Making connections between expert-level talent

This spring, Best Best Talent Platform hosted its annual matchmaking opportunity. Talent registered as members on BBTP's platform could sign up to be matched with one of their peers and commit to meeting over the month of April. The annual initiative is designed to help BBTP Members build connections among each other — connecting experts who share similar professional interests or complementary skills.

“Member Match-Up is a simple concept, but that's part of why it works,” says BBTP's Community Manager, Leah Martin. “Two people are connected with a simple mission: to have a discussion. Based on participant feedback, synergies are always found, and it's quite common that pairs make plans to meet again.”

This year’s edition brought together members from five different countries, spanning a wide range of expertise, including HR, Finance, and IT management. That diversity added a valuable dimension to the conversations, allowing participants to exchange perspectives across industries, roles, and markets.

A valuable opportunity for independent experts at all stages of their career

One of the participants, Ricarda Betzing from Switzerland, summed up her experience by saying, “The quality of the exchange and the speed at which we moved beyond introductions into a meaningful discussion. It felt less like ‘networking’ and more like a real professional dialogue.” She continues, “I gained a fresh perspective on how others are approaching similar challenges, as well as a valuable new connection that I expect to stay in touch with beyond the initial format.”

Ricarda was recently featured in BBTP's article series about paths to interim management. In the article, she reflects on her long career in HR leadership and transformation, as well as her recent decision to go independent. This year's match-up included several people who, like Ricarda, have recently become solo entrepreneurs. On the other end of the spectrum, event also drew interim managers who have been in the business for a long time.

The combination of independent professionals at various stages of their careers made for an especially dynamic mix. “Everyone has something to share, and everyone has something to learn,” says Leah.

A healthy dynamic is reflected in the feedback as well. Participants rated the experience an average of 9.5 out of 10. As Olga Majorosova — an Interim CFO from Slovakia — put it, “It was a very smooth and pleasant experience. This offering could even be more frequent.”

Powered by the platform, matched by humans

BBTP's Member Match-Up is an initiative that mirrors what happens for assignments. While the platform is used to efficiently connect with motivated and interested talent, the matchmaking itself is done by a human. In the case of assignments, finding the right expert for an open role is facilitated by a BBTP Partner in close collaboration with the customer. In the case of Member Match-Up, the matchmaking is conducted by BBTP's Community Manager, Leah.

“For the last three iterations of this event, I have experimented with using AI to assist in making the pairs,” Leah says. “But even with tweaking prompts, it never seems to come up with better matches than I can.”

Leah matches participants based on information provided in their event registration, such as their expectations for the interaction, how they describe themselves, the languages they are comfortable meeting in, and whether they prefer to meet in person (if someone is available nearby) or online. Beyond this, she also considers experience and insights from participants’ LinkedIn profiles.

“I take great care in putting the matches together,” Leah explains. “When sending the email that connects the two BBTP Members, I always add a few notes about the synergies I already see between them. This care has been received really well, and I've gotten feedback that it helps move the conversation past small talk quickly.”

When the right people connect

What these matches can lead to is best illustrated by recent participant pairings. Karl-Heinz Schulte and Mirko Ilowski are both interim CIOs (among other roles) who are based in different cities in Germany. They were connected through the Member Match-Up and quickly moved beyond an initial introduction into a much deeper exchange.

"Despite not having crossed paths before, we discovered strong common ground," explains Mirko. "This included a shared focus on digital transformation, AI, and efficiency, as well as experience in energy environments and complex organizational structures." 

Their discussion quickly turned to topics shaping today’s market: market access and relationship management in the interim space, IT sovereignty in global organizations, and the challenge of balancing legacy landscapes with AI-driven innovation.

"It’s a strong example of how quickly meaningful conversations can develop when the right people are brought together." says Karl-Heinz. 

A growing rhythm within the BBTP community

Over the past few years, Member Match-Up has become part of a broader rhythm within the BBTP Community. Each autumn, members are invited to participate in a CV Exchange, followed by Member Match-Up in the spring. Together, these initiatives create structured opportunities for independent experts to connect and exchange perspectives. 

At its core, Member Match-Up remains intentionally simple. The outcomes show that simplicity — combined with thoughtful matchmaking — can go a long way.

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