Our Team
Jump Recruitment Specialists entered the recruitment business in 2007 and has been moving forward as an industry leader since that point. The company is based in St John’s, Newfoundland, and has clients all over North America.
Our focus is always on finding the right candidate not a person for the role. We are highly confident in our ability to find the best candidates for your organization. Our reputation is important to us and our team takes great pride in the placement of highly retainable, productive, and top-talented team members for our business partners.
Scott Giannou
President & CEO
Scott is a self-made entrepreneur who has grown diverse businesses from the ground up or from acquisitions in varying industries including beverage alcohol, motorsports promotion and most recently human resources. With a reputation of loyalty and integrity, Scott gets things done collaboratively while helping others develop and celebrate their strengths and wins.
Scott is a visionary and started his first business thirty years ago as a food broker and became a best-in-class leader in the beverage alcohol industry. Scott has expanded his passion for people into the Human Resources space with the start-up and expansion of Jump Recruitment Specialists and the acquisition of Higher Talent, an HR consulting and executive search firm. Both companies are emerging industry leaders boasting a top-tier client list from across North America.
Scott is active in the community and contributes through charitable and volunteer interests. A personal commitment to sport and youth has taken Scott on a leadership journey as a volunteer with Junior Achievement and long-time minor hockey coach. Some charitable affiliations include President of Canadian Progress Club St. John’s, Chairman of YMCA Newfoundland & Labrador, Chairman of Gold Medal Plates St. John’s and Co Chairman of Canada’s Great Kitchen Party. Most recently, Scott has become a director with Young Adult Cancer Canada (YACC). Through these endeavors, he lives the philosophy of giving back to the community through sport, outreach, and fostering youth achievement.
Neil Coombs
Partner
An experienced business leader and trusted HR professional, Neil’s passion is in helping improve the culture of professional firms by driving strategy through effective HR management. With more than 16 years of progressive HR and business management experience, he has worked in both the private and public sectors in senior leadership positions. Neil prides himself on his ability to create and maintain relationships with employees and leaders, understanding the needs of the organization and the people who work there.
In addition to professional practice, Neil is also active in the HR community, currently serving as President of CPHR NL, the provincial association aimed at supporting the needs of HR professionals in Newfoundland and Labrador. He is also Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors of CPHR Canada. To supplement his experience, Neil has a Bachelor of Commerce degree with a focus in Human Resources Management and Labour Relations from Memorial University of Newfoundland and is a Chartered Professional in Human Resources (CPHR).
Geoff Davis
Senior Advisor Business Development
Geoff has extensive executive experience in business development and enterprise sales and account management. He’s worked in the telecom, information technology, digital and professional consulting industries. His experience servicing both the public and private sectors includes roles at Bell Aliant as Regional Vice President – Sales and as a Senior Advisor, in a Partner role, at Deloitte. Geoff is also an independent board director and currently serves on the boards of NL Liquor Corp. and Choices for Youth as well as the advisory board of Vigilant Management. Past board roles include TechNL, the local chapter of the Institute of Corporate Directors and Chair of the Dr. H. Bliss Murphy Cancer Care Foundation. He has a proven track record of establishing strong relationships at an executive level and exceeding client’s needs. Geoff is a graduate of Memorial University, the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University and holds the ICD.D designation. www.linkedin.com/in/geoffdavisnl
Brendan Hagerty
General Manager
Brendan has joined the Higher Talent team after spending six great years with the St. John’s Board of Trade where he created key business connections on a local and national level. Throughout his career, Brendan’s focus has been on helping employers grow their business by finding key talent and solving problems with strategic business solutions. In 2016, Brendan Co-Founded Connector NL and in 2019 was a lead team member for hosting the 44th President of the United States Barack Obama. He is passionate about growing business and is an expert in creating lasting relationships.
In his personal life, Brendan and his wife Jennifer are proud parents of their two children Fiona and Benjamin. He owns two dogs, Lukin and Tuck. When life isn’t hectic Brendan travels the globe to see Pearl Jam (18 shows and counting)!
Tina Griffin
Office Administrator
Tina is an administrative professional with 20 years experience in the consulting, oil and gas and medical sectors. She provides exceptional administrative and accounting support to the Higher Talent team while maintaining her commitment to client satisfaction.
