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New to Market

14 May 2025
Creative/Digital/Media, Engineering

NEW TO THE MARKET: 12-16 MAY 2025

• Global specialist recruitment company Eames Consulting has opened a new office in Philadelphia, focusing on technology and digital enablement. Located at the Wanamaker Building, 100 East Penn Square, this is the recruiter’s second US location, following its New York office, which opened in 2022. The Philadelphia team will be headed up by Steven Stahl, a highly experienced recruiter. Also joining are Sam Youngberg (managing consultant) and Callum Stainer (senior consultant), data and AI recruitment specialists.

• Eightfold AI, which helps organisations recruit and retain top talent, and upskill/reskill their entire workforce, has added two new foundational AI products to its portfolio. Expanding its capabilities in talent acquisition, Eightfold introduces AI Interviewer to automate candidate engagement and assessment, enhancing responsiveness and selection outcomes. The company has also launched Digital Twin, a personalised AI model that captures and applies employee knowledge across systems to drive real-time productivity and decision-making.

• SF Recruitment has opened a new East Midlands headquarters in Castle Donington, strategically positioned next to East Midlands Airport. The new hub unites the company’s Leicester and Nottingham teams, with the company broadening its expertise into STEM fields, including technology and engineering, alongside its core areas of finance, private equity and corporate services. Over 40 team members will be based at the new headquarters and plans for European growth are underway, according to the company statement.

13 May 2025
Transport & logistics, Graduates/Apprentices/School leavers

Aspiring pilots can apply to join fully-funded training programme

Flight training typically costs in excess of £100k.

The programme has been developed to support Jet2.com’s growth, enabling the leisure airline to fly more customers away to enjoy their holidays on an expanding fleet of aircraft.

Jet2FlightPath is open to candidates from all backgrounds (subject to meeting the application criteria) and aims to boost social mobility and promote diversity within the pilot community. To apply, candidates need at least five GCSEs at grade 4 or above, including maths and a science subject, or equivalent qualifications – making Jet2FlightPath more accessible than other programmes.

The selection process, including assessments and interviews, will see successful candidates invited to take their place on a fully funded 18-month Airline Transport Pilot Licence (ATPL) training course in the UK, Spain or US, with courses starting this year. Upon completion of the ATPL course, trainees will then be offered Type Rating training on either an Airbus or Boeing aircraft, before becoming a Jet2.com pilot. Three partners set to deliver this training are Skyborne Airline Academy, Leading Edge and FTE Jerez.

When completing the Jet2FlightPath pilot training programme, trainees will also be fully immersed in the operation and culture at Jet2.com and Jet2holidays, “so that they can understand all the qualities that make up the businesses”, a company statement said. This includes gaining exposure to various customer-facing roles such as cabin crew and ground operations.

Jet2.com plans to put 60 pilots through Jet2FlightPath in the first year of the programme and then expand it to attract “even more” aspiring pilots in the coming years as the company continues to grow, the company said. 

The UK’s third largest airline currently employs over 1,800 pilots and will operate a fleet of up to 135 aircraft this summer, flying customers to sun and leisure city destinations across Europe, the Mediterranean and the Canary Islands from 13 UK airport bases.

The brand-new Jet2FlightPath programme opens for applications today [13 May 2025]. Pilots of the future can find out further information as well as how to apply by clicking here.

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6 May 2025
Public sector, Creative/Digital/Media

NEW TO THE MARKET: 5-9 MAY 2025

• Heidrick & Struggles has launched a new Government & Defense Tech Practice, aimed at serving the growing demand for technology leadership within public sector organisations. With governments estimated to account for 10% of global technology and IT services spending, the firm sees this as a significant market opportunity. The practice consolidates the company’s experience from over 200 engagements to provide leadership solutions for organisations delivering technology to national, state and local governments worldwide.

The new practice will support clients by offering leadership search, development and organisational effectiveness services. It brings together more than 30 experienced partners across sectors such as IT services, aerospace and defence, energy and private equity, operating globally across North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. The initiative addresses the increasing reliance of governments on advanced technologies like AI, cloud infrastructure, cybersecurity and robotics.

• Workforce management solutions firm Matrix has supported more than 10,000 individuals across the UK into employment between March 2024 and April 2025 through its Social Value team. The efforts focused on a wide range of community initiatives, including employability workshops, career guidance and volunteering opportunities. These programmes were designed to help students, jobseekers and public sector employees gain essential skills and access new career pathways.

