“We were able to use our connections through our businesses around the world to build links locally in the Middle East,” Maxted told Recruiter.

Digby Morgan picked up its second successive award win in the HR category at the Recruiter Awards for Excellence at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London.

The judges praised the HR recruiter for its knowledge of the global financial services sector.

Maxted said that having a “global village for HR people” allowed the Randstad company, which opened an office in Dubai in October and has locations in UK, Australia and the US, to work with the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority to source the best talent from around the world.

And Maxted says that the award win was warmly received by its international operations. “As soon as I knew, I emailed our businesses around the world. It was a great accolade.

“The feedback from Australia and Dubai was fantastic — to feel that they shared in our success. It is tough in this business. It really gave people a spring in their step.”