Why Your Employer Brand Is Already Defined — Whether You Realise It Or Not

Episode 232  Released April 29, 2026 This week on The Executive Edge, I'm joined by Srimoyee (Sri) Dey, founder of BrandsLumen and an employer brand strategist based in Melbourne. Sri works with leaders to close the gap between what their organisation says it stands for — and what talent actually experiences. It's a conversation that will make you look at your hiring process very differently. The big idea: Your employer brand is already being defined — by what you prioritise, what you fund, and what you tolerate. Whether or not you're paying attention to it. Three things that stood out for me: The talent shortage may be a messaging problem. With 43% of professionals considering leaving their employer in the next 12 months, the talent is out there. The question is whether your story is compelling enough to attract it. 72% of candidates are researching you before you've even spoken. Glassdoor, LinkedIn, your careers page — they've already formed an opinion. Your employer brand lives there whether you've built it intentionally or not. Trust is built — or broken — long before an offer is made. Sri introduces a simple diagnostic question every leader should ask: at which point in our hiring process does a candidate feel most seen? Everything else should be built around protecting that moment. We also talk about what organisations get wrong with AI in hiring, why authentic job descriptions outperform polished ones, and how employee ambassador programmes can extend your reach without spending on ads. Sri is offering a complimentary 45-minute diagnostic session for leaders facing hiring challenges — and her free Trust & Velocity Blueprint Report is available to download at brandslumen.com.