Strategic partnerships in talent acquisition can mean the difference between incremental improvement and transformational change. But what does a true strategic partnership actually look like? How do you move beyond the traditional vendor-client relationship to genuine co-creation? My guests this week are Simon Bishop, Head of Talent Acquisition at SoftwareOne, and Ritu Mohanka, CEO at VONQ. Their partnership spans employer branding, recruitment marketing, and agentic AI deployment—all while Software One was navigating the complex integration challenge of merging two TA functions post-acquisition. Their collaboration was central to VONQ's recent launch of EQO, their agentic AI platform. SoftwareOne was a development partner, helping shape the product through real-world testing and feedback. You can watch the full launch on VONQ's LinkedIn page. In the interview, we discuss: How the partnership evolved over time Building employer brand in competitive markets Multi-channel brand-led recruitment marketing campaigns Piloting and implementing agentic AI The vital importance of transparency and explainability Managing change and recruiter adoption Candidate reactions to AI screening Navigating TA through a major acquisition What the future of talent acquisition will look like Follow this podcast on Apple Podcasts. Follow this podcast on Spotify.