EP321: Why Offshore to Kenya: Cost, Culture & Global Teams - Alex Hashash, MD, Global CapabilityEP321: Why Offshore to Kenya: Cost, Culture & Global Teams - Alex Hashash, MD, Global Capability
The Recruiter's Recruitment Podcast
Recruitment specialist Alex Hashash talks with host Lysha Holmes about why Kenya is becoming a serious base for offshore recruitment teams and what founders should weigh up before making the move. The conversation covers cost, culture, talent, team buy-in and how a blended onshore/offshore model can support long-term growth.
32:44•27 Apr 2026
Why Kenya Might Be Your Next Recruitment Powerhouse
Episode Overview
- Recruitment leaders should look for talent globally, not just locally, and question assumptions about where great people can be found.
- Choosing an offshore location means weighing more than accents, including education, talent pool, political and economic stability, and service reputation.
- Using an employer of record and a managed service model can simplify compliance, payroll and infrastructure for offshore hires.
- Success with offshoring depends on strong onshore leadership, clear client-facing roles, and full buy-in from UK teams who see themselves as global account managers.
- A blended model of human-led relationships onshore and delivery support offshore can be more effective than relying purely on automation or AI.
“As recruiters, we believe in talent, don't we? So why don't we believe that we can find talent anywhere else in the world?”
Curious about how others shape truly global recruitment teams? This conversation between host Lysha Holmes and guest Alex Hashash pulls back the curtain on offshoring to Kenya in a way that’s practical, candid, and a bit cheeky. Alex, founder of Global Capability and a lifelong recruiter who started as a 17-year-old apprentice, explains how his journey from UK healthcare recruitment to running a global capability centre in Nairobi came from a “light bulb moment” on a wedding trip to Kenya.
He lays out why he thinks recruiters should widen their view of talent, saying, “As recruiters, we believe in talent, don't we? So why don't we believe that we can find talent anywhere else in the world?” You’ll hear a clear breakdown of who should even be thinking about offshoring, how to choose a country, and why accents matter less than people think.
Alex talks through a customer service confidence index that ranks outsourcing destinations and notes that Kenya sits at number 11, an emerging market many agencies have never even considered. For founders and leaders, this episode doubles as a practical startup guide: Alex walks through using an employer of record, office vs home setups, and why you must get buy-in from your onshore teams by positioning them as “global account managers”.
He’s honest about the “pain” of the first 6–12 months, but frames it as coaching and mentoring rather than disaster. There’s also a timely reminder that AI is there for grunt work, while real value still comes from humans handling relationships, nuance, and those all-important “warm handshakes” with clients and candidates.
If you’re a recruitment founder, leader, or ambitious recruiter wondering whether offshoring could actually help you scale without wrecking quality or culture, this chat offers a grounded, human take on what a blended onshore/offshore model might look like for you. Could your next star team member be thousands of miles away?
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