Fionnuala Munnelly
Melbourne,Australia
Summary
Talent & Recruitment Leader with 15+ years of experience across EMEA and APAC, leading executive hiring and talent acquisition solutions for global clients. Experience working with IBM and HSBC overseeing high-performing recruitment delivery across 11 countries. Proven track record in partnering with senior stakeholders to deliver strategic talent acquisition, workforce planning, and leadership advisory solutions.
Overview
25
25
years of professional experience
Work History
Talent Acquisition Specialist
Bayside Health
Melbourne
12.2025 - Current
- Managing recruitment, onboarding, and compliance while providing support and expert advice to stakeholders, in line with policy, legislation, and best practice.
Recruitment Operations Director
IBM Middle East & Africa
04.2011 - 07.2017
- Led recruitment operations for IBM’s RPO business across the Middle East & Africa.
- Led end-to-end recruitment operations for client accounts including BP, Honeywell, Barclays, Flowserve, Honeywell, Etihad, and HSBC.
- Managed complex, large-scale, high volume recruitment projects, navigating challenging situations and roles and ensuring timely delivery of results.
- Acting as the strategic partner for senior client stakeholders, addressing high-priority escalations, and delivering client-centric solutions that bolstered retention and satisfaction.
- Held full accountability for account performance across the region, ensuring delivery against contractual KPIs and maintaining ownership of consolidated P&L.
- Managed resource planning and budgeting to optimize recruitment delivery and operational efficiency with high volume driven clients.
- Provided strategic consulting to business leaders to enhance workflow processes, prioritizing enhancements based on business needs and delivery timelines.
Head of Recruitment
HSBC MENA Region
01.2013 - 01.2015
- Led HSBC’s recruitment strategy and operations across 11 countries in the Middle East and North Africa.
- Full-cycle recruitment delivery for HSBC's MENA operations, spanning Corporate Banking, Retail & Wealth Management, and Support functions.
- Managed a regional on-site team of 15 recruiters, providing coaching, performance oversight, and ensuring consistent delivery of recruitment solutions across all business lines.
- Owned end-to-end operational management of recruitment processes, driving consistency and excellence across countries and business lines.
- Partnered with the BrassRing ATS implementation team post-configuration to ensure team readiness, system optimization, and regional data integrity.
- Delivered a proactive, talent-focused strategy including talent pooling and strategic sourcing tailored to each HSBC business line (Volume and Search).
- Outsourced via IBM RPO
Middle East and North Africa Manager
The SR Group (Frazer Jones / Carter Murray)
Dubai
03.2008 - 03.2011
- Launched two specialist recruitment brands in the Gulf region and managed a regional team. Specialised in Sales/Marketing/Research/Corporate/HR.
- Built business from ground up: operations, client acquisition and business development, team hiring.
- Clients included Dow Chemical, DuPont, BP, Honeywell/Emirates/Johnson Controls.
- Provided advisory services to clients on recruitment planning and organizational structure.
Associate Director – Marketing Recruitment
Ambition (formerly Witan Jardine)
London
09.2003 - 06.2007
- Promoted through Consultant to Associate Director; led a team of 15 consultants. Specialised in Marketing/Sales/Commercial roles.
- Spearheaded development of the marketing recruitment division, driving new business and account growth.
- Delivered executive-level hires across financial and professional services.
- Mentored team, led performance reviews, and supported L&D initiatives.
Consultant – Sales & Marketing Services Recruitment
Hudson
London
08.2000 - 08.2003
- Built a new desk for the Sales & Marketing recruitment team; led business development and candidate delivery.
- Partnered with clients on workforce planning and executive talent acquisition. Managed high volume campaigns for global industrial and manufacturing clients.
Education
BA - International Marketing & Languages
Dublin City University
01.2000
Skills
- Executive Search
- Volume Hiring
- RPO
- Talent Strategy
- Stakeholder Engagement
- Global Recruitment
- Cross Functional Recruitment
- KPI and SLA Driven
- Talent Technology (Work Day, People Hub, Success Factors )
Languages
- German
- French
- English, native
- German, conversational
- French, conversational
Additional Information
Australian Citizen, Currently open to full-time, hybrid or remote opportunities
Timeline
Talent Acquisition Specialist
Bayside Health
12.2025 - Current
Head of Recruitment
HSBC MENA Region
01.2013 - 01.2015
Recruitment Operations Director
IBM Middle East & Africa
04.2011 - 07.2017
Middle East and North Africa Manager
The SR Group (Frazer Jones / Carter Murray)
03.2008 - 03.2011
Associate Director – Marketing Recruitment
Ambition (formerly Witan Jardine)
09.2003 - 06.2007
Consultant – Sales & Marketing Services Recruitment
Hudson
08.2000 - 08.2003
BA - International Marketing & Languages
Dublin City University