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Stamatina Stavrakopoulou
pro Member - BRISTOL
Virtual Talent
Virtual Talent is a Bristol-based recruitment and talent consultancy helping growing businesses hire with confidence.
A bit about me...
Hi, I'm Stamatina, founder of Virtual Talent!
After more than 10 years working in recruitment and talent acquisition, I decided to take the leap and launch my own business, bringing the experience I'd gained working with organisations and hiring managers directly to growing businesses.
I set up Virtual Talent because I believe great recruitment should be about more than simply filling vacancies. It's about understanding a business, its people, its ambitions and finding the right talent to help it grow.
I work with founders, business owners and leadership teams who need experienced recruitment support without the commitment of hiring someone internally.
Whether that's finding someone for a difficult-to-fill position, managing recruitment during a busy period or improving how a business attracts and hires people, I offer a flexible, practical and personal approach.
My services range from individual recruitment projects to ongoing talent partnerships, where I work as an extension of the business.
I'm based in Bristol and particularly enjoy supporting businesses across Bristol, South Gloucestershire, Gloucestershire and Somerset, although I work with clients across the UK.
Outside of work, I love travelling, discovering new places, good food and getting outdoors with my little dog, Betsy!
I'm excited to be joining the We Mean Biz community, building genuine relationships with other business owners and hopefully helping a few businesses along the way.
If you're growing your team, struggling to fill a vacancy or simply wondering whether there's a better way to approach recruitment, I'd love to have a conversation.
Stamatina
A bit more about me
What's the most enjoyable thing about your work?
The people! I've always loved getting to know different businesses, understanding what makes them tick and helping them find the right people to grow. There's something really rewarding about making a great introduction that works for both the business and the person joining it.
What is your vision for your business?
To build a trusted, people-focused talent consultancy that gives growing businesses access to experienced recruitment expertise in a flexible and commercially sensible way. I want Virtual Talent to become the partner that business owners turn to when they need honest advice, practical support and someone who genuinely cares about getting their hiring right.
If you could give one single piece of advice to a new start up business, what would it be?
Don't wait until everything is perfect before putting yourself out there! I've learnt that you can spend forever planning, tweaking and improving things, but the real learning comes from having conversations, building relationships and actually giving things a go.
Which one phrase or quote sums up your attitude to business life?
"People do business with people."
I genuinely believe relationships, trust and being yourself are some of the most important parts of building a successful business.
What made you join WMB and how do you plan to make the most of the network?
Since launching Virtual Talent, I've been keen to surround myself with other business owners who understand the excitement and challenges of building something of their own.
I've already received such a warm welcome at the WMB events I've attended, so joining felt like a natural next step.
I'm looking forward to building genuine relationships, learning from other members, sharing my own experience and hopefully becoming someone others feel confident recommending.
What do you do at week-ends?
I love getting out and exploring! My partner Mark and I enjoy discovering new places, finding lovely places to eat and heading off for little weekend breaks around the South West. Our Cavapoochon, Betsy, is usually along for the adventure!
I also love spending time with family and friends, cooking something delicious and planning our next holiday.
If you were stranded on a desert island, what 2 luxury items would you take?
A good supply of salt and a very sharp knife! I love my food, so I'd need to make sure I could catch something for dinner, season it properly and cut down some fresh tropical fruit. Although I'm now wondering if a fishing net might be more useful than the salt!
Where is your favourite place in the world and why?
I love travelling and discovering different cultures, so choosing just one place is almost impossible! For me, it's often less about the destination and more about the experiences, exploring somewhere new, enjoying amazing food and making memories with the people I love.
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