Marcel Rütten

Marcel Rütten is one of the best-known figures in the German-speaking HR scene.

For more than 15 years, he has been helping to shape human resources management in organisations of all sizes – from international corporations to NGOs. As a Global Talent Acquisition Lead, consultant, blogger, podcaster and author, he combines practical experience from day-to-day HR operations with a clear insight into the major trends in the industry. Through his blog HR4Good and the recruitment conference ‘Schicht im Schacht’, which he founded, he actively drives forward the professionalisation of recruitment, HR marketing and employer branding. Marcel Rütten is a sought-after speaker for companies looking for fresh insights, honest assessments and concrete ideas for their HR work.

Marcel Rütten Keynote topics

• Talent Acquisition & Employer Branding

What makes a top-class employer, and how does one create a compelling employer brand? Marcel Rütten highlights the latest trends and solutions in HR marketing, explains how recruiting analytics can simultaneously deliver transparency, efficient processes and an exceptional candidate experience, and identifies which online marketing methods can be usefully applied to recruitment. Topics such as skills-based hiring, the importance of cultural fit and a European comparison of recruitment practices are also covered in this area.

• HR Digitalisation & Transformation

How digital is HR really today, and what mindset will tomorrow’s HR work require? Marcel Rütten examines the role HR plays in the megatrend of digital transformation, what a future-proof HR infrastructure might look like, and the impact artificial intelligence is already having on HR work today. He also provides an overview of HR tech start-ups that are transforming the software market and becoming relevant for companies of all sizes.

• Professional HR & Future Work

How are the world of work and the HR profession evolving, and what roles will be needed in the future? Marcel Rütten discusses the contribution HR can make to a company’s success, the skills required by modern HR and talent acquisition teams, and how the HR profession can be further professionalised. His talks also cover current crises and their impact on day-to-day HR work, as well as both new and familiar faces on the German-speaking HR scene.

Other topics include:

• Recruiting Strategy – Achieving Recruiting Excellence through Recruiting Analytics
• Global Talent Acquisition – How can a data-driven talent acquisition approach be implemented in international organisations?
• Recruiting Analytics – Metrics, Key Figures & KPIs for data-driven recruiting strategies
• Candidate Experience – Aspiration and Reality in Recruiting: Are candidates really the focus?
• Employer Branding – From Zero to Hero: How an employer becomes an ‘Employer of Choice’
• Skills-Based Hiring – Beyond CVs: The paradigm shift towards skills-based recruitment
• HR Tech Trends – Innovations in HR management: Technology trends in HR and recruitment
• Rehiring – Comeback or stay away!? How rehiring is becoming a key channel in the recruitment mix

Marcel Rütten – CEO and founder of ‘Schicht im Schacht’

Marcel Rütten has built his career from the ground up in a wide variety of companies and sectors – including Siemens, Evonik, the Berner Group and Kindernothilfe. This diversity of perspectives, ranging from international corporations to non-profit organisations, continues to shape his view of HR issues to this day and makes him a sparring partner who understands the practical realities of a wide range of organisations.

Since 2022, he has been CEO and founder of “Schicht im Schacht”, one of the best-known recruitment conferences in the German-speaking world, and has also been working as a lecturer since 2019. At the same time, as a recruitment strategy consultant, he advises companies on strategic and operational issues relating to recruitment, HR marketing and employer branding.

Marcel Rütten has received numerous awards for his work, including being named a Personio HR Top Voice (2023–2025), a nomination for the German Podcast Award 2024, and the titles of “Employer Brand Manager of the Year” and “HR Marketing Innovator of the Year” in 2017. He has also been honoured on numerous occasions for innovative concepts in areas such as talent intelligence, cultural fit recruiting and work-life balance.

He sums up his vision for the future of HR as follows: HR should integrate so closely with technology and data that a consistent people-centric approach emerges – ideally to such an extent that, at some point, HR no longer needs to be a separate functional area, but becomes an integral part of all corporate functions.

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