What HW3 does

HW3 is a global recruitment consultancy that places specialized talent within regulated and high-skill industries. Founded in London in 2011 as Hamlyn Williams and rebranded as HW3 in early 2025, the firm operates across three core practice verticals: Cyber Security, Life Sciences, and Governance/Risk. It serves enterprise clients — including leading US banks, clinical research organizations (CROs), and technology advisory firms — placing professionals from individual contributor through director-level positions. The company is privately held, was bootstrapped through most of its history, and employs 51-100 people across five offices in the UK, USA, Netherlands, and South Africa.

The firm's revenue model is professional services: it earns fees by placing permanent and contract professionals with client organizations. Its go-to-market is sales-led, with consultant teams based in regional offices enabling cross-border talent delivery to enterprise buyers. Recent job postings reveal compensation scales for senior placements — for example, a Director of Clinical Operations role priced up to $275k base — consistent with mid-market executive search economics. HW3 holds a UK Employment Agency licence (EA Licence No. 66449) and operates without proprietary technology, software platforms, or AI-enabled products; the core offering is human-led consulting and relationship-driven placement, not a software platform.

In July 2024, HW3 raised $7 million from Meraki Capital — its first disclosed institutional capital — supporting the subsequent Cape Town office opening and 2025 rebrand. The rebrand positions the firm toward faster, team-based delivery rather than individual placements. No venture capital, additional private equity, or acquisition activity is evidenced in the data, and ownership structure beyond the Meraki Capital relationship is not disclosed.

Name

HW3

Legal name

HW3

Website

https://hamlynwilliams.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

HW3 is a global recruitment consultancy placing specialized talent in Cyber Security, Life Sciences, and Governance sectors. Founded 2011 in London, the firm operates from five offices across the UK, USA, Netherlands, and South Africa, serving enterprise clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialized Recruitment Services

NAICS

Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services (56131), Executive Search Services (561312)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

HR Strategy & Operating Model Design (BPACAJAA)

Keywords

• Executive recruitment services
• Cyber security staffing
• Life sciences recruitment
• Governance risk compliance
• Talent advisory services

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Executive Search & Recruitment Services: HW3 generates revenue through recruiting and placing specialized professionals in permanent and contract roles across multiple sectors including Cyber Security, Life Sciences, and Governance. The firm works with enterprise clients to deliver highly talented teams at speed.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

HW3 is a specialized recruitment and talent advisory firm that sources and places permanent and contract professionals across three sectors: Cyber Security, Life Sciences, and Governance. The firm delivers high-performing teams ranging from individual contributor consultants through director-level executives for enterprise clients in regulated industries. Its delivery model is consultant-led, supported by a job search portal on hwthree.com and regional offices across Europe, North America, and South Africa.

Product overview

HW3 is a recruitment and talent advisory firm that builds high-performing teams across specialized sectors. The company operates as a unified service offering with specialized recruitment practices in Cyber Security, Life Sciences, and Governance sectors. Rather than a software platform, the core product is a consulting and placement service that matches highly skilled professionals with organizations requiring precision talent. The company rebranded from Hamlyn Williams to HW3 in early 2025 to reflect its specialized focus on rapid delivery of talented teams.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Recruitment Services - Cyber Security Permanent and contract placement of cyber security consultants for enterprise clients, tackling complex security challenges and protecting digital assets. Roles range from individual contributor consultants to senior security positions, including Security Consultant placements with technology advisory firms.
• Recruitment Services - Life Sciences Permanent and contract placement of clinical operations and life sciences professionals, including director-level roles managing site performance, budgets, team mentorship, and patient care for CROs and healthcare organizations.
• Recruitment Services - Governance Permanent and contract placement of governance and internal audit professionals, including senior auditors and analysts for banking and financial services clients, supporting regulatory coordination, risk management, and strategic initiatives.

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• SThree plc: Specialist STEM staffing firm with brands across technology, life sciences, and engineering. Closely comparable to HW3's niche-vertical, high-skill placement model in life sciences and technology/cyber.
• Hays plc: UK-headquartered specialist recruitment firm operating globally with deep practices in life sciences, technology, and finance. Highly comparable to HW3 in specialization model, UK origin, and enterprise client focus.
• Glocomms: Specialist recruitment firm focused on enterprise technology and cybersecurity hires. Closely comparable niche-vertical, enterprise-focused recruitment model to HW3.
• CyberCoders: US-based technology and cybersecurity specialist recruiter. Directly comparable to HW3's cyber security practice in target roles and candidate profile.
• Heidrick & Struggles: Executive search firm placing senior leaders across financial services, life sciences, and technology. Direct comparability to HW3's director-level placements in Governance and Life Sciences verticals.
• Real Staffing (SThree life sciences brand): Specialist life sciences recruitment brand within SThree. Direct overlap with HW3's clinical operations and CRO talent placement offering.

Broad incumbents

• Robert Half: Global staffing and consulting firm with dedicated finance, technology, and legal practices. Overlaps with HW3 in placing governance/risk, technology/cyber, and professional talent, though operates at much larger scale and broader scope.
• Korn Ferry: Global organizational consulting firm with significant executive search and professional placement operations. Comparable in placing senior leaders and advising on talent in regulated, specialized industries.
• Michael Page International: Global professional recruitment firm with strong presence in finance, technology, and healthcare verticals. Comparable enterprise recruitment focus and multi-vertical model, though broader and more generalist than HW3.

Emerging players

• Mondo (specialist tech staffing): Specialist technology and digital staffing firm focused on enterprise clients. Comparable in cyber/tech talent focus, though narrower than HW3's three-vertical model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Hamlyn_Williams

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about HW3