Dornford started his recruitment journey in 2007 after first completing a Bachelor of Arts majoring in English Literature, Political Science and World History, followed by a Diploma in Human Resources and a Postgraduate Diploma in Business. He commenced his recruitment career working for multiple corporates, and after arriving in Auckland in 2016, started in industrial recruitment with a focus on logistics and warehousing in 2017.

In 2018 Dornford set up a new business for a multinational agency in logistics, manufacturing, supply chain and operations, making it the fastest-growing vertical in the group, with one of the highest turnovers across ANZ and winning the Most Improved Business excellence award in 2020. His passion is to help people grow and develop their careers, with the belief that if you love what you do, you are bound to be successful.

Dornford's motto in life is “Don’t stop till you get enough”, and in his weekends and spare time, he enjoys the gym, yoga, meditation, reading and trying not to do much.