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New to Market

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.

3 April 2025
Creative/Digital/Media, Executive search

Dragon-backed Chapter 2 boosts talent offering with transformation service

Backed by Steven Bartlett (from BBC Dragons’ Den and his Diary of a CEO), this strategic expansion aims to solidify “Chapter 2’s 360-degree talent solutions offering, delivering comprehensive, data-driven solutions to the most pressing talent challenges facing businesses today”, according to a company statement. 

Spearheading the new service is talent strategy director David Brammer. The Transformation & Advisory practice will tackle every area of talent acquisition, from capability and capacity to hiring process optimisation and workforce planning. The practice will also provide talent strategies to prepare businesses for AI-focused roles for the future of work.

As part of this offering, Chapter 2 will conduct in-depth talent and hiring audits, identifying opportunities and reducing hiring-related challenges, through structured hiring diagnostics and benchmarking. 

The service also includes recruitment efficiency assessments, policy and risk evaluations (including IR35 compliance) and contingent workforce strategy development.

Leo Harrison, founder and CEO of Chapter 2, says: “Establishing the Transformation Advisory completes our 360 offering, making sure that we’re able to provide solutions to both common and uncommon challenges that companies face in not only today’s workplace, but the one of the future.”

With 26 years’ experience leading global talent acquisition strategy for brands such as Boots, Kingfisher and Ocado, Brammer will be supported by experienced hire Marta Wasowicz, as the director of advisory and transformation.

L-r: Steven Bartlett, Marta Wasowicz, David Brammer, Leo Harrison ©Chapter 2

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6 November 2023
Public sector, Social care, Creative/Digital/Media, Legal, Executive search, IT/Telecoms, Hospitality/Leisure, Graduates/Apprentices/School leavers, Healthcare/Medical, Accounting/Finance

NEW TO THE MARKET: 6-10 NOVEMBER 2023

• Cloud Assess, a provider of digital training and assessment solutions for ‘deskless’ workers, has launched free accredited level training courses to help employers grow and retain talent. The company says the courses have been designed to upskill staff in core competencies quickly, effectively, and at scale, with learning content and practical assessments for all industries and job roles. Courses include health & safety, marketing & sales to softer skills like time management, communication and empathy.

• Nash Squared, a global provider of technology and talent solutions, has expanded its technology and digital talent recruitment brand Harvey Nash into Canada. The launch of Harvey Nash in Canada allows organisations to benefit from Harvey Nash’s 35 years’ experience in connecting businesses with diverse technology talent.

• Specialist recruiter Reed has launched an AI-powered interview question generator tool to help with the lack of guidance on which questions to ask, according to research by Reed. The free tool uses a “unique" algorithm based on custom criteria to identify interview questions for any role in any sector to meet the individual skill requirements for a business.

• Recruitment Funding Solutions (RFS), a provider of specialist recruitment funding support, has launched its funding solution, RFS Evolve. Designed primarily to cater to larger and more well-established recruitment agencies, RFS Evolve empowers agencies to take on greater risk and debt management while getting support and competitive pricing. RFS Evolve is tailored to address the specific challenges and opportunities faced by larger agencies, providing them with the tools they need to effectively manage risk and debt, and to fuel their growth.

• Stockport Council is holding a recruitment day for Stockport residents next week. The council is looking for home support workers who are a vital part of the community helping some of the borough’s most vulnerable adults to live happy and healthy lives independently in their own homes. The event is on 13 November at Stockport Central Library, on Wellington Road, Stockport from 11am to 3pm.

• The City Recruiter has added multiple new law firms to its roster alongside new job opportunities. Over the next six months, the Manchester-based recruitment firm intends to onboard 10 specialist legal recruiters after partnering with multiple law firms, including Barings Law and Veritas Solicitors.

• Travelodge has launched a new dual-locations student recruitment programme that provides the flexibility of a role at a Travelodge close to the student’s university and in their hometown during the holiday periods. The group is offering more than 400 positions to students. Available positions include reception team member, bar café team member, housekeeping team member and linen porter.

• Recruitment consultancy WorkFolk has developed technology for referrals to be what it calls “the number one way” for people to find jobs. Through WorkFolk, candidates will receive job roles directly in their inbox, all from referrals by individuals within their network. All candidates need to do is to review the role and tick a box to consent to the referral.

• YunoJuno, a freelance management provider, has launched a global expansion across more than 150 countries. With this expansion, YunoJuno says it is set to redefine the way businesses and freelancers collaborate, offering a compliant management platform that now operates on a global scale.

