Stephanie Houston

CEO

London, United Kingdom19 yrs 6 mos experience

Key Highlights

Expert in building scalable People functions.
Proven track record in international HR strategy.
Strong focus on culture and employee engagement.

Stackforce AI infers this person is a strategic HR leader in the SaaS and AI industries.

Contact

Skills

Core Skills

People OperationsOrganizational DevelopmentTalent Acquisition

Other Skills

Applicant Tracking SystemsCoachingCommunicationCompletionComplianceContract RecruitmentCulture alignmentData ReportingEmployee RelationsEmployer BrandingEmployer brandingEnergy IndustryExecutive SearchGlobal Talent AcquisitionGlobal hiring

About

I build People functions that get things done without losing their humanity. For 17+ years, I’ve helped startups, scale-ups, and global brands navigate growth, change, and everything in between. From building People functions from scratch to redesigning them at scale, I’ve led teams through international expansion, restructuring, employer brand turnarounds, and the messy-but-beautiful business of real culture change. My approach is equal parts strategic and scrappy. I’ll write an on-boarding flow in the morning, handle a complex ER case after lunch, and spend the afternoon coaching founders or rebuilding a hiring engine. I care about doing People work properly: with clarity, care, and commercial impact. That means scalable systems, honest communication, strong values, and spaces where people can do their best work and feel good doing it.

Experience

19 yrs 6 mos

Total Experience

1 yr 10 mos

Average Tenure

6 mos

Current Experience

Cercli (yc s23)

Head of People

Nov 2025 – Present · 7 mos · London Area, United Kingdom · Hybrid

Cercli is the modern, unified platform built for MENA to help companies manage and pay their workforce - local or remote - in one system that actually works.
As Head of People, I’m building the foundations for how we scale with clarity, care and ambition. That means:
Designing people systems that unlock performance and growth
Embedding values like ownership, big thinking and radical transparency into how we operate
Partnering cross-functionally to align our internal culture with our product mission
Creating hiring, onboarding and development frameworks that reflect our belief in product-led, people-first growth
And working closely with People leaders across the region to solve the real, operational challenges they face daily - from compliance to payroll to people analytics that actually inform decisions
I joined Cercli because I believe in what we’re building, and I get to build it from the inside out.

People systemsPerformance managementCulture alignmentHiring frameworksOnboarding frameworksPeople analytics+2

Phyron ai

Head of People

Jul 2024 – Nov 2025 · 1 yr 4 mos · London Area, United Kingdom · Hybrid

Leading the People function at a rapidly scaling startup (45 employees across
Stockholm, Dubai, London, and remote workers in Europe and the Philippines).
Developing and implementing a robust & agile people strategy to support ambitious
global growth.
Building the HR infrastructure from scratch and processes necessary for international
expansion, including global compensation & benefits, international hiring/onboarding,
and compliance with local labour laws.
Partnering with leadership to define and embed Phyron AI's values and culture, fostering
a positive and productive work environment for all employees, regardless of location
Driving initiatives to attract, develop, and retain top talent in a competitive market,
focusing on employer branding, talent acquisition, and learning & development.

People strategyHR infrastructureGlobal hiringComplianceEmployer brandingTalent acquisition+2

Our habitas

Fractional VP of People

Feb 2024 – May 2024 · 3 mos · Greater London

Collaborated with the CEO and the Board of Directors to develop and execute a strategic
restructuring plan, optimizing efficiencies and reducing expenditure

Kingmakers

3 roles

VP of People

Jan 2023 – Aug 2023 · 7 mos

VP of People

Promoted

Jan 2022 – Jan 2023 · 1 yr

Director Talent Acquisition

Nov 2021 – Jan 2022 · 2 mos

We are a high-growth technology platform, delivering unrivalled sports and digital entertainment experiences, to sports fans across the African continent.
Our expanding portfolio brings fans closer to the games they love.

Wework

4 roles

Head of People Partners, International (EMEA and Pacific)

Feb 2021 – Sep 2021 · 7 mos

Senior Director, Talent Acquisition & People Partners (EMEA)

Jun 2020 – Feb 2021 · 8 mos

Senior Director, Talent Acquisition - EMEA

Apr 2019 – Jun 2020 · 1 yr 2 mos

WeWork provides its members around the world with space, community, and services through both physical and virtual offerings. From startups and freelancers to small businesses and Fortune 500 companies, our community is united by a desire for our members to create meaningful work and lead meaningful lives—to be a part of something greater than ourselves.
In my role as Senior Director of Talent Acquisition across EMEA, I work with my team to create regional hiring strategies that continue to support the business' regional growth into the quadruple digits. Having built out strong TA, Employer Branding and TA Operations functions within Region, our goal is to cultivate a hiring culture where together, we can identify, engage & attract talent to grow our community and reach our mission.

