Inspirational Woman of the Year 2025
Championing Neurodiversity: The Founder Transforming Recruitment Wins Inspirational Woman of the Year 2025
Lauren Halkett, founder of Key Global Recruitment, has emerged as a powerful voice for neurodiversity, inclusion, and resilience-driven leadership. Her rise—from leaving school at 16 with no qualifications to becoming a recognised recruitment innovator—has become emblematic of the new wave of people-first entrepreneurship.
Halkett’s early life was marked by profound loss. At 16, she lost her mother to advanced melanoma, a trauma that left her without qualifications and struggling with PTSD. She later relocated alone to Nottingham, where she discovered recruitment and quickly earned a reputation among senior leaders as “tenacious, resilient, and driven.”
Her story took on a new dimension after later receiving diagnoses of ADHD and autism—insights she now credits with shaping her strengths as a neurodiverse founder. In honour of her mother, a respected trainer who worked within prison rehabilitation settings, Halkett made a promise to build a legacy rooted in empowerment, empathy, and impact. Key Global Recruitment became the fulfilment of that promise.
