How GrantTree Elevated Their Hiring Game with Hiring Hub

Nicky Attenborough, Head of Recruitment at GrantTree, recently shared a glowing testimonial about Hiring Hub, highlighting her positive experience with the platform so far.

About GrantTree

At GrantTree, we’re on a mission to empower innovation in the UK by helping cutting-edge companies access funding—whether through government grants or R&D Tax Credits. Since our inception in 2010, we’ve supported thousands of businesses to secure more than £300 million in non-dilutive funding. Our team combines technical excellence with deep industry knowledge, guiding startups and scale-ups through complex funding landscapes.

We’re also a proudly progressive organisation. From the inside out, we operate on principles of trust, transparency, and autonomy—backed by a flat structure and self-managing teams. It’s no surprise, then, that our recruitment process is built to reflect these same values: human-first, thoughtful, and deeply respectful of our candidates' time and experience.

A Candidate-Centric Philosophy

As the Head of Recruitment, I oversee the entire talent acquisition function at GrantTree. This includes everything from salary benchmarking and role scoping to designing and executing each hire’s journey from start to finish. We’ve crafted a hiring process that is, by design, different.

Our recruitment strategy is built to be genuinely candidate-centric. We prepare every applicant thoroughly, support them at each stage, and keep them informed within a 24-hour feedback window—without exception. This quick response rate isn’t just a ‘nice to have’; it’s a reflection of our respect for the individual behind each CV. Whether they’re ultimately successful or not, we want everyone to walk away from the process feeling valued and seen.

But to uphold this high-touch, high-integrity approach consistently—especially in a turbulent hiring market—we needed a partner that understood not just the pace but the principle of our process.

The Challenge: Bandwidth and the Battle for Talent

We faced a dual challenge.

Firstly, the recruitment market has become increasingly volatile. Despite the abundance of platforms and tools, finding top-tier candidates—especially those aligned with our culture and pace—proved harder than ever. High-quality applicants were few and far between, and sourcing proactively on platforms like LinkedIn became a growing time burden.

Secondly, my internal bandwidth was stretched. Like many modern recruiters, I wear multiple hats. Balancing the operational load of hiring with strategic projects left little time for hands-on sourcing or managing a fragmented agency landscape.

We needed help—but not just any help. We needed a trusted, flexible, and fast-moving partner who could slot seamlessly into our approach.

Enter Hiring Hub

Hiring Hub quickly became that ideal partner.

From day one, their platform stood out for its ease of use, giving me access to a curated network of vetted recruiters who understood our brief in a heartbeat. The platform is intuitive and responsive, allowing us to engage with specialist recruiters on our terms, rather than navigating a sea of cold calls and inconsistent service levels.

Even more importantly, Hiring Hub became the bridge between us, the recruiter, and the candidate—streamlining communication, reducing admin time, and ensuring clarity at every stage.

The results? A marked increase in candidate quality, better alignment with our cultural fit, and significantly less time-to-fill for key roles. With Hiring Hub, we’re not just filling seats—we’re building teams.

A Standout Partnership: Emily Bates

Our Account Manager, Emily Bates, deserves special recognition. Emily doesn’t just take a brief—she dives deep. Her approach is analytical, insightful, and always aligned with our needs. She asks the right questions, challenges assumptions when needed, and treats each role with the level of care we’d expect from someone within our own team.

Her ability to bring the right recruiters into the fold, understand the nuances of our hiring culture, and offer consistent follow-up has made Hiring Hub an indispensable extension of our team.

Would We Recommend Hiring Hub? Absolutely.

Hiring Hub has proven itself to be more than just a recruitment tool—it’s a talent acquisition ally. In a market where time, quality, and culture alignment are everything, having Hiring Hub by our side has enabled us to maintain the integrity of our process, without compromise.

For any business that values speed, quality, and a human-centred approach to hiring, I can wholeheartedly recommend Hiring Hub UK. They’ve helped us elevate our recruitment at a time when it mattered most—and I’m confident they’ll continue to do so as we scale.

Thank you Nicky for a wonderful testimonial, we look forward to continuing to work together in the future. 

Hiring Hub's platform makes it easier for employers to connect with recruiters and fill vacancies. We take the hard work away from securing talent by streamlining recruitment processes, connecting you with great agencies to work your roles, resulting in a faster time to hire.

Want to learn more about the platform? Get in touch with a member of the Hiring Hub team today.