People person: Santino scours the world for top talent

People person: Santino scours the world for top talent

Recruitment expert Santino Boffa is now the global chief head-hunter for a fast-expanding international technology company.

His role as Global Talent Acquisition Manager for Qubit is the latest post in what has already been a highly-varied career.

After reading Law at Sheffield, Santino (OE 1996–2003) first became a professional football coach. He later moved into recruitment, taking a number of posts before a secondment in 2014 saw him helping to launch a global banking programme – Santander’s My Rewards – to over 3 million account holders.

Santino began working for Qubit, a Software as a Service (SaaS) start-up company specialising in personalisation, in March 2016. Qubit, which has received more than $76m in venture capital funding, helps more than 300 of the world’s top consumer brands to understand and influence how people interact with them across multiple digital channels, including web, mobile and email. Customers include John Lewis, TOPSHOP and Hilton Hotels.

His London-based job involves recruiting engineers globally, with a specific focus on software engineers and product managers. He is also responsible for shaping and executing global recruitment strategies and building world-class teams.

Earlier this month, Santino visited the School to help out as part of a careers event. “It was great being back at QE. The School Hall seems a lot smaller these days – and I was really impressed with the new facilities,” he said.

“My memories of the School include early-morning games lessons in the old swimming pool in the middle of winter, with the roof leaking. The students today don’t know how good they have it!”

He said: “I like to spend my time outside work travelling to new countries and watching my beloved Arsenal home and away.”

Santino this month celebrates the first anniversary of his wedding to Carmela Vitale, who works in advertising.