• UK start-up Project Brains has launched ProdigyPB, an AI-powered platform designed to revolutionise job description creation and recruitment. Tailored for SMEs, growing businesses, and HR teams, ProdigyPB helps define precise hiring needs by aligning job roles with specific business challenges. The tool generates clear, bias-free job descriptions in seconds and enables users to engage with vetted fractional specialists from Project Brains’ talent pool, according to a company statement. ProdigyPB is currently available in Beta across the UK.

28 April 2025
Life sciences, Engineering

NEW TO THE MARKET: 28 APRIL-2 MAY 2025

• Jobmatch Sweden, a leader in occupational psychological testing, is expanding in Norway through a new partnership with consulting firm Sund Raad. Sund Raad, which focuses on enhancing employee engagement for small and medium-sized businesses, will integrate Jobmatch’s DNV-certified Talent test into its services. This marks Jobmatch’s second partnership in Norway, following its 2022 collaboration with Hapro Jobb og Karriere. Jobmatch Talent is a scientifically validated tool used for recruitment and employee development, according to the company press release.

• STEM recruitment specialist Matchtech has launched STEM Futures, a free, on-demand employability platform aimed at helping young people break into engineering and technology careers. The programme includes expert-led sessions on job search strategies, CV writing, interviews and personal development, and is part of Matchtech’s broader initiative to address the STEM skills gap and support emerging talent.

In addition, Matchtech has awarded the first two grants from its Materna Fund, a £2.5k bursary created to support engineering students facing financial hardship. The inaugural recipients, Sergio Carreno Vargas and David Sarembock from the University of Portsmouth, are using the funds to focus on their studies and development without the added pressure of financial strain.

• Meet Life Sciences has launched Synergy, a new standalone service designed to tackle people capability challenges in the life sciences sector that go beyond recruitment. As part of Meet’s evolution into a full-service talent solutions partner, Synergy offers tailored support in areas like workforce planning, leadership development, skills mapping, culture embedding and organisational design. Led by vice-president Kirsty Wilson, the service is built specifically for the life sciences industry and is focused on delivering measurable, outcome-driven solutions. Unlike traditional consulting, Synergy provides hands-on support from design through to implementation, helping clients build the capability needed to grow, adapt and lead in a competitive global market.

• Right Management, part of ManpowerGroup, has launched a refreshed brand strategy called ‘The Right Way’. It’s a human-centred, data-backed framework that aligns workforce development with business strategy. The new identity centres on ‘The Right Way loop’, a distinctive visual element with modern colours and typography that will be used across all brand touchpoints.

4 December 2018
Recruitment Process Outsourcing, Rec-to-rec, Creative/Digital/Media, Legal, Hospitality/Leisure

NEW TO THE MARKET: 3-7 DECEMBER 2018

• Independent job board CV-Library has launched Marketing-Jobs.co.uk, a new specialist job site focusing on the marketing industry.

• Global talent solutions provider Hudson Global has changed its operating brand name to Hudson RPO. The move, supported by new branding and website, follows the firm’s strategy of focusing in on its core recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) business.

• Lawspeed, a law consultancy dedicated to the recruitment and staffing industry, has launched new accreditation service to help identify compliant service providers and umbrella companies.

• Specialist hospitality recruiter Sixty Eight People has launched in Manchester’s Northern Quarter. Launched by founder Abi Dunn, the new firm specialises in managerial and director level roles both front and back of house. It also offers consultancy in retention, engagement and employer branding, as well as delivering training to clients around interviewing skills and managing employee turnover.

• Digital recruitment agency Trust in Soda has launched a new office in central Dublin. The firm already has a presence in the Irish capital as sister brand search firm Broadgate Search is based there.

26 November 2018
Retail, Transport & logistics, Executive search, HR, Hospitality/Leisure, Healthcare/Medical

NEW TO THE MARKET: 26-30 NOVEMBER 2018

• Talent engagement platform Beamery has launched an update, Beamery 5. The new release offers users an upgraded faster, smarter, more configurable CRM, smarter filters with enhanced Boolean capabilities, advanced candidate profiles and a branded candidate experience.

• Global recruitment group Carter Wellington has launched a platform that enables recruitment professionals to work independently as freelancers while eradicating the need for financing or resources to start from scratch.

The cloud-based platform provides recruiters with a global business identity, website, email, application tracking, CRM with integrated social networking and marketing, as well as enabling them to connect with a global collective of other like-minded recruiters.

