Mel Kelly, MK Talent Advisory, on the 'IMPACT' framework for talent acquisition

In this episode, I sit down with Mel Kelly, founder of MK Talent Advisory, to explore how organisations can build sustainable, effective recruitment functions — through what she calls the IMPACT Framework. Mel brings over 15 years of experience in talent acquisition, including senior roles at PwC where she worked on both recruiting operations and M&A advisory. Today, she partners with businesses to solve systemic hiring challenges — not just fill roles. In our conversation, Mel breaks down her IMPACT Framework, which identifies six key enablers of recruitment success: I – Inclusive Hiring: Understanding where the organisation is on its DEI journey and building fair, accessible hiring processes. M – Metrics & Data: Using insight-driven decision-making to balance performance with quality and business impact. P – Process & Performance: Strengthening the end-to-end recruitment process, from governance and workflows to roles, responsibilities, and toolkits. A – Attraction & Employer Brand: Creating compelling, authentic messaging that aligns employer brand with candidate experience. C – Candidate Experience: Mapping and improving the moments that matter across the recruitment journey to build trust and engagement. T – Technology: Ensuring systems (including AI and automation) are built on strong foundations and actually improve—not amplify—bad processes. Mel explains how the framework helps teams assess their maturity, focus their efforts, and build repeatable, scalable, and efficient hiring processes — all while laying the foundation for bigger goals like internal mobility and skills-first hiring. If you're a TA leader trying to create real recruitment impact (and not just fix symptoms), this is a brilliant practical model to guide your approach. Follow Mel on LinkedIn or reach out directly to learn more about the IMPACT Framework and MK Talent Advisory.