THE RIGHT HIRE CHANGES A TEAM.
THE RIGHT TEAMS CHANGE A BUSINESS.
Specialist hiring, led by human judgement.
CDR works closely with agencies and brands as their teams grow and change, helping define the capability required, shape the right hiring approach and find the people who can deliver it.
Permanent • Strategic Search • Fixed-Term • Freelance & Contractor
Melbourne • Sydney • Brisbane • Adelaide • National reach
The right capability.
A stronger hiring decision.
Finding applicants is rarely the most difficult part. The real work is reaching the strongest people and determining who has the capability, motivation, and working style to succeed within the team.
CDR works as an extension of your team, bringing market knowledge and experienced judgement to the search - reaching beyond the active market and personally assessing every professional before they are introduced.
The result is a smaller, stronger shortlist that saves you time and remains focused on the desired outcome: someone who can make an impact from the outset and strengthen the team for the longer term.
A number of professionals placed more than 10 years ago are still thriving within those businesses today.
Areas of Expertise
Creative & Design
Design, Brand, Art Direction and Creative Production
Media, Marketing & Communications
Account Service, Social, Content, PR and Campaigns
Digital & Performance
Performance, eCommerce and Digital Marketing
Product & Experience
Product, UX/UI, CX and Digital Experience
Technology, Data & Delivery
Engineering, Platforms, Data, Delivery and Technology Leadership
Leadership
Heads, Directors, GMs, CMOs, CIOs and CTOs
HIRING MODELS
Permanent • Strategic Search • Fixed-Term • Freelance and Contractor
Why experienced human judgement matters
Technology can accelerate parts of a search. It cannot replace the conversations and judgement needed to understand context, assess motivation and recognise genuine alignment.
Every brief, conversation, assessment and introduction is led by Kelly.
Every professional is spoken with and assessed before being presented.
Shortlists are personally shaped, not generated from keyword matches.
Clients receive honest market feedback on scope, salary, availability and response.
One accountable partner remains involved through appointment, onboarding and probation.
The CDR Bigger Picture Hiring Method
Hiring with the bigger picture in mind means considering not only who can do the job, but what the appointment needs to achieve for the hiring manager, team and wider business.
UNDERSTAND
Understand why the hire matters, what pressure it needs to relieve and what the person needs to achieve.
ALIGN
Agree what success looks like, test scope and salary against the market and shape an opportunity aligned
people will want to consider.
REACH
Begin with relationships and referral channels built over more than 20 years, then extend the search across the
wider hidden talent market.
ASSESS
Introduce a focused shortlist of well-matched people, with clear evidence of capability, motivation, relevance
and any considerations.
SECURE
Stay close through interviews, feedback, approvals, offer and notice period so commitment, concerns and
competing opportunities are understood early.
STRENGTHEN
Remain involved through commencement, onboarding and probation to keep expectations aligned and help
the appointment succeed.
Three Clear Pathways
Need stronger market positioning?
Strong experience does not always translate into clear market value. Drawing on more than 20 years inside hiring decisions, CDR reviews how your CV, LinkedIn, portfolio and career story are likely to be interpreted - then identifies what to clarify, strengthen or reposition so decision-makers understand the level and value you bring.
Experience shaped inside real hiring decisions
CDR is led by Kelly, whose career has been spent working between businesses and professionals across creative, digital, media, and technology in Australia and the UK.
That experience helps clients understand how role scope, salary, and talent availability are likely to shape the search and what motivates strong professionals to move.
You work directly with Kelly throughout - one experienced and personally accountable partner from the first conversation through appointment, onboarding and probation.
