Building the teams that shape the future and the tools that transform hiring.
What our clients say about us.
The process has been really, really good. The team works amazingly despite being an early-stage company. Their AI knowledge is absolutely top-level. They're living and breathing it - not just understanding it but actively developing tools that leverage AI in recruitment. They speak the same language and understand it from user, organizational, and product-building perspectives.
Ben
Co-Founder
BeyondOS ($35m funded startup)
Great hire, great cultural and technical fit that ramped up quickly. Throughout the process, communication was high-touch, constant, and authentic. Kris kept us fully across everything, even setting up a dedicated Slack channel to streamline updates and collaboration. He was highly attentive and always a step ahead. The process was clear, expectations were well managed, and both the candidates and our internal team commented on how enjoyable and seamless the experience was. A fantastic partner to work with.
Jacqueline
COO, CFO
VC Backed Scaleup
Kris is a talented, strategic advisor in the people and culture space who helped me immensely in 2024. He has become a trusted advisor that I will continue to work with in the future. Kris is a well-rounded, empathetic, highly intelligent strategic advisor who I highly recommend. Kris isn’t a recruiter; he’s redefining the industry!
Damian
CTO
Expert360
The NextPlay team are phenomenal to work with, and provide really unique combination of recruitment experience, technology expertise and just general business building you don’t find other places. These guys not only get it, they care, they’re highly networked too, so I see it as more of a partnership than purely about the roles. We worked with Kris, Greg and James on a very thorough brief, to find a techie who wasn’t only brilliant technically but had people skills too, and wanted to come into the office. They nailed the brief and we couldn’t be happier.
Andrew Birt
Cofounder & CEO
Cova.ai
NextPlay’s key strength is a deep understanding of both clients and candidates. Kris and his team align values, career goals, and long-term potential, ensuring every placement is the right fit. Candidates working with NextPlay don’t just land roles, they receive valuable guidance on building the right profile, managing emotions throughout the hiring process, and developing their careers with confidence. If you’re looking for a recruiter who genuinely cares about outcomes and creates real value for both companies and candidates, Kris and NextPlay are who you should talk to.
Brian
Executive Sales Leader
Everway
Thank you so much! I really appreciate how hard you worked on this search for us. I thought your process was amazing. I couldn't fault one thing. You were so dedicated and relentless in the search.
Ariella
CEO & Founder
OVUM. Technology
Meet the founders behind NextPlay.
Kris Owens
Co-Founder
Over a decade in recruitment, spent in the startup and scale-up ecosystem. Leads client delivery at NextPlay and is deeply involved in product, going deep on AI to shape how the team builds.
James Jennings
Co-Founder
Built and exited a recruitment tech startup acquired by SEEK. Former recruiter turned founder, he's seen hiring from all sides: agency, startup, enterprise.
Greg Freeman
Co-Founder, CTO
Has led global technology teams for scale-ups. A 3x CTO, he took two of those businesses through to successful exit, with one over $100M while CTO, and is a trusted advisor to high-growth ventures.
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