Kevin Doiron
Decagon
“I don't think AI will replace recruiting. But innovative recruiters who use AI in an innovative way will replace recruiters who don't.”
Kevin Doiron has been named to the Talent 100, Class of 2026, the annual award recognizing up to 100 leaders in each category of talent acquisition. Honorees are nominated by peers or found by committees that look for excellent work wherever it happens, then chosen for the depth of their craft and their impact on hiring. This is Kevin's story.
For Kevin Doiron, Head of Talent Acquisition at Decagon, a career in recruiting began with an unexpected detour, one inspired by a passion for rock climbing.
After years of climbing on the East Coast, he set out on a six-month adventure through Western Canada, living out of his car while chasing mountains and climbing routes. When the trip ended, he faced a decision: return home, or build a new life out west. With nothing pulling him back to the East Coast, he settled in Calgary, Alberta, during the height of the city's oil and gas boom, a moment when Calgary had more open jobs than people available to fill them. “It was this huge imbalance in the talent market,” Kevin recalls.
Having previously worked in technology, recruiting seemed like the natural next step. He joined a recruiting agency during one of the most competitive hiring markets in the city's history, unknowingly beginning a career that would shape both his professional and personal life.
Recruiting did more than give him a profession. It also introduced him to his future wife. The two met while working at the same agency, eventually started their own recruiting firm together, and took a leap of faith by launching a business just one year into their relationship. “We were putting it all on the line,” Kevin says. “If the business didn't work, our relationship would probably fail too.” Fortunately, both flourished.
From Player to Coach
Today, Kevin finds the greatest fulfillment not in making placements himself, but in building teams capable of doing extraordinary work. He describes this stage of his career as the transition from player to coach.
At Moveworks, he focused on assembling what he considers a world-class recruiting organization, bringing together talented recruiters and creating an environment where they can thrive. “Building an incredible recruiting team is one of the things that brought me to Silicon Valley,” he says. Watching recruiters succeed, grow, and elevate the business has become one of the most rewarding aspects of his leadership journey.
Modernizing Recruiting Through AI
Few areas have evolved faster than recruiting technology. According to Kevin, the past 12 to 18 months have delivered more innovation than the previous two decades combined. At Moveworks, he helped lead a company-wide AI initiative that became the catalyst for completely modernizing the recruiting technology stack. From sourcing platforms and AI-powered note-taking to interview scheduling and workflow automation, nearly every aspect of recruiting was redesigned around modern AI capabilities.
The impact went far beyond efficiency. “It improved the ability of recruiting to show up for candidates and hiring managers,” Kevin says. For him, AI is not simply about reducing manual work. It is about enabling recruiters to spend more time where they create the greatest value.
Advice for Talent Leaders Heading into 2026
As AI continues reshaping talent acquisition, Kevin encourages recruiters to remain curious and adaptable, and his advice is refreshingly simple: don't become comfortable doing things the way they have always been done. “Don't be afraid to try new tools,” he says. “Don't be afraid to try new ways of working.”
He does not believe AI will replace recruiters, but he does believe that recruiters who effectively leverage it will outperform those who resist change. “I don't think AI will replace recruiting,” he says. “But innovative recruiters who use AI in an innovative way will replace recruiters who don't.”
For decades, recruiting technology consisted largely of an applicant tracking system and LinkedIn. Today, talent leaders have access to an expanding ecosystem of AI-powered tools that can dramatically increase productivity and effectiveness, and Kevin believes the recruiters who continue experimenting, learning, and adapting will be the ones who thrive in an increasingly competitive market. By combining curiosity, technological innovation, exceptional team building, and a business-first mindset, Kevin Doiron represents the next generation of talent leaders helping redefine what modern recruiting can become.
The Talent 100 exists to celebrate the people shaping the future of how the world hires, and few embody that better than Kevin. We are honored to welcome Kevin Doiron to the Talent 100, Class of 2026, and grateful for the experience, perspective, and craft they bring to this community. Congratulations, Kevin. Welcome to the Talent 100.
About the Talent 100
The Talent 100 is an annual list spotlighting the leaders who push HR and talent acquisition forward, organized by Noon AI. Honorees are selected through peer nominations and independent selection committees. Selection is entirely merit-based, with no fees or pay-to-play requirements.