Winning Secrets: Inside Fraser and Neave, Limited's AI-driven recruitment transformation

Faced with the challenge of hiring at scale while maintaining fairness and quality, Fraser and Neave's Group Human Capital team turned to AI. The result was a recruitment transformation that reduced time-to-hire, improved candidate-job fit, and reinforced the belief that technology should enhance – not replace – human judgment.

When conversations around AI in HR often centre on efficiency gains, Fraser and Neave, Limited's Group Human Capital team took a different starting point: fairness.

Recognising the limitations of traditional recruitment processes – from unconscious bias to time-intensive screening, the team saw an opportunity to rethink how talent is identified, assessed, and engaged. The answer was an AI-powered recruitment initiative designed with the aim to accelerate hiring and create a more transparent, inclusive, and consistent candidate experience.

As the team tells HRO, the impact has been significant. Time-to-hire dropped by 30%, recruiters increased applicant processing capacity by 50%, and candidate perceptions of fairness and transparency rose by 22%. Along the way, the initiative also helped strengthen collaboration between HR and technology teams, improve digital literacy among recruiters, and lay the foundation for broader AI adoption across the employee lifecycle.

In this edition of Winning Secrets, the team shares how it navigated scepticism around AI ethics, built trust through transparency, and why keeping people at the heart of innovation remains its most important success factor – a mindset that earned the team two bronze awards at the HR Excellence Awards 2025, Singapore:

• Bronze for 'Excellence in AI-Powered HR Solutions', and
• Bronze for 'Excellence in Agile Talent Mobility'.

Q Tell us about your inspiring HR initiative – what sparked the idea, and how did you know it was the right path to take?

Our AI-driven recruitment initiative was inspired by the need to transform the way we identify and attract top talent. Observing the limitations of traditional recruitment methods—especially bias and inefficiency—we saw an opportunity to harness artificial intelligence to enhance fairness and speed in our hiring process. The idea was sparked during a brainstorming session on leveraging emerging technologies to transform talent acquisition.

We recognised that recruitment at scale requires balancing speed, quality, and fairness. AI offered a way to automate repetitive tasks, standardise evaluations, and free recruiters to focus on meaningful candidate engagement.

We knew we were on the right track when we piloted the AI tool for a select group of roles and saw immediate results: a 30% reduction in time-to-hire and a 25% improvement in candidate-job fit scores. Feedback from hiring managers and applicants confirmed that the process was more transparent, inclusive and efficient.

For our Group Human Capital team, this was more than a tech upgrade – it was a strategic move to embed innovation into HR workflows. By integrating an AI-powered SharePoint Agent into familiar platforms like Microsoft SharePoint and Teams, we enabled automated CV-job matching, competency and culture-fit assessments, and structured interview guides, all while preserving the human element in decision-making.

This initiative reflects strong collaboration between our Digital Solutions Technology and Human Capital teams, backed by leadership support and cross-functional training to empower recruiters to leverage AI effectively. It positions the Human Capital team at the forefront of AI-enabled HR, delivering measurable ROI and reinforcing our commitment to innovation, diversity, and a future-ready recruitment experience.

Q Every journey has its ups and downs – can you share a challenge your team faced and how you worked through it together?

One of our biggest challenges was scepticism about AI’s fairness and ethics. Some team members worried that algorithms might reinforce existing bias rather than eliminate it. To address this, we worked closely with Digital Solutions Technology to implement regular fairness checks on datasets and to embed review checkpoints into workflows.

Hands-on training in prompt engineering helped demystify the technology, showing that the AI agent augments human judgment rather than replaces it. Open communication and education-built trust and aligned everyone behind a shared vision.

Data quality was another hurdle. Variations in job descriptions and candidate profiles affected matching accuracy. We resolved this by standardising templates and adding interactive guidance within SharePoint, improving consistency and user experience.

Keeping the project on track required an agile approach with clear sprints, progress dashboards, and quick decision-making by a cross-functional team.

Early engagement sessions, pilot champions, and transparent reporting of wins helped maintain stakeholder confidence, reinforced by leadership support and data-driven updates.

This journey wasn’t easy, but it strengthened collaboration across teams and proved that with transparency, training, and adaptability, technology can drive fair, fast, and future-ready recruitment.

Q What impact has this initiative had on your organisation so far, and what do you hope it inspires in the wider HR community?

The impact of our AI-driven recruitment initiative has been transformative. We have reduced average time-to-hire for critical roles, improved candidate-job fit, and enhanced diversity by surfacing non-traditional talent. Recruiters now process 50% more applicants per week, while hiring managers spend less time screening and more time engaging high-potential candidates. Candidates' experience has improved significantly, with surveys showing a 22% increase in perceived fairness and transparency.

Beyond efficiency, the initiative strengthened collaboration between HR and business units. Data-driven insights empower smarter hiring decisions, supporting workforce agility and business growth. Operationally, automation reduced recruitment costs by 20%, and early indicators suggest a positive impact on retention.

Most importantly, this project sparked a culture of innovation. Recruiters embraced prompt engineering, boosting digital literacy and confidence in AI tools. The success of this initiative has inspired plans to expand AI into onboarding, internal mobility, and predictive analytics – creating a future-ready HR ecosystem.

We hope this inspires the wider HR community to see AI not as a replacement for human judgment, but as a strategic enabler for fairness, speed, and smarter decision-making.

Q Looking back, is there a moment, person, or value that kept you and your team motivated throughout the journey?

What kept us motivated was our shared commitment to fairness and inclusion. We often reminded ourselves of the kind of impact we wanted to create – like giving an overlooked talent a fair chance to shine. That vision became our guiding principle throughout the journey.

Our team’s resilience and collaboration were equally important. Open communication, continuous learning, and leadership support created an environment where challenges became opportunities. Seeing recruiters gain confidence in using AI tools and championing innovation was inspiring.

At the Human Capital team, we believe technology should serve people, not replace them. This value guided every decision and kept us focused on ethical, transparent practices. Looking back, that principle – and the impact we aim to achieve – continues to fuel our ambition to lead responsibly and inspire others to adopt AI for fairer, smarter hiring.

Q If you could offer one golden nugget of wisdom to HR professionals aiming for excellence, what would it be?

Instead of one golden nugget, I have three golden nuggets to share:

First: Never lose sight of the human element. Technology can elevate processes, but empathy, integrity, and collaboration are what truly drive excellence. Keep people at the heart of innovation – AI should augment human judgement, not replace it.

Second: Start with clarity and ethics. Define the problem you are solving, engage stakeholders early, and ensure transparency at every step. Responsible AI adoption isn’t just about efficiency – it is about building trust and creating fair, inclusive opportunities.

Finally: Embrace continuous learning. The HR landscape is evolving rapidly, and adaptability is essential. Equip your teams with the skills and confidence to leverage new tools while staying grounded in values that prioritise people.

HR leaders who combine technology with empathy will shape the future of work.

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Read more interviews on why organisations have won trophies for their HR practices - head over to our Winning Secrets section!

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