Matthew Wragg, CEO at Gattaca PLC: How to Build a Career in Recruitment

My Duvet Flip by Jack Parsons

Jack Parsons

Business, Careers

4.2 • 5 Ratings

🗓️ 21 October 2025

⏱️ 40 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Episode Guest:

Matthew Wragg is the CEO at Gattaca Plc. Parent company to Matchtech, Infosec People and Gattaca Projects , where he’s spent over two decades rising through 12 roles to lead the company. Known for his people-first approach and belief in learning through hard graft, Matthew brings deep insight into recruitment, leadership, and resilience.

Episode Timestamps:

0:00 Introduction

1:20 Matthew’s first job and “get the hell out if it’s not learning” mindset

4:10 From door‑to‑door sales to recruitment: the pivot

7:05 What “hard graft” really means and why it matters

10:22 The role of emotional intelligence in recruitment

13:35 How recruitment has stayed the same — and what’s changed

16:40 Building a team game, not just a desk/mini‑business

19:12 The power of curiosity: “everybody knows something you don’t”

22:30 What makes a great recruiter and what the industry gets wrong

25:45 Inside Gattaca PLC: culture, identity & client‑candidate impact

29:10 Matthew’s “duvet‑flip” moment: what wakes him up in the morning

32:05 Financial decisions, bold steps & money tips

35:20 Career reflections: loyalty, learning and making yourself redundant

38:00 Closing thoughts & take‑aways

Episode Partners:

📊 Compare the Market

Discover how you can make a difference at Compare the Market, the company behind one of the UK’s most popular comparison sites. From tech and data to marketing and operations, they’re on a mission to simplify decisions for millions.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	I know you've had 12 different jobs in one company and now you're the CEO, right?
0:04.7	I always said to myself if I couldn't see a next step, if I wasn't learning something, if I wasn't enjoying it or if I was waking up in the morning and going, I just don't want to do this job. Get the hell out of it. It's not a prison sentence. It's a career. Hi, my name is Matt Ragg. I'm the CEO of Kataka PLC. we employ 400 people and have about 5,000 contractors around the world working for us every week. And this is my duvet flip. What is hard graft? What does it mean? Hard work is just doing all the bits when no one's watching. And if you get the chores done really well, you can then start enjoying the cheers. Absolutely. How quickly can I get through what they're after from me?
0:39.1	By about 9 o'clock, the day was mine.
0:52.5	What would you say is one fundamental life lesson? However clever you think you are, everybody else knows something that you don't. Rather than shut yourself down to that, open yourself out to find out what it was. What's your dovet, flip? What gives you out of bed in the morning to flip the dovet? Yeah, for me, it's...
0:59.7	Hi, my name is Matt Ragg. I'm the CEO of Cateka PLC.
1:05.8	I'm hoping I'm going to be able to share at least one nugget with someone that helps them go in a better direction. What am I most excited to talk to Jack about today? The career journey's been quite fun. I've been there for a long time. That's quite unusual. No, I've never met Jack before. I've spent 20 odd years interviewing people rather than the other way around. So I'm genuinely excited. If people take nothing else away, you can feel comfortable making a load of mistakes. Coming on, Jack. Let's do this. So welcome to my dovee, Flip. How are we doing? Yeah, very well. Thank you very much. Thanks for having me. I'm so excited to hear about your career. I know you've had 12 different jobs in one company. Yeah, that's not fashionable, is it, to hang around anymore? It's not, is is it? Normally it's a couple of years and then off you go.
1:45.1	But like you said, off camera, is that why not?
1:48.2	Why not stay, right?
1:50.1	And now you're the CEO, right?
1:51.8	And we're going to, in the second half,
1:53.6	I'm going to talk a little bit more about the company,
1:55.7	what it offers, what it does.
1:57.6	Obviously, you know, from my background,
1:59.5	I was in recruitment, so I've got a soft spot for
2:02.3	recruiters. But starting here, like, and I always start here because I think it really defines
2:08.2	where the conversation goes and who you are. Like, first paying job, what did it do?
2:14.2	Yep.
2:15.4	You're walking in first week. I want you to go back down in memory lane a little bit.
2:19.5	Tell me a little bit about that experience.
2:21.6	First paying job is probably not one for the tax man because I was about eight years old and it
2:24.8	it was cash in brown envelope for my mum and dad's family business, sweeping up swarf and
2:29.1	making sandwiches for the people on the shop floor.
	...

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