Tariq Samodien

Senior HR and Talent Acquisition leader with 10+ years of progressive experience across financial services, technology, retail, and digital sectors, and a proven record of leading talent functions, mentoring teams, and advising EXCO-level stakeholders on workforce strategy. Builds and scales end-to-end talent solutions — from workforce planning and succession architecture to psychometric assessment, leadership development, and data-driven HR analytics — with particular depth in niche digital, data, AI, and credit risk talent markets. Combines hands-on recruitment delivery with strategic influence: trusted to shape hiring frameworks, coach hiring managers, and translate business strategy into workforce capability plans.

Known for bringing structure, data rigour, and a transformation mindset to every talent function led.

Talent Acquisition Consultant - Woolworths Financial Services - Cape Town

(2024-07)

Leading holistic talent strategy across the Credit Risk Office and wider business functions — spanning frontline support through to specialised digital and data roles — within a regulated financial services environment, reporting into the Head of Department.

• Partners directly with business unit leadership to align multi-disciplinary recruitment strategy with long-term capability and workforce design plans across Finance, Risk, Digital, and Operations.
• Designs and executes niche attraction strategies for hard-to-fill fintech, data analytics, and compliance roles, building employer brand presence and talent communities that reduce reliance on reactive sourcing.
• Embeds inclusive, equitable hiring frameworks into leadership recruitment pipelines, supporting organisation-wide transformation mandates.
• Owns full-cycle recruitment for a broad, concurrent portfolio of roles — from Principal Lead and specialist analyst positions to engineering and governance roles — incorporating psychometric assessment and structured, competency-based interviewing.
• Builds executive-ready analytics — produces Power BI talent dashboards surfacing recruitment performance, pipeline health, and DEI metrics for leadership reporting.

Talent Acquisition Consultant (Recruiter on Demand) - BRS Global

(2022-03 - 2024-03)

Delivered flexible, high-impact talent acquisition services across IT, Digital, Aerospace, FinTech, and EdTech sectors, partnering with international clients to build critical capability at pace.

• Recruited across complex, cross-functional roles spanning Software Engineering, Data Science, DevOps, Product, Finance, and Operations for global clients including Rohlik, ICEYE, and New Globe.
• Designed end-to-end sourcing strategies tailored to niche talent markets — AI/ML engineers, cloud architects, and digital transformation specialists — in highly competitive, candidate-short markets.
• Developed proprietary psychometric assessment tools and competency-aligned selection matrices, lifting quality of hire and compressing time-to-fill on technology-intensive roles.
• Advised start-up and scale-up leadership on employer branding and EVP strategy, crafting messaging that resonated with digital-first, globally distributed talent pools.
• Built and nurtured passive talent pipelines using advanced sourcing techniques (Boolean search, LinkedIn Recruiter, talent intelligence platforms), delivering consistently against demanding hiring briefs.

Talent Acquisition Specialist - Capitec Bank

(2017-08 - 2022-02)

Owned strategic end-to-end recruitment across Business Support, Information Technology, and Property Development business units within South Africa's fastest-growing retail bank.

• Developed and executed holistic talent acquisition plans for highly specialised IT, digital, and data roles alongside business-critical operational and professional functions.
• Partnered directly with EXCO and senior leadership on succession planning, talent calibration, and pipeline readiness — translating business strategy into proactive workforce capability plans.
• Administered and interpreted psychometric assessments (SHL, CPP, Myers Briggs) for selection, talent development, and leadership bench-building.
• Co-created capability maps and competency frameworks underpinning leadership transformation programmes and future-fit talent identification.
• Championed structured, data-informed recruitment practice — implementing interview frameworks, scorecard tools, and hiring manager training to drive consistency and quality across the business.

Acting Manager: Divisional Recruitment - Capitec Bank - Western & Eastern Cape

(2017-01 - 2017-06)

• Led provincial recruitment operations, headcount planning, and multi-site delivery across two of South Africa's largest banking regions.
• Introduced real-time talent dashboards for executive-level workforce reporting, giving leadership visibility on pipeline flow, vacancy ageing, and transformation metrics.
• Coached and upskilled hiring managers and HR teams on inclusive recruitment principles, structured interviewing, and behavioural assessment techniques.

Team Leader: Talent Sourcing Centre - Capitec Bank - Cape Town

(2016-11 - 2017-07)

• Led and mentored a high-performing sourcing team, delivering talent pipelines for key business units spanning technology, retail, and corporate functions.
• Refined pipeline analytics and reporting, enabling proactive identification of talent gaps and faster time-to-hire outcomes.

Talent Acquisition Specialist - Capitec Bank - Johannesburg

(2014-01 - 2016-12)

Delivered IT, digital, and business recruitment for high-growth national expansion, building capability for technology and innovation functions.

Talent Sourcing Agent - Capitec Bank - Cape Town

(2013-01 - 2014-12)

Built proactive sourcing pipelines across retail banking and support functions, developing deep expertise in passive candidate engagement.

Investment Consultant - Longain Group

(2012-01 - 2013-12)

Provided financial advisory and investment product consultancy to individual and business clients.

Academic Tutor - University of the Western Cape

(2011-01 - 2012-12)

Tutored undergraduate students in Industrial Psychology, supporting curriculum delivery and academic performance.

MCom - Industrial Psychology - University of the Western Cape

BCom Honours - Industrial Psychology - University of the Western Cape

BA - University of the Western Cape