Senior Recruitment Team
Barry Whelan
In 2002, Barry Whelan established Excel recruitment as a one-man band that focused solely on retail. Since then, Excel has significantly grown with over 100 employees across seven divisions nationwide including healthcare. Under Barry’s leadership, the business has thrived moving from an independent specialist to an SME to a Corporate agency. Barry also has the diverse experience, knowledge, and strategic vision that is needed to further grow our healthcare division whilst at the same time helping to preserve and maintain our very special workplace culture. Our team witnesses first-hand the impact that Excel Healthcare services have in filling gaps in medical care and Barry has built our success on a foundation of ethical and moral standards that have become synonymous throughout the Excel brand. Our healthcare team never loses sight of the ultimate goal of the industry we love, which is to improve the healthcare of every person in Ireland and Northern Ireland. Our role is to help clients and candidates excel in healthcare and Barry instils this mantra throughout the entire healthcare team on a daily basis. While the industry is ever-changing through technology and digitalisation, Barry never forgets that we’re a people-focused company and always considers the best possible outcomes to ensure top solutions for our clients, candidates, and internal/external teams.
Shane McLave
Since 2009, Shane has been recruiting for the healthcare industry whilst also managing a nationwide team of recruiters in the Republic Of Ireland and Northern Ireland. He has a wide range of clients across the public and private sectors and successfully oversees the training wing of excel healthcare under Excel’s Future Proof Training brand. Shane has an extraordinary ability to build superior recruitment teams through developing a culture reflecting the high personal values of integrity and care. He values and encourages business practices built around flexible choice to accommodate lifestyles and families. He is always in pursuit of innovative recruitment solutions and thrives on looking at new ways of doing things for the better. Furthermore, Shane always asserts that his team offers the highest level of customer service by getting to know their candidates and clients so his team can help service their recruitment needs for the better.
Claire Timmon
Since 2015, Claire has been working in the Healthcare Recruitment industry and has experience in building and leading successful teams. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in International Business and a Masters in Innovation, Creativity and Leadership from UCD. Claire will bring new insight into the healthcare recruitment team, supporting business strategies and driving it forward. Claire joined our healthcare team as a managing consultant and will no doubt enhance our temporary and Permanent recruitment solutions to Excel Healthcare’s client base across the Island of Ireland.
Barbara Kelly
At the helm of our Pharmacy division is Barbara Kelly who has experience in finding talent across the Pharmacy Industry since 2011. Barbara’s team screens all candidates to ensure they have the education and experience, as well as having a cultural and personality fit for each individual pharmacy. Her knowledge of this sector is unparalleled and her proven successful track record in recruiting Pharmacists speaks for itself. Barbara understands like few others the particular demands and challenges of recruiting within the Pharmacy industry in Ireland and is uniquely qualified to understand and meet her client’s needs.
Brian Nixon
In 2013, Brian completed a master’s in business management and pursued a career in hotel management with Fitzpatrick Hotels in New York. After returning to Ireland, he joined Excel Recruitment in 2017 to recruit for the hospitality industry for a number of years. However, Brian grew up in medical family and was extremely knowledgeable about the healthcare industry. It wasn’t long before his passion for recruitment veered towards the healthcare sector. Brian is fantastic at building strong and long lasting relationships with candidates and clients. He is a senior recruitment consultant on our healthcare team and is one of the most talented and experienced recruitment consultants in the industry. Brian works with a diverse portfolio of clients and has a high volume of healthcare candidates ready to service our clients recruitment needs in an instant.
Don McLave
Don is the longest serving member of our Healthcare Team. Since 2007, he has worked in the recruitment industry with a background in IT, Film & Television before his personal life experience motivated him to make the move into Healthcare. Don experienced a family member’s journey from diagnosis to full-time residential care and then through to end of life care. This instilled a passionate belief in the invaluable work that healthcare Assistants do and their importance in the provision of compassionate and dignified care in the healthcare industry. Don believes that the evolving role of the Healthcare Assistant makes them essentially a primary care giver, fulfilling many of the roles traditionally performed by nurses. Don has years of experience when it comes to sourcing the right type of candidates in the healthcare sector and is always happy to have a private and confidential chat.
Kerry Phelan
Kerry brings over five years of experience in the healthcare recruitment sector, working with clients and candidates nationwide, in nursing homes, hospitals, and care facilities. Previously, she was a Recruitment Manager for the Nurses and HCA’s where she attracted, sourced, screened, and booked high-calibre nursing and healthcare staff. She has strong skills in new business development and customer relationship management, and is passionate about making a positive impact in the healthcare staffing solutions sector.
