Will Hayes

COO, IDR

Will Hayes began his career in staffing in 2008 and has spent 17 years with IDR, rising through Recruiting, Sales, Branch Leadership, and now serves as Chief Operating Officer. He launched and led IDR’s Texas division in 2010 and has since played a central role in shaping operational best practices, including KPIs, compensation design, and technology adoption. Under his leadership, IDR has scaled from $20M to $100M+ in revenue, driven by a focus on training and developing entry-level talent. Hayes spearheaded IDR’s digital transformation by architecting an AI engine integrated with Bullhorn and Microsoft RPA, launching a real-time data platform, and building a proprietary communication system powered by OpenAI and IDR’s Nexus Hub. These efforts generate over 1 million automated activities monthly and earned him recognition on SIA’s 40 Under 40 list. A firm believer in servant leadership, Hayes is passionate about innovation, performance, and developing future industry leaders.

Speaker Sessions

2:00 - 2:30 p.m.

Vision for Innovation

Ensemble ballroom A-D

Join Matt Fischer, President and COO at Bullhorn, and Jason Heilman, SVP, Product – Automation and AI, for our annual Vision for Innovation presentation. You’ll hear about the most recent developments in our solutions and what we have planned for 2025 and beyond. You’ll also hear how a cohort of high-performing firms are leveraging the latest innovations in AI to differentiate themselves and stay ahead of the competition.

3:45 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

AI spotlight: How to amplify the power of your workforce

Ensemble ballroom A-D

With two-thirds of recruitment firms already adopting AI, the technology has already begun to change the recruitment landscape for recruiters and candidates alike. In this fireside chat, Will Hayes, COO at IDR, will give an in-depth look at how his firm is transforming their recruitment process with AI. Hear IDR’s thought process on how and when to apply AI, their experience implementing new capabilities, and early results from using AI screening agents and more.