to work in conservation while bringing up her two young boys, Jenny moved to New Zealand in 2014...

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