Fighting AI-Driven Impersonation Scams in Recruiting with Gary Pikul of Boyden

About this episode

Boyden has spent decades building trust as the world's oldest executive search firm. Gary Pikul, its CTO, joins David Wright to break down the AI threat now testing that trust. He unpacks AI-driven impersonation scams in recruiting and the career risks that shaped his path to the C-suite. From a bike-riding analogy to a career-defining early mistake, Gary makes the case for why judgment, not just technology, is what will separate the firms that survive this shift from the ones that don't.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

00:00 Introduction to Gary Pikul, CTO of Boyden, and his path from accounting into technology leadership.

02:24 Boyden's global reach and its focus on family-owned and mid-cap client organizations.

05:54 Gary's top career advice: take on the biggest problem in front of you, even without the answer.

10:40 David's honest take on the risk he almost didn't take.

19:13 Gary recalls an early career mistake that taught him to question his own certainty.

26:40 Boyden's AI strategy, tackling FOMO across offices while scaling internal tools.

30:00 AI-powered impersonation scams are eroding trust across the recruiting industry.

33:08 Why today's scam emails look polished, personalized and increasingly convincing.

36:15 The skill AI still can't replace — explained with a bike.

39:33 The advice Gary wishes someone gave him decades ago.

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RESOURCES MENTIONED

Boyden website:

https://www.boyden.com/

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