Meet The Team

👋Hi, I’m Emma, Co-Founder of Hera.

I’m one half of Hera’s founding team. We help high-growth tech businesses build exceptional Product and Engineering teams, from the first hire to a fully scaled department.

I’ve spent nearly a decade in talent, working closely with Founders, Leaders and Talent teams across multiple industries including FinTech, HealthTech and SaaS. I help them shape their hiring strategy, find people others overlook and build diverse, high-performing teams.

Early-stage businesses are where I’m happiest. I like getting under the skin of their mission, challenges and culture, then finding the people who will bring them to life.

I don’t believe in one-size-fits-all hiring. Every search I run is tailored and built on trust, honesty and a real understanding of what you need. If it matters to you, it matters to me.

As a woman and a working parent in a male-dominated industry, I’ve seen first-hand the barriers people face when hiring isn’t inclusive. For me, inclusive hiring is the foundation of a team that lasts, not a box to tick.

I’m also a proud mum of two. One of my biggest motivations is showing my children that ambition and a fulfilling career don’t have to come at the cost of being present at home. I’m a firm believer that parents, especially women, deserve to have both.

What drives me

• Supporting others. I’m at my best when I’m helping people thrive.
• Process. Give me a system, a spreadsheet or a good tidy-up and I’m happy.
• Closing the gap in tech. I want to change who gets hired, not just talk about it.
• Balance. Career and family deserve to be celebrated equally.

Outside Hera, I’m a mum, wife, cake baker, DIYer, interiors obsessive and fitness enthusiast. Born in Cornwall, settled in Bristol.

I’m Nicola, one of the Co-Founders of Hera.

I co-founded Hera to partner with high growth tech businesses on the hires that matter most, their commercial and executive leaders, whilst diversifying the UK tech space.

With 14 years in recruitment, I’ve worked alongside Founders, CEOs and leadership teams, many in complex and regulated markets, to shape hiring strategy and build the teams that drive growth.

I’m at my best with early stage businesses, where the first leadership hires set the direction for everything that follows. My focus is making introductions that deliver commercial impact for the business and a genuine step forward for the person joining.

I’m relationship-led and partnership-first. I’m honest about the market, I add value long before there’s a role to fill, and I’m committed to continuous improvement in how we work with founders and candidates.

What I bring to every partnership:

🤝 14 years of trusted relationships with founders and leaders
📈 Honest, informed advice on the market and on talent
💎 Hiring strategy, not just shortlists
🚀 Introductions built for commercial impact and long-term success

Outside of Hera, I adore spending time with my family, can usually be found in a CrossFit or Hyrox class and taking a trip to the M&S food hall at any point possible.

👋Hi, I’m Emily, Senior Talent Partner at Hera, based in Bristol.

I work with high-growth startups and scale-ups hiring across Product, Engineering and Data, from analytics and data engineers to product managers, in FinTech, HealthTech and SaaS.

Before joining Hera, I spent almost five years at Peaple Talent in Bristol. I started as a Talent Scout and worked my way up to Senior Account Manager, so I’ve seen hiring from both sides: finding people and looking after clients.

CVs look more alike than ever, partly thanks to AI, so I put real time into getting to know the person behind one. What have you actually done? Why did you make the decisions you made? What do you want to do next?

There are two things I always cover with the candidates I speak to:

1. Culture. It means something different to everyone, so I’d rather dig into what helps you do your best work than settle for a one-line answer.
2. Purpose. More and more people want to be able to explain what their company does and feel good about it. I make sure I can answer that properly for every business I represent.

I always offer interview prep, even to people who’ve done plenty of interviews. Every company does things differently, and practising talking through your experience out loud makes a real difference.

For the founders and hiring managers I work with, that means you’re always meeting well-briefed candidates who can clearly explain where they excel and where they’re still developing.

Whether you’re actively looking or just curious about what’s out there, I’m always happy to chat!

Outside of Hera, you’ll find me at the gym (fun fact: I once cycled from Bristol to Paris) or hunting down the best gluten-free food in Bristol. I grew up on a little farm in the South West, and I’ve been an animal lover ever since.