Looking Back on 2025 (and Ahead to 2026)
Hey everyone,
I’m Jason — Founder & CEO of Oxford + Richmond.
As we get into the rhythm of 2026, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on what we learned in 2025, what we’re proud of, grateful for, and what we’re building next at Oxford + Richmond and TalentSpoke™.
Hiring is personal. It affects people’s careers, team momentum, and the organization’s future. In 2025, we were fortunate to be trusted with that responsibility by clients we’ve partnered with for years, while beginning new relationships that we expect will grow into long-term partnerships of their own.
That trust is something we don’t take lightly.
2025: What We’re Grateful For & Proud Of
If I had to describe 2025 in one phrase, it would be listening, partnering, and delivering.
We supported hiring teams through periods of growth, shifting priorities, and genuinely hard-to-fill roles — including more than a few “we needed this yesterday” moments. Along the way, we:
- Supported 40+ hires for a $3B organization through our TalentSpoke™ embedded model
- Earned strong candidate and client satisfaction across our searches (97%)
- Were recognized among the Top 60 Canadian Executive Search Firms and Top 250 North American firms
But what stood out most wasn’t a milestone or a metric.
It was the feedback from clients who told us they felt supported, understood, and genuinely taken care of throughout the hiring process. That matters deeply to me because it’s exactly what we set out to do: show up as a true partner, not just a vendor.
In 2025, we were also invited into more embedded and complex hiring partnerships — working side by side with internal teams to help them scale thoughtfully and hire with confidence. That kind of work requires trust, alignment, and patience, and we’re grateful to every client who chose to work with us in that way.
You helped shape how we operate and how we continue to evolve.
Raising the Bar in 2026
Last year reinforced a few beliefs we hold strongly:
- Hiring should feel human — for candidates and hiring teams alike.
- Speed matters, but never at the expense of quality.
- Hiring works best when it’s built on true partnership and shared ownership.
- Recruitment works best when treated as a system, not a transaction.
Recruitment is evolving — less transactional, more integrated; less reactive, more intentional.
In 2026, we’re doubling down on what works.
That means staying close to our clients, continuing to improve the hiring experience, and building smarter ways to support better decisions. It also means investing thoughtfully — in our team, in our tools, and in technology that enables clarity and efficiency without replacing good judgment.
Our goal is to continue to raise the bar on how recruitment is done.
Looking Ahead
As we move into 2026, we’re especially excited to partner with organizations that want hiring to feel less reactive and more intentional — teams that care about building resilient organizations, protecting candidate experience, and making confident decisions without unnecessary friction.
If that sounds like you, we’d love to connect.
To our clients, candidates, partners, and broader community: thank you for being part of our 2025. We’re proud of the work we did together and genuinely excited about what’s ahead.
Here’s to 2026.
— Jason