3 November 2023
Creative/Digital/Media, Commercial & office support, Industrial/Manufacturing, IT/Telecoms, HR, Accounting/Finance

NEW TO THE MARKET: 30 OCTOBER-3 NOVEMBER 2023

• Portsmouth-based technical recruitment specialists Astute has announced its expansion into North America. The company, which was founded by Terry Buckel in 2006, will base its US operations in Charlotte, North Carolina.

• HR tech platform RAMP Global has integrated with SmartRecruiters, the enterprise hiring platform, to transform the way employers source, manage and pay recruitment agencies across the globe. The integration means RAMP Global can provide SmartRecruiters customers with a fully integrated agency management solution within the SmartRecruiters platform, allowing enterprises such as Visa, LinkedIn and Bosch to manage all agency activity in one place. This new functionality will enable customers to source, procure, engage and pay agencies anywhere in the world, ensuring the best terms, complete visibility, and control through a truly streamlined process.

• Chester-based invoice finance and back office support provider Zodeq has launched a campaign that addresses tech recruitment agencies and their cashflow. Working directly with tech recruiters to identify their needs and goals, the invoice finance service provided by Zodeq is bespoke to provide clients with their most appropriate and flexible solution. Benefits include cross-border credit protection, multi-currency facilities, international credit control and up to 100% funding or prepayment. Zodeq can also provide working capital to support agency growth.

31 October 2023
Hospitality/Leisure

Hospitality duo join forces to find hospitality talent

Hospitality Talent UK (HTUK) was launched by Ed Grimes (above, right), formerly of Pret, EAT. and Greggs, and Ed Godwin (above, left), ex Monsoon, EAT. and Carluccio’s. The two worked together on the board of EAT. between 2007 and 2017, as director of operations and people director respectively.

The new business draws upon a network of recruitment partners across seven countries, with more partners and countries to be added, a company statement said. “Any role that qualifies for the Skilled Worker visa can be recruited through HTUK, including all levels of management, chefs, bakers, patisserie chefs and other specialists.”

HTUK supports employers in obtaining a Skilled Worker Sponsorship Licence and candidates with obtaining a visa through their partnership with London law firm Quastels, making the whole process of recruiting globally, simple and accessible to businesses of any size. Employers play a flat fee per role, which does not increase with salary.

An early user of the business is London healthy-eating chain Tossed, which has begun recruiting store managers through HTUK. 

Supported by AI, prospective candidates are fully vetted and matched against each role, and behavioural specialists Poppyfish have been brought in to provide candidate profiling. HTUK does not charge candidates any fees. Once a role has been accepted, candidates are given access to specialist and reputable property providers, who advise on location and rents. HTUK has also set up a support network among candidates and maintains contact with recruits throughout the lifetime of their employment.

“With a network of specialist recruitment partners across the globe, HTUK is providing an end-to-end solution allowing hospitality businesses to bring skilled talent from around the world to the UK,” the company statement said. 

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10 October 2023
Engineering, Construction & property, Commercial & office support, Industrial/Manufacturing, IT/Telecoms, HR

NEW TO THE MARKET: 9-13 OCTOBER 2023

• Construction and built environment recruitment agency Daniel Owen has refreshed its brand image. The firm has announced the move as it repositions its place in the market and expands further into the engineering and facilities management sectors. The recruiter currently has 12 offices across the UK, with plans to open at least two further hubs in the near future.

• HireVue, the global rec-tech pioneer in human potential intelligence, has announced a new category for hiring, which assesses candidates based on their skills and potential. The Find My Fit application bridges the gap between candidates and opportunities, empowering jobseekers to discover roles based on their skills, interests and human potential. Find My Fit ensures that candidates are not directed to open positions, but to roles that are aligned with their skills and potential. HireVue says this approach broadens candidates’ horizons and elevates their overall jobseeking experience. The Find My Fit application encourages diversity by guiding individuals to consider positions they might not have explored.

• US-based NEXTAFF has opened a new commercial staffing agency in Laredo, Texas. The Laredo staffing office is owned and operated by Veronica Villarreal and serves Laredo and the surrounding areas. The office will focus primarily on staffing and recruiting for manufacturing and commercial companies and is located at 9114 McPherson Rd, Suite 2504, Laredo, TX 78045.

• Global employment platform Oyster has launched Oyster Talent Network, a partner-powered talent acquisition and recruiting solution to help businesses source remote candidates around the world.

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