When not at the office, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, camping, biking, hiking and exploring the beautiful east coast trails.
Sam Carberry
HR Consultant
Sam is an optimistic and goal-oriented individual with a passion for human resources. She is a graduate from the College of the North Atlantic with a diploma in Human Resource Management; and recently has completed her Registered Professional Recruiter designation. Since joining the team in 2021, Sam has focused on building her experience in full-cycle recruitment, performance management, compensation analysis, and more.
In her spare time, Sam enjoys hiking, camping, spending time with family and friends, and her dogs Nova and Luna.
Judy Sparkes-Giannou
Senior Business Advisor
A business leader and active community volunteer, Judy has been involved primarily in the tourism industry of Newfoundland & Labrador for 30 years. In her current role as Managing Director of Clayton Hospitality, Judy takes on an active role in the growth and development of the Comfort Inn Airport (St. John’s), St. Jude Hotel (Clarenville) and the Comfort Inn (Gander). Numerous investments in real estate and various companies throughout Atlantic Canada keep Judy engaged in a diverse range of business activities throughout the region.
Judy is a recipient of the President’s Award from the Newfoundland & Labrador Organization of Women Entrepreneurs (NLOWE). Atlantic Business Magazine named Judy as one of Atlantic Canada’s Top 50 CEO’s and she was identified by Progress Magazine as one of the top 25 people to watch in the Atlantic Region.
Judy dedicates considerable time to mentoring women in business; she has served as Vice Chair of the Canadian Spondylitis Association, is a founding member of the Newfoundland & Labrador Chapter of the Women Presidents Organization (WPO) and is a Past Chair of NLOWE. Judy is currently the Chair of Choice Hotels Canada Franchisee Advisory Board and is an active volunteer.
Krista Tapper
Senior HR Consultant
Krista is a passionate, results-orientated HR professional with over 10 years of experience in various industries including Transportation, IT, Marine, and Consulting. Her experience includes functional areas in Employee Relations, Recruitment/Retention, Training, Policy Development, Performance Management, and Occupational Health and Safety, just to name a few.
Krista believes in building trust and respect through effective communication skills and can relate well to all organizational levels within a corporate or unionized work environment. Krista focuses on creating strategic HR practices to align to the objectives of an organization while maximizing employee potential. Recognizing the value of top talent, Krista’s focus is on employee retention through creating and nurturing a diverse and inclusive workplace culture and fostering meaningful relationships. Krista prides herself client satisfaction and making a positive impact.
Krista holds an IPMA- ACP certification which recognizes meeting the high standards of IPMA-Canada’s International Certification Program and a career of excellence in Human Resources Management. Krista is also a Registered Professional Recruiter.
Christine Philips
Senior HR Consultant and Executive Recruiter
Christine Phillips is a strategic human resource management professional with more than 25 years of progressive experience in private and public sector organizations. An experienced leader, Christine has collaboratively developed and implemented strategic initiatives to drive organizational and employee performance. Christine has a wealth of experience in recruitment and retention, onboarding frameworks, people development, engagement, policy and program development, change management, continuous improvement, and career transition.
Christine is a Strategic Planning (Kaplan-Norton) Balanced Scorecard Certified Graduate and International Personnel Management Certified Human Resource Professional (IPMA-CP).
Passionate in community engagement, Christine is a past National and Local Board Member of IPMA-Canada. As well, Christine is past Manager of the Newfoundland and Labrador Canada Games Volleyball Team, including past Manager and Convenor of provincial, club, school teams and tournaments.
Jordan White
Social Media Coordinator
Jordan is the owner and operator of Capelin Creations, a creative digital marketing agency. Since 2016 Jordan has been working with business, small and large to help improve their marketing efforts. His company specializes in creative content and strong communication across all forms of digital media. With a passion for creating, he is usually found on the computer or with a camera in hand.
At Higher Talent, we recognize the value of diversity and are committed to making intentional steps toward building inclusive teams that better reflect the communities Higher Talent and the organizations we serve to operate within. We believe that inclusion is not just about making room at the table but about seeking out talent through a diversity lens and letting everyone know that their unique perspectives are important contributions to building stronger workplaces in a changing world.
We encourage all qualified candidates to apply for our posted positions. We welcome candidates to self-identify or make our recruitment team aware of any potential accommodations they may need during the recruitment process.