The Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR) announces today (8 March 2013) that Stephen Isherwood will succeed Carl Gilleard as Chief Executive.
Stephen, who is currently Head of Graduate Recruitment at Ernst & Young (UK & Ireland), will take up the post as Chief Executive of the AGR on 10 June 2013.
Terence Perrin, Chairman of the AGR, said: “We are delighted to be welcoming Stephen Isherwood as the incoming Chief Executive of the AGR to succeed Carl in June. He has extensive experience in graduate recruitment and the broader graduate market – in recruiting, retaining and developing talent – not only as a recruiter, but also from working in higher education.
“On behalf of the Board of AGR, I would like to thank Carl for his vision, energy and commitment in leading AGR over the past 15 years. These will be big shoes to fill, but Stephen is up to the task and we look forward to working with him to build on the AGR’s standing that Carl has worked tirelessly to develop.”
Stephen Isherwood said: “I am excited by the opportunity of leading the AGR. The graduate and higher education market is shifting enormously – from the focus on employability, to HE funding, visa issues and the growth in alternative employment pathways – and I believe the organisation is ideally placed to navigate these challenges. Taking on the mantle from Carl, whose knowledge and passion for the sector has been synonymous with the organisation for so long, is a huge honour – albeit a slightly daunting one! I am looking forward to working with him and the rest of the AGR team from June onwards.”
Stephen is currently Head of Graduate Recruitment for UK and Ireland at Ernst & Young where he is responsible for the annual recruitment of over 700 graduates and over 400 interns. As well as leading the development of award-winning graduate programmes, he has also implemented undergraduate initiatives as well as school leaver programmes. He has overseen the improvement in Ernst & Young’s employer ranking from 11 to 8 in The Times Top 100 Graduate Employers and has been the organisation’s key external spokesperson on graduate and school leaver recruitment issues.
Stephen has specialised in graduate recruitment and development for over 15 years in professional services, retail and public sector roles. Stephen started his career at Coopers & Lybrand recruiting experienced management consultants before moving into graduate recruitment when Coopers merged with Price Waterhouse to form PwC.
After PwC he lead the graduate recruitment and development programme at Safeway before working in the public sector for the University of Westminster and CRAC where he developed and managed a number of careers related programmes.
In addition to his current role Stephen is a member of the Burgess Report Implementation Committee, a Trustee of The Centre for Recording Achievement and is a member of the London First Employment and Skills Group.
Stephen succeeds Carl Gilleard, who has been Chief Executive of AGR since 1998. Carl will leave the AGR in July, and will stay in the sector as a consultant.
