Chris O'Connell: Rise & Fall & Rise: A Life's Journey Through the Recruitment Industry & Beyond

Chris O’Connell is a recruiter, leadership coach, and host of the Purpose-Led Leadership Podcast. Chris is a recruiting industry vet who grew his own firm to £25 million after launching in 2003. For personal reasons that we dive into on this episode– Chris stepped away from that budding business to work on himself.

Today, Chris has come back from that place of necessary self-improvement and now coaches leaders on how to build purpose-led businesses that perform. Chris is also an outspoken advocate of mental health, and a proud dad to three incredible boys.

This Episode’s Heavy-hitter’s:

Chris started off his career at S3 as a resourcer and rebiller, and worked his way up to the top biller in the UK. He left in 2003 and started his own recruiting business to overwhelming success.

He then went through a period of failure in his business and personal life that resulted in him being seriously depressed for years and ultimately trying to take his own life.

That rock bottom moment also resulted in many of Chris’s business associates turning on him at a time where he needed them most. The silver lining was that it showed him which people were truly loyal when it was time to start rebuilding again.

Chris’s entry back into the recruiting world was actually through a speaking event where he showcased his evident experience in the industry, and started getting inbound clients. In the beginning, he positioned himself as an advisor rather than a recruiter.

Even though his previous business dealings didn’t work out, Chris is happier than ever with where his businesses are at today and is preparing some of them for the right sale. He’s also living a more healthy and balanced life as a father who is present in his family’s life.


Get to know Chris on podcast The Purpose-Led Leadership Podcast 🎙 (Spotify and Apple Podcasts) and follow me on Instagram: @chrisoconnellcoach

https://open.spotify.com/show/72edQlrSeUvLmC2LsqOrQG?si=lPPWojsFTey7BKEyj-8hpg

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