Most people don't build a regional market from a help desk. Hazel Walker did.
When she joined idibu in February 2014, APAC was barely a blip on the radar. Spotting a gap nobody else had acted on, she put together a business plan - her words, "very amateurish" - and got the green light to run with it.
Today, idibu has around 200 clients across the region, is a recognised SEEK Key Middleware Partner, has strong relationships with Indeed and a growing job board network, as well as a dedicated Regional Manager who also doubles as Operations Director for APAC.
Hazel's is a story less about tenure and more about what happens when someone genuinely cares about the product, the clients, and getting things right. We sat down with her to find out what over a decade in recruitment tech actually looks like from the inside.
idibu was founded by Martin and Steve in our spare bedroom. When Steve and I moved our family to Thailand, I interviewed with Martin to support our APAC clients, and I've been with the company ever since.
idibu has always felt like a family business to me. I've known most of the team since the very early days, and that sense of continuity means a great deal. It's an open and encouraging environment to work in - one where everyone understands each other's strengths and weaknesses, and where the team takes genuine ownership of their actions, both the wins and the lessons learned.
I manage clients and partners across APAC, predominantly in Australia. When I tell people what I do, the first question is always: "What's idibu?"
You know when you're looking for a job and you head to SEEK, LinkedIn, or Indeed? Or you work with a recruiter who helps find roles for you? idibu sits in the middle of all that. We're middleware - we help recruiters post job adverts to job boards and manage candidates within their CRM.
Honestly, it's the team and the clients. The idibu team has an incredible "can do" attitude, and some of my clients I've worked with since day one. We've been through a lot together, including the Covid years, and the relationships really do feel like partnerships.
I also love the energy that comes with new clients, their openness to suggestions (I've been doing this a while!) and the process of building something new. And on the technical side, I genuinely love seeing how everything fits together - the solutions side of idibu and its integrations with partners.
Early on, I was working the help desk managing around five clients when I spotted a gap in the market. I put together a very amateurish business plan and Martin said, "Go for it, H" … so I did. We now have around 200 clients in APAC alone.
I'm also really proud of the partner relationships we've built on the back of our technology. When I first joined, we didn't have an integration with SEEK, for example. Now we're a recognised Key Middleware Partner with what I'd confidently call the best integration in the market.
I work with hundreds of clients across all different shapes, sizes, and industries, which means I've built up a huge breadth of knowledge that clients can tap into.
People also don't always realise how hard we try to solve things before passing them on. I'll give the problem a really good go myself before escalating.
Being middleware means we're right in the middle of a very complex chain (Consultants → ATS → Job Boards → Candidates → ATS → Consultants again) with so many moving parts. Sometimes issues fall outside our control, and that's a difficult but important part of the role to navigate.
One moment that really sticks with me: early on, someone at a competitor referred to us as "idi-who?" That put fire in my belly, and I still remember the satisfaction of shaking hands after winning a client from them later on.
In terms of the business itself, idibu has gone from what you might call a "spare room" operation to a company that's been acquired and is genuinely going from strength to strength.
It might sound counterintuitive, but one of the most meaningful things is when a client has to move on from idibu and they take the time to thank us for the support over the years, and say they wish we integrated with their new ATS so they could keep working with us. That means a lot.
Patience. Being able to listen, process, and think logically - asking myself how all the pieces fit together and what we can do to help. It's often like solving a puzzle, and I genuinely love that.
It also helps to remember that if a client is short with you on a support call, it's rarely personal. They might just be having a really tough day.
That we're robots. The idibu help desk is made up of real people with years of experience who genuinely want to help. When we say we wish we could do more, we mean it. Sometimes things genuinely can't be resolved due to circumstances outside our control, and that's frustrating for us to.
Don't take things personally. If someone sends a support ticket in all caps, they're not shouting at me. They're frustrated, and probably under pressure from someone else. I've learned to take a breath, look at what's actually going on, and respond clearly and calmly.
The same goes for when a client moves on. If we can hand on heart say we've done everything within our control, then it's simply a business decision and not a reflection on us. You can't be the perfect fit for everyone, and that's okay.
Dancing to Drum & Bass - I have a disco ball in my kitchen, which tells you everything you need to know! I go to the gym at least three times a week, and I cook Indian curries from scratch (hence the gym). I'm also a certified life coach, specialising in working with people around 45+ who want to change direction or figure out what's next for them.
Challenging. Rewarding. Adaptability.
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