Prima Recruitment & Consultancy | ICT & Government Recruitment Specialists

Our Story

"There has to be a better way to treat people in recruitment."

After more than 10 years working in ICT and government recruitment, our founder Priya Menon kept seeing the same things:

Candidates being treated like numbers
Clients drowning in process but still not getting the right people
Great people being overlooked because of their accent, career breaks, visa history, or non-traditional paths

Priya is a migrant, a working mum, multilingual, and has spent most of her career working with NSW Government and public sector clients. She has sat with hiring managers under pressure, and she has listened to candidates who were exhausted by broken processes and poor communication.

This lived experience means Prima is deliberate about inclusive shortlisting, transparent communication, and designing recruitment processes that work for real people, not just ideal CVs.

Prima was created in 2025 to do things differently.

What Prima Stands For

For Clients

Listens properly before sending CVs
Understands panels, schemes, compliance and red tape
Respects your time, budget and internal process
Tells you the truth, even when it's uncomfortable

For Candidates

Calls back
Explains the process in plain language
Understands career breaks, caring responsibilities and non-linear journeys
Advocates for you, not just your CV

Our Services

Specialised recruitment and consultancy services for ICT and government sectors

ICT Labour Hire

Contractor and labour-hire ICT resources for NSW Government and enterprise programs. First-line roles include developers, solution architects, business analysts, project/delivery managers, testers, data analysts and cyber specialists.

Government Recruitment

End-to-end recruitment for fixed-term and permanent public sector roles, compliant with NSW Government recruitment policies and merit principles.

Capability Sourcing

Targeted search for niche or hard-to-fill ICT roles, including regional, part-time, and flexible arrangements to support diverse talent pools.

Consultancy Services

Advice and support on workforce planning, panel utilisation, and recruitment process improvement for CIO, PMO and HR teams.

Why Work With Prima?

Director-Led

Hands-on involvement from the Director in every engagement. No junior recruiters managing your critical roles.

Specialist Focus

Deep expertise in ICT and government recruitment. We understand your technology stack and compliance requirements.

Values-Driven

Commitment to diversity, accountability, and treating people with respect throughout the entire process.

Government-Ready & Compliant

Experienced with NSW Government and Commonwealth procurement frameworks
Appropriate PI/PL and workers' compensation insurances in place
Valid Statement of Tax Record (STR) and Australian Tax Office compliance
Established policies covering WHS, privacy, complaints handling and conflicts of interest

Proven Outcomes

10+ years' experience recruiting ICT roles for NSW Government and public sector
Track record placing security-cleared and panel-based ICT contractors
Repeat engagement from hiring managers who value transparent communication and fit, not volume

Our Values

Four principles that guide every decision we make and every relationship we build

These values guide how we manage every panel submission, shortlist, interview process and contractor engagement.

Accountability

We own our commitments and deliver on our promises. Clear communication, responsive service, and taking responsibility for outcomes.

Integrity

Honest, ethical, and transparent in all our dealings. We tell the truth even when it's difficult, and we treat everyone with respect.

Customer Centricity

Your success is our success. We listen, understand your needs, and tailor our approach to deliver real value for clients and candidates.

Excellence

Commitment to quality in every interaction. Professional service, attention to detail, and continuous improvement in everything we do.

Why We Exist

Connect Good People With Good Work

We take the time to understand skills, aspirations and constraints, then match people to environments where they can actually thrive.

Help Government Deliver

We support programs and projects with contractors who can step in quickly and navigate the realities of public sector delivery.

Prove There's a Better Way

We show that recruitment can be transparent, ethical and human while still being fast and commercially sound.

Our Team

Director-led expertise with hands-on delivery and clear accountability for outcomes.

Priya (Menon) Gillett

Founder & Director

Priya Gillett is the Founder, Director and Principal Consultant of PRIMA Recruitment & Consultancy Pty Ltd, a NSW-based, Australian-owned recruitment and professional services firm supporting public and private sector organisations.

Priya brings over 15 years' experience delivering recruitment and workforce solutions across Australian Government, NSW Government, local government and the private sector. Her background spans ICT, digital, project services and professional recruitment, with deep exposure to regulated environments, complex stakeholder groups and high-assurance delivery models.