Dillion Quinn
Dillon pursued a degree in Business and Management where he specialised in Hospitality and Hotel Management. This is what initially led Dillon into recruitment, where he sought out talent for the Hospitality & Events sector. It was through this work experience that Dillon initially learned and honed his skills in the recruitment industry. Having always had a keen interest in helping people and by volunteering in many Voluntary First Aid organisations, Dillon decided to pursue a career in Healthcare. Dillon’s passion for people and talent building helps him offer an excellent recruitment experience for both clients and candidate alike.
Aoife Moore
Aoife has worked in healthcare recruitment for almost a year and it is her first recruitment role. Previous to this, she worked as a healthcare assistant, doing homecare visits and then moved into a nursing home setting. She has also worked in Beaumont hospital in the dialysis unit. Aoife is extremely passionate about the healthcare industry having studied and completed the full fetac level 5 course to work in a hospital setting. She has always had a passion for caring for others and coming from a healthcare background allows her to truly understand the needs of her clients and candidates. She gets great job satisfaction in knowing she is supporting the healthcare sector through supplying much needed staff or filling job vacancies. Aoife’s recruitment journey is only getting started, and we are excited for her to take her career to the next level with excel healthcare.
Heena Hussain
In 2018, Heena completed her MBA for Human Resource Management in the UK and has always had a passion to work with people. For this reason, Heena began her career in recruitment to build her skills and help other people to grow in their own career journeys. Since 2020, Heena has recruited internationally within the Healthcare and Industrial sectors across India and Ireland. She also completed an Employment law course (level 6) in 2023. This, paired with her passion for people and talent building, helps her to offer an excellent recruitment experience for both clients and candidates alike.
Darren Lynch
Passionate and results-driven, Darren is a seasoned professional with extensive experience in the recruitment industry. Darren is dedicated to helping his team connect talented healthcare professionals with reputable healthcare organisations, while ensuring the delivery of high-quality care to the local community. With a deep understanding of the unique challenges and demands of the healthcare sector, Darren has honed a reputation for excellence in talent acquisition and client relations. He has an innate ability to foster a collaborative work environment and has been instrumental in building and managing the success of our Belfast team. Darren stays abreast of industry trends, regulatory changes, and best practices to deliver exceptional service and maintain a competitive edge in the market and we’re delighted to have him lead our Belfast team.
Wes McCullough
Having started his agency recruitment career in 2015 supplying Social Work and Allied Health Professionals staff to Health & Social Care Trusts across Northern Ireland, Wes made the jump into permanent recruitment in 2018. As a result, Wes began recruiting for the charity and voluntary sector by supplying permanent staff across a range of disciplines from support workers through to management, senior management, and back-office functions. Wes has over 15 years of experience and delivers a professional, consultative service at every interaction with his clients and candidates. Wes recruits from our Belfast office for jobs throughout Northern Ireland. His primary focus is recruiting within the health and social care sectors and he is always open to having a private & confidential chat.
Stephen McNair
Since 2018, Stephen has been working in the healthcare recruitment industry. He is extremely passionate about recruiting within the healthcare sector for both clients and candidates alike. He has a growing number of candidates in both the permanent and temporary sector throughout Nursing homes, supported living sites, and within the trusts throughout Northern Ireland. Stephen is a very approachable yet professional person who is determined to provide the best quality service to our candidates and clients.
Dagmara Bocian
Dagmara brings a unique blend of first-hand nursing experience with a passion for connecting talented nursing professionals with rewarding career opportunities. In 2021, Dagmara completed her nursing degree from University College Dublin. Dagmara then spent 3 years working as a nurse in the Mater Hospital, honing her clinical skills and gaining valuable hands-on experience. This frontline experience provides her with a unique understanding of the healthcare industry from both a candidate and client perspective. Dagmara has transitioned seamlessly into the world of healthcare recruitment. Leveraging her insider knowledge and her empathetic approach to understanding the needs of both healthcare professionals and employers, she excels in matching top-tier candidates with rewarding career opportunities.
Lisa McGrath
Lisa is a highly skilled and dedicated recruitment resourcer specialising in the healthcare recruitment industry. Her passion for connecting talented professionals with rewarding career opportunities is evident in her meticulous approach to sourcing, screening, and matching candidates with the right positions. Lisa’s exceptional communication skills and empathetic nature allow her to build strong relationships with both candidates and clients, ensuring a seamless and mutually beneficial recruitment experience. With her unwavering commitment to excellence and her ability to stay abreast of industry trends, Lisa is poised to make a significant impact in helping healthcare organisations find the ideal candidates to provide top-quality care and drive positive change in the industry.
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