Meet the founder and Director

Our founder and Director, Alister O'Connor, has been working in the recruitment industry for over 25 years. Growing up in Manchester (he is a huge Manchester United fan!) Alister attended university before joining a well-known national newspaper group. There, he spent five successful years as an Account Manager in the Advertising team.

In 1999, Alister changed direction and entered the world of executive recruitment, working for some of the largest recruitment companies in the world. Specialising in international tax, he has successfully recruited tax professionals in Business Tax, Transfer Pricing, and Indirect Tax in over 40 countries across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and the Asia-Pacific regions. Alister has partnered with all of the Big Four firms, as well as international legal and consulting firms, alongside multinational corporations, including Fortune 500 companies.

Having previously co-founded another international tax recruitment company, Alister decided to establish Alva International in 2023 to refocus on his real passion: working with clients and candidates across the globe.