Toby Horner - Assoc CIPD

Head of Early Careers (UK & Middle East) at Clifford Chance

London, England, United Kingdom

About

I help future lawyers kickstart their careers at Clifford Chance. My focus is on finding and supporting the brightest graduate talent across the UK and Middle East, and making sure the process feels more like an opportunity than an obstacle. I lead a brilliant team of recruiters who are just as committed as I am to opening doors, levelling the playing field, and making the legal profession more accessible. Whether it’s through our Global Virtual Internships or early talent programmes, I want candidates to leave with more confidence, clarity, and options than they had before. Take a look at what we offer, and if you’re interested in starting your career with Clifford Chance, I’d be happy to connect.

Experience

  • Clifford Chance (5 yrs 1 mo)
    • Head of Early Careers (UK and Middle East)
      Jan 2026 - Present · 7 mos

    • Early Talent Acquisition Manager, UK
      Dec 2022 - Feb 2026 · 3 yrs 3 mos

    • Graduate Recruitment Team Manager
      Jul 2021 - Dec 2022 · 1 yr 6 mos

  • Practice Management Advisor at Clifford Chance Asia Pacific
    Mar 2020 - Jul 2021 · 1 yr 5 mos

  • Graduate Recruitment Specialist at Clifford Chance LLP
    Dec 2015 - Mar 2020 · 4 yrs 4 mos

    I'm proud to work at Clifford Chance, in the award winning graduate team. If you would like to find out more about working at Clifford Chance, please visit our careers page here in LinkedIn, interact with us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, or visit our website https://careers.cliffordchance.com/london.

  • MyKindaFuture ()
    • National Societies Relationship Manager
      Feb 2015 - Nov 2015 · 10 mos

      Role: Managing a network of 50 student-led university societies to support effective employer engagement on campuses across the UK with large graduate employers including KPMG, Lloyd's Banking Group, and Tesco. Ranging from skills workshops and insight talks to multi-company networking events, the role also includes the project management of three National Conferences each year, the fiscal responsibility of a society budget, and management of two direct reports. Responsibilities: Providing day-to-day support and contact for student committees and other external stakeholders including university Careers; Students’ Union, and Academic staff as well as ensuring that the Corporate Investors are receiving a solid return on investment through high quality and well attended events on campus. Managing two members of staff to deliver on a clear communications plan and develop a strategy for effective alumni engagement, whilst maintaining a central contact database. Frequently public speaking at large events. Key Achievements: Following the merger of MyKindaCrowd and Bright Futures in January 2015, I was the project lead for all student-facing brand communications for the Bright Futures societies. This involved aligning web and social media strategies and presenting a clear strategy for the growth of this arm of the business. At a time of great uncertainty I was able to not only grow the number of student societies by 30%, but prepare and successfully execute an engagement plan for the start of the academic year which has seen the company support over 55 Freshers’ events and provide bespoke training to over 75% of our committees in just six weeks.

    • Campaign Manager
      Apr 2014 - Apr 2015 · 1 yr 1 mo

      Role: Delivering multiple end to end employability and recruitment campaigns into schools, colleges and universities on behalf of corporate brands. Working with companies such as Starbucks, Channel 4, and Clifford Chance, the role requires all aspects of marketing and events management and a creative mind-set to plan effective online and offline activity that meets the needs of the client whilst providing a valuable experience for the student. Responsibilities: Liaising directly with clients via email, telephone and face-to-face to report on key metrics and ensure that all agreed key performance indicators are met on time and to budget. Contributing to the development of workshop materials and presentations ensuring that these are engaging, on-brand and always of a high quality. Creating and delivering a thorough marketing strategy for each campaign, including web, social media and digital communication as well as screening and shortlisting entries and maintaining contact with all students throughout the duration of the campaign. Key Achievements: My contributions to the Clifford Chance 2014/15 Intelligent Aid campaign resulted in the team winning one award; ‘Best Employer Brand Initiative’ (HR in Law Awards), and being shortlisted for another; ‘Recruitment Innovation’ (Legal Innovation Awards). I also pioneered an event called ‘Student Leaders’ which brought together 60 students from 20 universities to compete to win prizes from key sponsors including mentoring and a paid summer internship.

  • Account Executive at 3 Monkeys Communications Ltd
    Dec 2013 - Mar 2014 · 4 mos

    Account Executive in the Business Communications team working with clients including Coca-Cola Enterprises, Microsoft Advertising and E.ON.