• UK-headquartered Gravitas Recruitment Group has acquired both of the Hamlyn Williams’ Hong Kong and Shenzhen operations. This acquisition is part of the recruitment firm’s growth and expansion plans, and will continue to strengthen its presence in the Asia markets.

Hamlyn Williams, a global provider of staffing solutions in the technology, financial services, fintech, cyber security, life sciences and manufacturing sectors, decided to grow its existing presence in the UK, EU and US markets. The decision to sell was based on Gravitas being able to continue to nurture these employees, offering vital career progression, as well as providing high-quality systems, technological investment and geographical reputation.

• Global executive search firm Heidrick & Struggles has acquired executive interim management firm Atreus in Germany. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Krishnan Rajagopalan, president and CEO at Heidrick & Struggles, said: “The acquisition of Atreus is a highly complementary investment for Heidrick & Struggles. The addition of Germany, a strategically important market for the firm, along with our existing On-Demand Talent businesses in the US and the UK, gives us a strong springboard to scale this powerful platform across Europe and globally.”

• Maxwell Bond has announced its 12-month talent partnership with Trafford City Council. The tech recruitment firm will manage the council’s tech and digital recruitment in Manchester to help scale and grow to deliver projects while providing new opportunities to the local community. Trafford Council is the ninth talent partner that Maxwell Bond has supported over the last 24 months, joining the likes of Wakelet, Apadmi and Findel.

• RAMP Global, the global talent acquisition platform, has announced $1m (£830k) in new funding as it scales its software development and product capabilities. The private funding round has enabled RAMP Global to substantially grow its European software development team, growing it eightfold in the last year, and open a new office in Poprad, Slovakia. The SaaS-powered recruitment agency management platform was founded in 2010 and has its HQ in London.