Euan McNair

Euan McNair

Talent Acquisition, Employer Brand & Inclusion Director - Aegon UK

Like many leaders in talent acquisition, Euan McNair did not initially plan to build a career in recruiting.

After graduating from university with a degree in psychology, Euan entered the workforce during a challenging economic period in 2008 and began his career on the agency recruitment side with Hays, specializing in healthcare and social care recruiting.

What started as an opportunity quickly evolved into something much more meaningful.

Very early in his career, Euan recognized that talent acquisition was not simply about filling vacancies — it was about making a tangible impact on people’s lives.

Working within healthcare and social care recruitment exposed him to the real-world importance of hiring the right people into critical roles.

“It really planted a seed for me in terms of candidate care, candidate experience, and the real purpose and value that talent acquisition can add,” Euan explained while reflecting on his early career.

That early experience helped shape the leadership philosophy that still guides him today: recruiting is fundamentally about people.

Over the years, Euan transitioned from agency recruiting into in-house talent acquisition leadership, where he built a reputation for combining strategic thinking, operational leadership, empathy, and people-centered recruiting practices.

Today, as Head of Talent Acquisition at Aegon UK, Euan leads recruiting strategy and talent operations while helping shape the future of talent acquisition within one of the world’s leading financial services organizations.

The Leaders Who Shaped His Career

Throughout the conversation, Euan spoke passionately about the leaders who helped shape his career and leadership philosophy.

One of the earliest and most influential figures was Shona McKenzie, a respected recruiting leader in Scotland who gave Euan his first major opportunity to transition into in-house talent acquisition leadership.

Although Euan felt his résumé at the time may not have fully reflected his potential, Shona saw something deeper.

At the end of their first interview together, she asked him where he hoped to be in five years.

“I told her I wanted to get to her position — recruitment director — and I wanted to get there quicker,” Euan recalled.

Her response became a defining moment in his career.

“Sure, let’s make that happen.”

For Euan, that level of belief, mentorship, and empowerment left a lasting impact.

He credits Shona not only for giving him an opportunity, but also for helping him view recruiting differently — with greater energy, humanity, and strategic vision.

Another major influence was Suzanne Lamont, whom Euan later worked with in financial services at Aberdeen.

He describes Suzanne as someone with exceptional depth of knowledge, empathy, and leadership capability.

“She would know me better sometimes than I know myself,” he shared.

Most recently, Euan highlighted the impact of his current Chief People Officer, Arlene Stokes, who he says has helped elevate his leadership during the past several years at Aegon UK.

“The last three years career-wise have been the best three that I’ve had in my career,” he explained.

Across all three leaders, Euan consistently emphasized similar themes: empowerment, trust, mentorship, empathy, and the willingness to give others a platform to succeed.

For Euan, great recruiting leadership is not only about strategy or execution — it is about helping people grow into the best version of themselves.

A Human-Centered Philosophy in Recruiting

One of the strongest themes throughout Euan’s interview was his belief that recruiting must remain deeply human, even as technology rapidly reshapes the industry.

While many conversations around modern recruiting focus heavily on automation and efficiency, Euan consistently returned to the importance of candidate experience, communication, and authenticity.

He believes talent acquisition operates at the intersection of three major disciplines: psychology, marketing, and customer experience.

Psychology, because recruiting is ultimately about understanding people and influencing decision-making.

Marketing, because organizations must communicate their value proposition and employer brand effectively.

And customer experience, because every interaction shapes how candidates perceive both recruiters and organizations.

“The way I’ve always thought about talent acquisition is through those three lenses,” Euan explained.

For him, the best recruiting organizations understand how these elements work together to create meaningful experiences for candidates, hiring managers, and recruiters alike.

This philosophy has helped shape how Euan approaches recruiting transformation, candidate communication, and talent strategy throughout his career.

How Euan Views the Rise of AI in Recruiting

Like many modern talent leaders, Euan sees AI as one of the most significant changes currently transforming talent acquisition.

But unlike some leaders who focus primarily on efficiency gains, Euan approaches AI with both optimism and caution.

He believes AI has enormous potential to streamline recruiting operations, improve workflows, and enhance efficiency — but only when balanced carefully with human interaction.

“My concern has always been using AI to fight AI,” he explained.

Euan noted that candidates are increasingly using AI-generated applications, résumés, and cover letters, while organizations simultaneously use AI to screen applications.

For him, the danger is that recruiting loses the human elements that make it meaningful.

“When AI meets AI, we remove all that is good and great about talent acquisition, which is people.”

Rather than fully automating recruiting processes, Euan believes organizations must thoughtfully determine where human interaction matters most.

At Aegon UK, his team has intentionally evaluated the moments in the hiring process where candidates most value human connection.

For example, his team maintains dedicated human involvement in interview coordination and communication touchpoints because candidates consistently identified those moments as important parts of the experience.

“We asked people what they wanted and where they expected human intervention,” he explained.

That balance between technology and humanity has become central to his philosophy on modern recruiting leadership.

The Future of Talent Acquisition Leadership

As talent acquisition continues evolving alongside AI and automation, Euan believes recruiting leaders must remain adaptable, strategic, and deeply people-focused.

He encourages talent leaders to understand both their internal organizational context and the external talent market before building recruiting strategies.

For Euan, successful talent acquisition leadership requires more than simply hiring talent quickly.

It requires understanding market realities, defining meaningful success metrics, creating alignment across teams, and building recruiting experiences that treat candidates as people — not just numbers on a spreadsheet.

“We’re not in the business of hiring people,” he explained thoughtfully. “We’re in the business of rejecting other humans. And how do we do that in a more humane way?”

That perspective reflects the empathy, thoughtfulness, and leadership maturity that define Euan’s approach to talent acquisition.

As recruiting continues entering a new era shaped by AI, automation, and evolving workforce expectations, leaders like Euan McNair are helping ensure the industry remains grounded in what matters most: people.