My Story

Hi, I’m Neil, an avid runner and Associate Director at EMEA Recruitment, an international recruitment agency with offices in Switzerland, the Netherlands and UK.

I joined EMEA Recruitment in 2019, just one year before Operation Smile became the official partner of the EMEA Recruitment podcast. Since then, we’ve been raising vital funds and awareness for Operation Smile to continue its excellent work around the world.

Towards the end of 2022, we received a call from the Operation Smile team regarding the London Marathon in April 2023. As one of their corporate sponsors, we had the opportunity to take a place, and I was lucky (or unlucky!) enough to be offered the spot by my colleagues, as EMEA’s resident running enthusiast.

I’ve completed several half-marathons, 5k and 10k runs, but never faced the challenge of a full marathon. As many runners will know, a place at the annual London Marathon is like gold dust, so I’m honoured to be taking part on behalf of such an important cause.

Everyone at EMEA Recruitment has a special connection to Operation Smile, as our Founder, Paul Toms, was born with a cleft lip and palate himself, and has shared his personal journey with us all. Through fundraising for this event, we will hopefully create another 16 smiles and transform the lives of children around the world.

Wish me luck ahead of the race in April, but – more importantly – please give anything you can to support the wonderful volunteers at Operation Smile.