Kori B. Brown

From Agency Foundations to Enterprise Impact

Brown’s early years in agency recruiting sharpened his sense of urgency, ownership, and accountability. Working both sides of the desk, business development and candidate relationships, taught him how deeply recruiting intersects with business outcomes, and how little distance there really is between a hiring decision and a company’s performance.

As his career progressed, the transition from agency to in-house recruiting expanded that impact. He was no longer just matching candidates to roles; he was responsible for building teams that would shape entire organizations. Today at SharkNinja, recruiting isn’t a support function, it’s a growth engine.

“We’re not passengers,” Brown says. “We’re drivers.”

Efficiency Through Technology, Without Losing the Human Element

Brown doesn’t see AI as a threat to recruiting. He sees it as a force multiplier. Tools like Greenhouse have streamlined interview scheduling, applicant screening, and reporting, freeing recruiters from administrative drag and allowing them to focus on judgment, relationships, and strategy. Brown also uses ChatGPT to translate raw data into narrative reporting that resonates with business leaders.

“Data alone is just numbers,” he explains. “But when you put a story behind it, people actually understand the impact.”

For Brown, efficiency isn’t about moving faster for its own sake. It’s about getting to better decisions sooner, which is why he treats fluency with new tools as a baseline expectation rather than an advantage. “If you resist technology,” he says, “you’re going to fall behind.”

The Leaders Who Shaped the Recruiter

Gratitude is a defining theme in Brown’s career. Early on, Sean Brady gave him his first real shot in recruiting, instilling competitiveness, urgency, and the importance of showing up fully for both candidates and clients. Later, Terry O’Leary reinforced Brown’s belief in his own potential by offering stretch opportunities that expanded his confidence and leadership range.

Today, Brown credits his current manager, Chris Hong, VP of Talent Acquisition at SharkNinja, for modeling the kind of leadership that builds trust rather than compliance. “He explains the why,” Brown says. “That’s when people really invest.”

Each leader contributed a piece, and Brown built something uniquely his own from it.

The Responsibility of Being a Gatekeeper

As recruiting has evolved, from job boards to LinkedIn, from office-based work to remote, and now into the AI era, Brown believes the responsibility carried by talent leaders has only grown. Recruiters, he says, are the gatekeepers of an organization’s future.

“We sell the company. We protect the culture. We decide who moves forward and who doesn’t,” he says. “That’s real power, and it has to be used intentionally.”

At SharkNinja, that intentionality shows up as empathy. Brown believes candidates can feel when a recruiter genuinely has their best interests at heart, and when that trust is present, outcomes improve for everyone. The belief is personal for him. Brown is a boomerang employee, having returned to SharkNinja after time away, and what brings him pride isn’t just the brand recognition. It’s walking the halls and seeing people he hired years ago now thriving, leading, and building.

“That’s the reward,” he says. “Knowing you played a part in someone’s growth.”

Advice for Talent Leaders Heading Into 2026

Brown’s advice to fellow talent leaders is simple, but not easy: own your value, be intentional, and lead with empathy. Talent acquisition isn’t a transactional function, he says. It’s a strategic one, and when done well, it shapes products, cultures, and careers for years to come.

“Hire the engineer who builds the next breakthrough product,” Brown says. “Then years later, look back and say, I helped make that happen.”

That belief, in people, in potential, and in responsibility, is what defines KB Brown as a leader.