Smith taps Belinda Burson to lead recruiting

Smith named Belinda Burson director of recruiting as the company looks to standardize hiring processes and expand talent efforts across North and South America. The move is meant to support workforce growth and align recruiting more closely with Smith’s long-term business goals.

Why it matters: - Smith is strengthening a core business function that affects hiring speed, candidate quality and workforce growth across the Americas. - Standardized recruiting processes can improve consistency for candidates and hiring teams while supporting long-term expansion.

What happened: - Smith appointed Belinda Burson as director of recruiting on July 1, 2026. - Burson will oversee efforts to create standardized recruiting processes across North and South America. - Burson joined Smith in September 2025 as an executive recruiter. - Burson brings more than 20 years of experience in talent acquisition.

The details: - Burson will work to increase Smith’s recruitment efforts across the Americas. - Burson will focus on finding and developing top-tier candidates throughout the region. - Burson will collaborate with Smith’s executive team on long-term recruitment strategies. - Those strategies are meant to align with Smith’s overall business goals and objectives. - Denise Halaska, Smith’s chief people officer, said Burson has an exceptional eye for identifying top talent and continues to improve team processes. - Burson said she wants to challenge current practices, use smarter tools and build a recruiting experience that is efficient and consistent for candidates and hiring teams.

Between the lines: - Smith is signaling that recruiting is becoming a more strategic lever as the company scales its workforce in the Americas. - The appointment also suggests Smith wants tighter process discipline, not just more hiring volume.

What's next: - Burson is expected to help the Recruiting team build on Smith’s employee satisfaction and workplace culture to hire the next generation of employees. - Smith will use the new recruiting leadership to support broader workforce planning and business growth. - More information is available in Smith's announcement.

The bottom line: - Smith is elevating recruiting leadership to make hiring more consistent, scalable and aligned with company growth.