Bullhorn, the global leader in cloud-based software for staffing and recruitment, has promoted Jason Heilman to Chief Innovation and Labs Officer and Ryan Murphy to Chief Corporate Development Officer, effective April 23, 2026. The dual promotions elevate both executives to the company's C-suite and reflect founder-led CEO Art Papas' strategy to prioritize product innovation and expand the company's footprint through acquisition and partnership. The appointments signal Bullhorn's intention to double down on artificial intelligence and automation technologies while continuing an aggressive acquisition strategy that has already completed more than 15 deals across five countries.
Papas praised both executives in the announcement, characterizing Heilman as possessing "a rare ability to see where the market is headed and build products that get there first," and describing Murphy as "one of the most trusted leaders in this company and the industry." Neither hire nor search firm involvement was disclosed in the announcement, suggesting these were internal advancement decisions. The company emphasized that these new C-suite roles reflect Bullhorn's "investment in product innovation and expansion," positioning both leaders to help drive the company's "next wave of growth and innovation" as the staffing technology market increasingly pivots toward AI-driven solutions and the company enters a new phase of consolidation activity.
Heilman joined Bullhorn in 2020 through what the company describes as "the most successful acquisition in Bullhorn's history": the purchase of Herefish, a St. Louis-based staffing automation platform where Heilman served as co-founder and CEO. Since the acquisition, Heilman has scaled the Bullhorn Automation business more than 25-fold and led the development and launch of Bullhorn Amplify, the company's next-generation AI solution unveiled in May 2025. Amplify has been positioned as transformative software combining predictive artificial intelligence with digital workers to automate key recruitment workflows including candidate sourcing, screening, and submission. Heilman brings approximately 15 years of staffing industry experience and was a prominent voice among Bullhorn's customer base on product vision and roadmap before this promotion. In his new role, he will lead Bullhorn Labs, the company's innovation hub focused on incubating and scaling emerging technology offerings alongside his continued oversight of Amplify.
Murphy joined Bullhorn in 2006 and has spent the entirety of his two-decade tenure building the company's enterprise sales organization into what management characterizes as "a cornerstone of Bullhorn's growth." He has led the company's largest and most strategic customer engagements. As Chief Corporate Development Officer, Murphy now oversees M&A strategy, transaction execution, and integration strategy while developing relationships with potential acquisition targets globally. His promotion comes at a time when acquisitions remain central to Bullhorn's growth trajectory, with the company having completed more than 15 acquisitions across five countries to date. Murphy holds a bachelor's degree in economics and business administration from Boston University, class of 2007.
Bullhorn has grown substantially since its 1999 founding by Art Papas and Roger Colvin. The company now serves more than 10,000 customers globally, employs 1,400 people across 14 countries, and maintains headquarters in Boston. The company is majority-owned by private equity firm Stone Point Capital, with ongoing investments from Insight Venture Partners and Genstar Capital. Bullhorn's platform combines applicant tracking systems and customer relationship management capabilities specifically designed for the staffing and recruitment industry, with the Amplify product representing the company's most significant push into generative AI and autonomous workflow automation. The timing of these promotions, just weeks after Bullhorn unveiled Amplify Digital Workers and Amplify Chat at its annual Engage conference in May 2026, suggests management intends to leverage Heilman's track record at the intersection of product development and market timing as it scales AI adoption among its customer base. Murphy's elevation may signal the company is preparing for a new wave of acquisitions, potentially targeting AI-powered tools, international platforms, or ancillary staffing services that could deepen Bullhorn's integrated offering and expand margins.