• Chef recruitment specialists CJUK has launched a new division specialising in the permanent recruitment of chefs and front-of-house staff in the North-West. Susannah Lawson will head up the new division with an initial focus on the North-West market, finding chefs and managers for businesses in Lancashire, Greater Manchester and Merseyside.

• Australian freelance talent management company Expert360 has launched advanced freelancer management technology for enterprise clients and announced a series of partnerships with high profile financial institutions. Expert360’s enterprise solution will revolutionise how freelance talent is sourced and managed from onboarding to paying their non-permanent workforce.

The business has partnered with IAG Insurance to provide professional insurance, as well as a deal with RateSetter to give freelancers access to competitive personal loans. In a deal with Future Super and Grow Super, Expert360 is also making it easier for freelancers to put money aside for retirement.

• Edinburgh-based healthcare recruitment specialist Head Medical has expanded its recruitment capabilities into China. The recruiter will be working with an international healthcare provider in China to recruit doctors for its hospitals and clinics in Beijing, Guangzhou and Shanghai.

Head Medical will help to provide English-speaking doctors to service the ex-pat community, as well as wealthier Chinese individuals who are looking for private healthcare services of an internationally accredited standard. The healthcare company, which has requested anonymity, awarded Head Medical a long-term contract to provide full workforce planning services to help the company’s ongoing expansion plans, including its recently opened new hospitals in Shanghai and Guangzhou.

One of the existing team at Head Medical will add China to their remit. All recruitment (and associated activities) will be managed from Edinburgh, with bi-annual trips to China to meet the client.

• Penrhyn International, a global network of retained executive search firms, has launched a global consumer, retail and luxury practice group, led by Cynthia Labonté, partner at Leaders International, a pan-Canadian executive search firm.

The new group has search specialists across the world, including in Canada, the US, UK, Austria, France, Denmark, Belgium, Singapore and Australia.

20 November 2018
HR

Furhat robot aims turns to turn recruitment bias on its head

The twist is Furhat isn’t human.

Furhat, launched at a trade show earlier this month, is a robot that can communicate with humans. It can speak, listen, show emotions and hold conversations.

It also has a body and has been designed using computer animation, while a special focus has been placed on the personality and character of the robot.

Speaking to Recruiter yesterday afternoon, Samer Al Moubayed, CEO of robotics company furhatrobotics.com, explained that while Furhat has many applications, the company is currently working with Swedish recruitment agency TNG to explore how it can be used to eliminate unconscious bias in the recruitment process.

“We know that about 70% of interviews for jobs are biased,” Al Moubayed told Recruiter. “Bias comes from the state of mind of the recruiter when they enter the interview. So potentially the appearance, the age and the background, dialect, accent of the job candidate – things that we know shouldn’t be taken into account in an interview process but with humans are naturally biased. We’re trying to explore this exact question of how a robot can contribute to this area.”

Al Moubayed added the firm is exploring the use of Furhat in taking on competency-based interviews early on in the recruitment process, asking questions, collecting data, reviewing what happened in the interview and then passing all of this on to a specialised recruiter. It would thereby remove bias at this early stage of the recruitment process to enable a candidate to get their foot in the door.

But Al Moubayed says the firm also plans to look into whether the robot can score a candidate after it has collected all the data and what data it should train itself to use to give that score.

“The goals of the project are really global,” Al Moubayed added. “The first language this system is going to cover is Swedish but we’re going to roll out English quite early in the process. The goal is to see if this can be turned into a product for staffing companies in Sweden and globally.”

To see Furhat in action, click on the video here.

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20 November 2018
Transport & logistics, Legal, HR

NEW TO THE MARKET: 19-23 NOVEMBER 2018

• National recruitment agency Encore Personnel is investing £10k in additional training and incentives for its drivers. This includes free CPC (Certificate of Professional Competence) training, which helps to improve road safety and maintain high levels of driver safety.

Encore offers all its drivers one module of free training every three months if they are working for them full time, meaning a driver can complete a full five-year CPC training programme in just 18 months.

• Law firm Linklaters is piloting a new development programme to support talented BAME (Black, Asian and minority ethnic) staff in advancing their careers. 

The programme is designed to help identify how differences can be harnessed to drive transformational inclusive culture change and has been developed in conjunction with Dr Doyin Atewologun from Delta Alpha Psi, a leadership and diversity consultancy. 

Running for nine months, the programme will use behavioural sciences to increase engagement and empowerment through a series of workshops, coaching sessions and online resources.

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