Who we are

We are small by choice, and referral-driven, which means we set the bar high for the service and talent we deliver. Unlike big search firms limited by who they can go after due to their big client rosters, we have the free rein and latitude to go after and deliver the best candidates in the market.

Lynne Collins, Founder

I am the Founder of The People Shop. My background spans working agency-side, in-house, and externally across Communications, Recruiting, and People. This has included leading the People org for a high-growth tech company, reporting to a CEO who cared a lot about recruiting, retaining, and nurturing great talent and culture. Working in-house with a myriad of different retained search firms inspired me to start this business. I felt like there was room for improvement to make the client and candidate experience better.

I have always loved promoting the people behind the companies, products, and innovation in the tech industry. My experience includes working as Head of Recruiting, Chief of Staff, and VP of People for Brad Garlinghouse when he was President of Consumer Applications at AOL and then CEO & Chairman of Hightail (formerly YouSendIt). I continue to work with him today, now client-side; he’s CEO of blockchain company Ripple ($200M Series C, $10B valuation), which has been my search client since 2016. I’ve recruited SVP to Director-level roles for Ripple across People, HR, Talent Acquisition, Communications, Marketing, Product, Corporate & Business Development, and Finance.

I started my tech career working for two public relations agencies, Cunningham Communication Inc and Red Whistle Communications (a Weber Shandwick company), where I supported enterprise software companies like Adobe and Novell and several consumer Internet startups. I then co-led PR for e-commerce company Overstock.com and worked directly with its CEO Patrick Byrne from its initial launch through successful IPO.

I reside in the Pacific Northwest with my husband and son.