Australian CEO Excellence Awards 2026 | 8 Helping international primary and secondary schools to secure the best educators, Inspired Recruitment stands a new school of thought in the education sector’s recruitment market. Lucas Leonard is the co-founder and CEO of the organisation, a role that sees him engage directly with teachers and school leaders to preserve his connection to the human side of recruitment. Following his recognition in our Australian CEO Excellence Awards, we sat down with Lucas for more. The man behind the leading education recruitment agency in Australia, education CEO Lucas Leonard’s typical day looks a lot less corporate than what most people would imagine from someone in his position. This, he believes, is fundamental to why Inspired Recruitment has grown in the way that it has. Lucas established the company in 2022, after spending a number of years in various executive-level positions in the education space. The aim with Inspired Recruitment was to do things better, and this is something that starts within. One of Lucas’ primary aims is to create a workplace where people are genuinely happy. He explained: “I care a lot about culture because I genuinely believe happy people perform better. If someone hates waking up every morning to go to work, something is wrong.” By being open with his team and encouraging people to be themselves, Lucas is helping to foster a healthy, human working environment, which, in turn, is reflected outwards. Recruitment is often very transactional but Lucas has always wanted Inspired Recruitment to feel more human. It even created internal processes such as digital interviews as a result, allowing candidates to have a voice and an opportunity to show who they are beyond a CV. Lucas added: “A lot of teachers and educators feel overlooked during recruitment processes, especially overseas candidates who are trying to completely change their lives.” Inspired Recruitment exists to change that. Specialising in placing education professionals in permanent teaching jobs across primary, secondary, and higher education, Lucas and the team cover all Australian states and help create careerdefining opportunities for candidates, all whilst supporting school communities. This work is vital, as Lucas truly believes that teachers shape the future of society. He recognises that if he can help put educators in environments where they can thrive, then the impact goes beyond just recruitment. Despite a fondness for education, Lucas never really intended on working in this sector, or even becoming a CEO. His career began as a salesperson in a French hypermarket, a period he describes as being repetitive and uninspiring. His outlook changed forever one Father’s Day, when his father suffered a stroke in front of him and was unable to be saved. This shifted Lucas’ perspective on life, and his mum pushed him to go to university and study abroad. This decision set his course. Ending up at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Lucas completed a Bachelor of Business, followed by a marketing master’s at the local Swinburne University of Technology. He then took on several roles that taught him what he did and did not want out of a career, before he finally secured his role in education recruitment in 2018. Lucas briefly moved to recruitment in a different sector, but returned, this time for good, when COVID-19 hit Australia and education recruitment remained one of the few industries still open for trade. As for how he became a CEO, Lucas was constantly receiving calls from recruiters offering him new jobs. He told one of them, half joking, that he would only consider opening his own business. He was surprised then when he was introduced to Gareth from the Four Pillars Group, who specialises in investing in recruitment businesses. After numerous stages of discussions, plans, talking through his results, and more, Gareth and his business partner Darren decided to invest in Lucas’ vision. The rest, as they say, is history. With Inspired Recruitment today boasting a team of around ten the across NSW and WA, growing every year, and being led by a human-focused, relationship-driven CEO, this call was certainly the right one. Lucas’ career may have been diverse and challenging at times, but he has always been guided by his openness and authenticity, and we hope this shines through. On the back of this, we are delighted to recognise Lucas Leonard’s efforts in the field of teacher recruitment in Australia by celebrating him with two awards. “Success is important, but I think happiness, purpose, and the people you build the journey with matter even more.” Contact: Lucas Leonard Company: Inspired Recruitment Web Address: www.inspiredrec.com Education Recruitment CEO of the Year 2026: Lucas Leonard & APAC Insider Candidate Experience Excellence Award 2026 Inspired Recruitment
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