Paul Breloff on Talent in India and Kenya

30Jul 2018 by Cyndern No Comments

Transforming How Talent Meets Opportunity in India:

Paul Breloff is the Co-Founder and CEO of Shortlist, a recruiting technology startup transforming how talent meets opportunity in emerging markets.

With a law degree from Yale and experience in microfinance and impact investing, Paul has advised major corporations on access to finance issues globally.

Working across India and Kenya, Paul and his co-founder have grown Shortlist to 60 full-time employees in just 2.5 years.

“While experience can matter somewhat, oftentimes motivation and potential can matter more.”

Shortlist is on a mission to unlock professional potential. It does so by combining technology, data, and a human touch to source and screen great job-seekers for growing purposeful companies across India and East Africa.

I asked how Paul made the decision to leave the US and his career in finance and law. In response, Paul stated that while reflecting on his career and life experiences, “one of the things I enjoy the most is helping people find their best careers and their best selves in the world. I am excited about building teams and helping people find their way and unlocking their potential.”

My interview with Paul will be of benefit if you:

Have an unrelenting urge for adventure
Feel unappreciated or stifled in your current career
Want to live and work in India or Kenya
Are looking for talent or want to develop your inexperienced talent

Listen to my interview with Paul by clicking on the green arrow below:

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Highlights from the show:

In law school, Paul worked with other students on a community development bank – a chartered bank that worked with neglected populations in greater New Haven.
When asked what he liked most about India, he said: “India can teach gratitude in a really unique way.”
One of the parts of my professional life that I enjoyed the most was helping people find their best careers and best selves in the world, and I really enjoyed building teams.
- We saw an opportunity to use technology to streamline the recruiting process and see past the incomplete and misleading CVs, demonstrate competence, and building great teams.
- The challenge and opportunity were how do we upscale, inspire, match young talent with opportunities.
- We acquired Spire Education to train professional soft skills – mindset, communication, teamwork, and empathy.
India and Africa are very different culturally. In Bombay, there are 10,000-50,000 recruitment agencies. While in Kenya, it’s a newer idea and there are a few agencies.
In Kenya and India, English is the primary language everyone is speaking. In Mexico, business is done in Spanish.
I also asked Paul: What’s one thing you know now you wish you knew earlier? What are the memories and experiences that matter? What’s going to matter in 5-10 years? Base my decisions on that.

Paul’s bio:

Before Shortlist, Paul was the Founder and Managing Director of Accion Venture Lab, a financial inclusion-focused venture capital fund. While under his leadership, Venture Lab invested in 24 fintech startups across Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the US, including investments in mobile banking, marketplace lending, digital SME finance, and Big Data credit analysis. Prior to that, Paul worked with SKS Microfinance. SKS is India’s largest microfinance institution, leading a team of 20 in Hyderabad, India on business development, product, and strategic partnerships across education, clean energy, mobile, and rural distribution.

Paul has also advised CGAP, Root Capital, Shell Foundation, BRAC, and others on access-to-finance issues globally; practiced corporate law with Mayer Brown, and worked as an advertising account executive for Leo Burnett. Paul also taught impact investing courses for the Impact Business Leaders certificate program at Oxford, University of Virginia, and the Indian School of Business. Paul serves as a Senior Advisor to Blue Haven Initiative, a family office based in Cambridge, MA. He has a BA from Amherst College and a law degree from Yale Law School. Currently, Paul lives in Mumbai, India.

Inspired Wisdom:

Cynder Niemela, MA, MBA is an award-winning author and internationally recognized expert in executive coaching and developing global teams. As a result of growing up in the Middle East and Europe, Cynder leverages her international experience working in the Middle East as one of a few women permitted to work in Saudi Arabia. First, as a marine biologist followed by years of developing leaders and teams for Saudi-ARAMCO. Mission: Interview 100 people from 100 countries who are working with heart and mind for positive social impact.