PRIMA was established as a director-led practice to provide clients with direct access to senior expertise, continuity of service and clear accountability for outcomes. The firm operates with a strong focus on governance, ethical recruitment practices and long-term workforce sustainability.

Recruitment and Workforce Capability

Priya leads all recruitment engagements end-to-end, ensuring hands-on oversight across role scoping, sourcing strategy, assessment, selection and placement. Her experience covers:

ICT and digital recruitment across public and private sector environments
Contract, contingent, fixed-term and permanent recruitment
Workforce planning, role design and capability mapping
Senior specialist and hard-to-source roles
High-volume and time-critical recruitment programs
Stakeholder management across government agencies, enterprises and SMEs

Public Sector Insight and Governance

Priya's extensive experience working within government recruitment and contingent workforce models provides strong insight into:

Panel and scheme-based recruitment environments
Probity, confidentiality and conflict-of-interest management
Merit-based, inclusive and defensible selection processes
Workforce risk management and continuity planning

Community and Capability Development

Alongside her professional practice, Priya has maintained a long-standing commitment to workforce capability development. Over the past 10 years, she has delivered employability and job-readiness sessions in collaboration with TAFE NSW programs, supporting students, new migrants and career transition candidates to understand professional and government employment pathways.

Recognition

Priya was a finalist in the IABCA Community Services Excellence Award (Individual) 2020–2021. This award recognises individuals who have enhanced community outcomes through initiatives that empower communities, including through inclusion and cross-cultural engagement across Australia and India.

Leadership and Values

Priya leads PRIMA with a strong emphasis on Accountability, Integrity, Customer Centricity and Excellence. As a working parent and business owner, she brings a disciplined, practical leadership style focused on reliability, transparency and delivery consistency.

Through PRIMA, Priya is committed to providing trusted recruitment and workforce solutions that meet the expectations of both government and private sector clients, delivering value for money while maintaining the highest professional standards.

Ayaz Ameer Shaikh

Principal Consultant – Recruitment, Workforce Advisory & Training

Based in Qatar | Supporting Australia, APAC & Middle East clients

Ayaz Ameer Shaikh is a senior recruitment and workforce advisory consultant with more than 15 years' experience supporting public sector, private enterprise and community-based programs across Australia, Singapore, India, Nepal and the Middle East.

He brings strong capability across end-to-end recruitment delivery, workforce program management and stakeholder engagement, with particular depth in regulated and high-volume environments. Ayaz has delivered recruitment initiatives for government and large organisations, including graduate and apprenticeship programs, early-career pipelines and senior management appointments.

Ayaz has extensive experience working within NSW Government settings, operating under Government Sector Employment (GSE) frameworks, merit-based assessment requirements and capability-aligned selection methodologies. His work supports compliant, transparent and defensible recruitment outcomes.

A key component of Ayaz's portfolio is training and capability development. He designs and delivers practical training that strengthens recruitment quality, builds internal capability and supports workforce readiness.

Ayaz is also committed to community contribution and inclusive employment. He has delivered TAFE-based career and employability sessions in Australia, supporting students, migrants and jobseekers with practical guidance on recruitment processes, interview preparation and career pathways. His broader experience includes supporting CSR-funded employability and training initiatives focused on youth engagement and workforce participation.

His approach is structured, culturally informed and outcomes-focused, aligning with PRIMA's values of accountability, integrity, customer centricity and service excellence.

Training & Capability Profile

Ayaz provides training and advisory support that enables organisations to improve recruitment outcomes and build sustainable workforce capability. His experience includes the design and delivery of:

End-to-end recruitment operations training
Behavioural interviewing and capability-based assessment (GSE-aligned)
Interview panel and independent assessor training
Assessment centre design and facilitation
Psychometric testing administration and interpretation
Workforce readiness and onboarding programs
Conflict management and grievance resolution
Train-the-trainer programs for HR and talent acquisition teams

Through PRIMA, Ayaz supports both public and private sector clients with practical, ethical and outcomes-driven training and workforce advisory services, aligned to PRIMA's commitment to inclusive employment and measurable social impact.

We connect ICT professionals with meaningful work across government and enterprise