Director of Talent Acquisition - Europe, Israel & Australia

Jul 2018 – Apr 2019 · 9 mos

Booking.com

3 roles

Global Recruitment Manager

Dec 2017 – Jul 2018 · 7 mos · Amsterdam Area, Netherlands

Recruiting Manager for our Global PS, People, Finance, Legal, Commercial, Global CS, Leadership Hiring & Sourcing functions across our HQ, EMEA, Americas and APAC offices.
At Booking.com, where a career is so much more than just a paycheck, my awesome team of recruiting experts attract and recruit the best talent to join our mission to empower people to experience the world.
Where hard-working horses matter more than show ponies and your individuality and creativity is encouraged, we can offer you the opportunity to not only excel in your chosen field but to also work as part of a truly dynamic, globally scalable yet locally relevant environment.
Make Booking.com your next awesome career destination and see what roles await by visiting our career site at workingatbooking.com.

HQ Recruitment Manager

Promoted

Feb 2016 – Dec 2017 · 1 yr 10 mos · Amsterdam Area, Netherlands

Recruiting Manager for our HQ Recruitment function based in beautiful Amsterdam. The Booking.com HQ team supports with the recruiting of superstars for our Marketing, Business Bookers, Booking Experience, Finance, HR, Global Customer Services, Language Specialists, Payroll Specialists, Commercial Owners, Account Management and Partner Support teams and departments.
At Booking.com, where a career is so much more than just a paycheck, my team and I seek to recruit the most creative and talented individuals who will continue to contribute towards our successes.
Where hard-working horses matter more than show ponies and your individuality and creativity is encouraged, we can offer you the opportunity to not only excel in your chosen field but to also work as part of a truly dynamic, globally scalable yet locally relevant environment.
Make Booking.com your next awesome career destination and see what roles await by visiting our career site at workingatbooking.com.
B.Hired
B.Skilled
Booking.com

HQ Recruitment Team Lead

Apr 2015 – Feb 2016 · 10 mos · Amsterdam Area, Netherlands

Recruitment Team Lead, recruiting talented HR professionals for our HQ based in Amsterdam.
At Booking.com, where a career is so much more than just a paycheck, my team and I seek to recruit the most creative and talented individuals who will continue to contribute towards our successes.
Where hard-working horses matter more than show ponies and your individuality and creativity is encouraged, we can offer you the opportunity to not only excel in your chosen field but to also work as part of a truly dynamic, globally scalable yet locally relevant environment.
Make Booking.com your next awesome career destination and see what vacancies await by visiting our career site at www.workingatbooking.com.
B.Hired
B.Skilled
Booking.com

Weatherford

Region Recruitment Lead - Europe & Caspian

Dec 2013 – Apr 2015 · 1 yr 4 mos · Aberdeen, United Kingdom

With more than 50,000 people operating in over 100 countries, we offer truly dynamic and exciting careers around the globe. My role within the Recruitment function at Weatherford is to oversee, cultivate and support the Europe & Caspian Recruiting teams with their Resourcing Strategies, Talent Attraction and Retention whilst acting as a Brand Ambassador for the Company.
Becoming an employee at Weatherford will see your career grow whilst being supported, developed, nurtured and given the autonomy to make a real impact on the business' success. Here are a couple of quotes from Weatherford employees and some of the reasons I choose to work for such a reputable and established organisation.
“The best thing about my job is that I’m able to look at what I’ve accomplished for the company and feel a true sense of worth.”
“The best thing about my job is the opportunity to cross each Weatherford product and service line and therefore the possibility to explore and learn at a 360° level.”
For more information on what it's like to work for us and a list of our current opportunities, please visit our website or our Company LinkedIn page:

Rowan drilling (uk) ltd

Snr. Recruiter

Oct 2012 – Nov 2013 · 1 yr 1 mo · Aberdeen, United Kingdom

Operating on the principle that people are more important than machines and tools, we back our state-of-the-art equipment with an experienced leadership team and highly-skilled operating crews. These dedicated employees are the power behind the Rowan legacy of operational excellence that spans 89 years.
Our strategic focus is and has been on building our offshore drilling fleet. We continue to look for ways to expand our offshore fleet by adding to our strong position in high-end jack-ups and into ultra deepwater.
I support the business' Recruitment and Retention Strategies and thrive on finding not only experienced personnel but those who share our values and principals.