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New to Market

25 April 2025
Construction & property, Graduates/Apprentices/School leavers

National student lettings agency launches apprenticeship scheme

In a bid to support young people and grow skilled and knowledgeable individuals for the student lettings sector, loc8me recently launched its 18-month programme, which is open to anyone aged 16-18. The scheme will offer hands-on experience, mentorship and the opportunity to engage in paid work.

Raffaele Russo, founder of loc8me, said: “We’re thrilled to launch this apprenticeship programme, giving young professionals a real chance to learn, grow and begin building a career in an exciting industry.

“Now more than ever, young people are seeking opportunities, guidance and goals to pursue. With this programme, we’re investing in their future – and in the future of the lettings sector.”

Apprentices will have the chance to study the theoretical and practical elements of the lettings industry, and on starting, they will be given a mentor from the loc8me team to support their development via regular meetings throughout the course.

loc8me now operates in 13 major university cities across the UK, including Loughborough, Durham, Nottingham, Manchester, Leeds, Cardiff, Newcastle, Birmingham, Liverpool, Leicester, Hull, Bath and Bristol.

Freya Watson-Russo, academy co-ordinator, said: "At loc8me, we’re committed to nurturing the next generation of letting agents. … We’re giving young people the chance to build a future, gain confidence and carve their own path.”

Founded in 2008 by Russo, loc8me manages more than 2,500 properties and employs more than 75 staff members.

(L-r) Apprentice Ollie Coe, loc8me's marketing assistant and academy co-ordinator Freya Watson-Russo and apprentice Isabel Tebbutt ©loc8me

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14 April 2025
Creative/Digital/Media, Engineering

NEW TO THE MARKET: 14-18 APRIL 2025

• Manufacturing and engineering specialist Busy Bee Recruitment has relaunched its website. The refreshed online platform has a modern design and enhanced user functionality, offering an intuitive browsing experience that makes it easier than ever to explore current vacancies, submit CVs quickly and securely, access expert recruitment advice via a blog and submit vacancies directly online.

• Deel, a global payroll and HR provider, has launched a suite of AI-driven products to help companies hire, manage, and pay international teams. Deel will offer an all-in-one global workforce platform integrating payroll, HR, and IT, designed to support compliant operations across borders. Key updates include: Real-Time Payroll in over 53 markets (expanding to 130+ by 2027), offering instant calculations and faster processing; Deel PEO for offering top-tier benefits without enterprise-level costs; Benefits Admin for simplified, compliant benefits management across countries; Deel Talent for streamlined recruitment via trusted agency networks; Workforce Planning, Compensation, and Engage tools – powered by AI – for smarter headcount strategy, global pay management, and employee development; IT Lifecycle Management features like MDM, IAM, and EPP, supporting global device and security control.

11 April 2025
Creative/Digital/Media, IT/Telecoms

Spotted Zebra merges Interview Intelligence and Assessment in one platform

This is technology that transcribes, analyses and evaluates conversations through an AI-powered lens. The merger connects assessment results with interview data, addressing the growing challenge enterprise talent leaders face: making confident, objective hiring decisions when candidate information can be fragmented across multiple tools.

In a statement, Spotted Zebra says that enterprise talent acquisition teams are facing twin pressures from AI-generated candidate applications and deepening skills shortages. 

The launch responds to a critical market challenge, the statement continues; while more than three in four businesses report widening skills gaps, employers are inundated with applications with around half of all jobseekers using AI tools to apply for roles. Current solutions force companies to choose between expensive, disconnected systems or compromise on either assessment breadth and depth, or a scalable interview process and structure.

“We’ve integrated Interview Intelligence with Assessment because our enterprise customers are facing unprecedented challenges in talent acquisition,” said Ian Monk, co-founder and CEO of Spotted Zebra. “By unifying these previously siloed technologies, we’re enabling talent teams to make data-informed decisions based on a complete picture of each candidate’s capabilities.”

Unlike standard Interview Intelligence tools that primarily transcribe conversations, Spotted Zebra’s implementation establishes a data framework that truly connects skill measurements across different evaluation methods:

  • Real-time skill evidence mapping: Comprehensive role skills profiles are automatically created thanks to AI-powered intake meetings between recruiters and hiring managers. 
  • AI-assisted interview questioning technology: The AI-powered Interview Guides automatically generate targeted question paths for specific role skills profiles and each candidate.
  • Consolidated hiring evidence dashboard: The Decision Kit combines summarised skill data from both assessment scores and interview evidence, weighting each source appropriately based on predictive validity for specific skill types. 

According to the company statement, AI in Spotted Zebra enhances human decision-making, ensuring the final call on a candidate’s suitability for a role is objective, data-backed and always in the hands of the hiring team.

Headquartered in the UK, Spotted Zebra was launched in 2020 by Monk and co-founder and chief commercial officer Nick Shaw.

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10 April 2025
Creative/Digital/Media, Executive search

NEW TO THE MARKET: 7-11 APRIL 2025

• UK recruitment firm HRGO has launched ‘Betty’, an AI agent tackling recruitment ghosting by ensuring all job applicants receive feedback. Since its December 2024 launch, Betty has provided personalised insights to over 40,000 candidates. A survey of 1,000 users found 90% valued the feedback, addressing a major frustration in the hiring process at scale. Betty was named after Elizabeth ‘Betty’ Parkinson, the founder of HRGO back in 1957.

• Recruitment firm Sowena Group has moved into new headquarters in Manchester city centre. Perran Cooke launched Sowena Group last summer after more than a decade in the recruitment industry, including roles as regional MD for the North at executive search company PSD Group and as a director at Axon Moore. Sowena now has a team of five and has taken office space at The Tootal Buildings on Oxford Street. The company statement says Sowena Group is expected to deliver more than £650k in revenue this year.

