In a recent interview with Serap Zel, founder of Uplift, shared the inspiration behind starting the company in 2021. Uplift was born from her personal experiences working across diverse regions like EMEA, APAC, and LATAM, where she recognized the challenges companies faced in finding the right talent. Uplift stands out by blending global expertise, innovative VR-based talent assessments, and a human-centric approach to recruitment. Offering services such as executive search, RPO, leadership development, and HR consulting, Uplift aims to create long-term partnerships and deliver tailored solutions that drive business success. Their commitment to values like passion, persistence, and strategic thinking sets them apart in the global recruitment landscape.
Inspiration behind Uplift’s Foundation
We started the interview by asking, “What inspired you to found Uplift in 2021?”
Serap Zel replied, “The inspiration behind founding Uplift was deeply personal and rooted in my own experiences. Having worked and lived in multiple countries across EMEA, APAC, and LATAM, I saw firsthand how challenging it was for companies to find the right talent in today’s fast-paced, globalized market. Time and again, I encountered organizations struggling to bridge the gap between their talent needs and the dynamic, often unpredictable, realities of regional and global hiring.
I knew there was an opportunity to create something different—something meaningful. Uplift was born out of a desire to be more than just a recruitment firm. I wanted to build a company that truly understood the art and science of connecting exceptional talent with the right organizations. Our approach combines personal insights gained over years of navigating diverse markets with a forward-thinking, technology-driven mindset.
For me, Uplift is not just a business but a reflection of my passion for helping companies and individuals thrive. Every placement we make is an opportunity to positively impact careers, businesses, and even industries. Our mission is to be a long-term strategic partner for our clients, helping them build strong, future-ready teams that align with their vision.
What sets Uplift apart is our commitment to our values: loving what we do, never giving up, and working smart to deliver exceptional results. These principles were shaped by my own journey and continue to inspire how we approach every challenge and opportunity today.”
Uplift’s Unique Advantage
The Arabia Times: What makes Uplift stand out in the global recruitment space?
Serap Zel replied, “Uplift stands out in the global recruitment space because of our unique blend of expertise, innovation, and personalized service. We’re not just focused on filling roles; we’re committed to building long-term partnerships that help companies strategically align their talent acquisition efforts with their business goals.
Here’s what truly sets us apart:
- Global Reach with Local Expertise: Having worked across EMEA, APAC, and LATAM, we deeply understand the nuances of different regions and cultures. This global perspective, combined with localized knowledge, allows us to source and place talent that is not only skilled but also culturally aligned with our clients’ needs.
- Data-Driven, Human-Centric Approach: We believe that recruitment is both an art and a science. By leveraging advanced technology with AI and analytics, we ensure a data-driven approach to talent acquisition, while maintaining the human touch that’s essential for understanding individual motivations, behaviors, and potential.
- Tailored Solutions: No two organizations are the same, and neither are their recruitment needs. We take the time to understand each client’s unique challenges, organizational culture, and long-term vision to deliver customized solutions that go beyond transactional hiring.
- End-to-End Support: Uplift offers more than just executive search. We provide leadership development, talent assessments, and strategic workforce planning to help organizations build and retain strong teams for the long term.
At Uplift, we don’t just match talent to roles; we create opportunities for growth, innovation, and success for both organizations and individuals. This commitment to making a real impact is what makes us a trusted partner in the global recruitment space.”
Unlocking Human Potential
The Arabia Times: How does Uplift’s VR-based talent assessment improve candidate evaluation?
Serap Zel replied, “Our VR-based talent assessment differentiates how we evaluate candidates by offering an unbiased and immersive environment that reveals genuine behavior and potential. Traditional assessment methods can sometimes introduce inconsistencies and biases, which may not provide a full picture of a candidate’s capabilities. Our VR assessment solutions allow candidates to engage in 16 different real-world scenarios, enabling us to capture their true behavioural preferences without self-monitoring. This data-driven approach provides a comprehensive analysis of a candidate’s skills and predicts future success more accurately than conventional methods. It’s designed for recruitment from graduates to mid-level leadership roles, ensuring that companies receive the best talent fit. What sets our VR assessment apart is its ability to be tailored to specific roles, industries, and organizational needs. By customizing scenarios to reflect the unique challenges of a position, we provide clients with highly relevant and actionable insights that align with their strategic goals. This innovative method sets Uplift apart in identifying top-tier talent.”
The Heart of Uplift
The Arabia Times: What key values guide Uplift’s operations?
Serap Zel replied, “At Uplift, our work is driven by four core values: love what you do, never give up, play hard, work smart, and be result-driven. These principles aren’t just corporate slogans; they’re a reflection of how we approach every aspect of our work. We genuinely believe that when our team is passionate about what they do, it creates a ripple effect that leads to meaningful and lasting results for our clients. This passion is what motivates us to never give up, even when faced with the most challenging searches.
The principle of playing hard and working smart is at the heart of how we operate. By combining creativity and dedication with cutting-edge technology—including 7 advanced sourcing methodologies—strategic planning, and efficient processes, we ensure our clients receive fast and high-quality services. For example; we are committed to sharing the first shortlisted candidates with our clients within a week.
We’re proud to have built long-term relationships with clients and candidates, and I am very happy to see high retention rates as a result of the partnerships we’ve cultivated.”
Uplift’s Recruitment Solutions
The Arabia Times: What recruitment solutions does Uplift offer?
Serap Zel replied, “Uplift offers a comprehensive range of recruitment solutions to meet the diverse needs of our clients.
Talent Search: We specialize in sourcing mid to senior-level professionals in Commercial (Sales, Marketing and Customer Service), Engineering/IT, Finance and HR roles globally, ensuring a precise match between candidates and organizational requirements.
Executive Search: Our team excels in identifying and recruiting C-suite leaders who align with your company’s vision and drive success in start-ups and the scaled-up companies.
Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO): We provide dedicated recruiters to manage our clients’ recruitment processes from start to finish, offering scalable solutions that adapt to different business needs.
VR- Based Talent Assessment: Uplift delivers tailored assessments to evaluate candidates’ competencies and cultural fit, ensuring alignment with your organization’s values and goals.
Leadership Development: We empower leaders with the skills necessary to drive organizational growth through customized development programs.
HR Consulting: Our experts provide strategic HR consulting services to optimize your workforce and enhance overall organizational performance.
Executive Coaching: Uplift offers personalized coaching to refine leadership capabilities and support strategic success.
At Uplift, we are committed to providing tailored HR solutions that align with our clients’ strategic objectives to drive your organization’s success.”
A Strategic Advantage
The Arabia Times: How does Uplift’s RPO service benefit organizations?
Serap Zel replied, “Uplift’s Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) service provides a tailored, cost-effective solution for companies with multiple hiring needs. Through RPO, we dedicate a team of recruiters to manage the entire recruitment process for organizations, from sourcing candidates to on boarding them. This model is particularly beneficial for companies that have more than six open roles simultaneously, limited recruitment budgets, or fluctuating hiring volumes. Our RPO service not only helps streamline the recruitment process but also provides a fixed monthly payment option instead of the traditional position-based fees, making it budget-friendly. Additionally, Uplift’s RPO uses advanced technology platforms to source talent quickly and globally, ensuring that clients receive the most suitable candidates within just five business days. The result is a fully managed, transparent recruitment process that allows companies to focus on their core operations while we handle the talent acquisition.”
Uplift’s Geographic Reach
The Arabia Times: What is the geographical scope of Uplift’s recruitment services?
Serap Zel replied, “Uplift operates on a truly global scale, sourcing talent across multiple regions including EMEA, APAC, LATAM, the US, and Canada. Our extensive geographical coverage ensures that we can meet the diverse recruitment needs of our clients, whether they are looking to fill roles in specific countries or across continents. We have successfully sourced and placed talent in more than 52 countries, demonstrating our capability to navigate different markets and cultural nuances. Our team’s multilingual proficiency further enhances our ability to connect with candidates from diverse backgrounds, ensuring we find the right fit for companies operating in various regions. Whether companies are looking to expand globally or find the best talent in specific markets, Uplift’s global reach combined with our local market expertise allows us to provide top-notch recruitment services that support business growth.”
Finding the Right Talent
Lastly we asked, “How does Uplift help healthcare organizations, including hospitals and clinics in the Middle East find the right talent?”
“At Uplift, we specialize in connecting healthcare organizations with top-tier global talent, leveraging an extensive network that spans EMEA, APAC, and the Americas. With a senior dedicated healthcare recruiter who brings deep experience in hospitals and clinics in UAE, we understand the unique challenges of this sector.
We proudly work with healthcare clients in the Middle East, helping them source a wide range of professionals, including doctors, nurses, and healthcare executives. Our expertise in navigating regional licensing and regulatory requirements, combined with access to a global talent pool, ensures we deliver tailored solutions efficiently. Whether addressing urgent staffing needs or building long-term teams, we are committed to supporting healthcare organizations in delivering exceptional care and achieving their strategic goals.” Serap Zel Concluded
Connect with Serap Zel on LinkedIn
Visit UPLIFT to learn more about it
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