Senior recruitment consultants Dave Kreitz and Mackenzie Harrop have joined Sowena in recent weeks, along with Leah Allen as head of marketing and Megan Buckley as marketing executive. Cooke said he expects the team to grow to 10 by the end of this year, creating roles for recruitment consultants, back office and support staff, market research specialists and a non-executive director. Sowena Group focuses on senior finance posts in high-growth and private equity and venture capital-backed businesses across the North-West and beyond.

9 April 2019
Sales, Public sector, Executive search, IT/Telecoms, HR, Accounting/Finance

NEW TO THE MARKET: 8-12 APRIL 2019

• Cheshire-based wealth management firm Equilibrium Asset Management has launched a new recruitment website and training academy. As part of this recruitment drive, Equilibrium has also created an internal training academy to develop talent – based around workshops and group debate, and aimed at employees who aspire to be advisers, team leaders and specialists.

New starters can also join the company’s ‘Growth Zone’ - a series of workshops involving quizzes, podcasts and group debate covering topics such as how to communicate with different personality types and finding out the best way to learn and take on new information.

• Global recruitment specialist McGregor Boyall has launched WeAreMcGregor-Boyall.com, a career site designed to showcase life at the agency and highlight training and career progression opportunities available to new and existing staff.

• Specialist staffing company Onezeero, part of the global Impellam Group, has announced the launch of their technology executive search division, which will be managed by directors James Secker and Daniel Brin.

• Energy drink distributor Red Bull has launched assessment tool Wingfinder. Wingfinder can be used as a pre-screening tool during selection, as well as a development tool at any stage of one’s career. The tool has been developed by a team of psychometricians and psychology professors from University College London and Columbia University New York, and is based on psychological research and scientific studies.

Wingfinder aims to help individuals and HR professionals gain insights around strengths and weaknesses to better leverage talents in the workplace, overcome hurdles and launch their careers, and is available worldwide in English, German, Portuguese and Spanish.

• Recruitment marketing automation software provider SmartDreamers has released SmartDreamers Academy, a hiring, talent acquisition and recruitment marketing automation learning centre. The Academy, which is free of charge to recruiters, offers users a series of courses on a variety of recruitment-related topics, with a quiz at the end of each one to give people the chance to test their knowledge. 

• Dave Geddes has joined fire and security recruitment specialist Zitko Consulting to lead its new sales division.

1 April 2019
Engineering, IT/Telecoms, HR, Graduates/Apprentices/School leavers, Accounting/Finance

NEW TO THE MARKET: 1-5 APRIL 2019

• Recruitment start-up specialist provider 3R has moved into larger offices at the marina in Swanwick, Hampshire. The new address is 12 The Boat Yard, Swanwick Marina, Swanwick Shore Road.

• Lauren Jow, previously of Hudson, and Hannah Green, formerly of Search Consultancy, have joined forces to launch Scotland-based HR, accountancy and finance staffing specialist Iconic Resourcing.

• Tech and engineering recruiter Roc Search has appointed Donal Roughneen country manager to lead its new Irish business. Roc’s Irish business will be focused on software development, QA & testing, IT support and project & programme management.

• Technology and business consulting services Sparta Global is opening of a new head office at 125 London Wall in the the City of London. The firm says the new location will offer a single location for its sale, support and development of Sparta Global’s consultancy offering.

Sparta primarily hires recent graduates, who are given free training in areas such as software development, devops, testing, data analysis, business analysis and project management. After graduating as trained technologists, they are known as ‘Spartans’ and are assigned to client sites across the UK.

• Entrepreneur and London-based investor Mike Raitsyn has launched Treylance – a freelance platform that matches designers with specific client specifications.

25 March 2019
Public sector, Oil & gas/Energy, Engineering, Construction & property, Industrial/Manufacturing, IT/Telecoms, HR, Healthcare/Medical

NEW TO THE MARKET: 25-29 MARCH 2019

• Specialist technology and field engineering recruiter Concept Resourcing has launched a procurement and supply chain division led by senior manager Jonathan Horrocks.

• Manufacturing and engineering staffing specialist Jonathan Lee Recruitment has rebranded its energy division. The division now focuses on five core areas – electrification, renewable energy, water, power generation and nuclear – covering the entire project lifecycle.

• Newcastle-based recruiter Samuel Knight International is to open a new office in Baghdad led by Iraq country manager Haider Kadhim.

• Healthcare recruiter Remedium Partners has launched a CPD-accredited training course aimed at providing doctors who are new to the NHS with a more in-depth understanding of effective communication.

Following a successful pilot with London North West Healthcare NHS Trust in February, the agency has now extended this offering to other Trusts that are seeking to further support newly recruited overseas doctors.

• Multi-sector recruiter Swanstaff Recruitment has launched a new website. The site focuses on the customer journey, providing jobseekers with a streamlined ‘quick apply’ experience and is accompanied by a new tag line ‘for jobs you’ll love’. It is powered by Volcanic Recruitment’s platform, incorporating a job board, career advice and latest industry news.

• Engineering and construction firm The Carey Group is rolling out a new recruitment platform aimed at eliminating the risk of bias in its internal and external recruitment processes. The Applied platform uses behavioural algorithms to ensure that vacancies at the group are filled by the best talent.

22 March 2019

NEW TO THE MARKET: 18-22 MARCH 2018

• Talent operating system Beamery has launched Search Assist. Powered by Behavioural Boolean, this allows users to easily combine keywords, geographic and historic data with live behavioural data and candidate interactions into sophisticated search strings that pinpoint highly relevant talent in their CRM database.

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