Team,
Let me start with the obvious. The market is challenging right now. Decision cycles are longer, budgets are tighter, and uncertainty is the backdrop to almost every client conversation. None of that is news to any of you.
But here is what I keep coming back to.
We deploy thousands of professionals across four countries, deep relationships with some of the biggest organisations in Europe, and the operational muscle to pivot into new markets and services quickly That is not a position most companies are in right now When the market shifts, we do not wait for it to come back. We go where the demand is.
And there is genuinely a lot to be excited about. Belgium is deepening strategic partnerships. Swisslinx is rebuilding with serious commercial hunger Germany is scaling through complexity The Netherlands is dominating government tenders and leading the way on automation Every label in this newsletter is proving what this group can do.
On Atlantic: the transaction is still in its integration phase. We will be sharing a full update with you shortly. In the meantime, the focus remains the same. Deliver for our clients, grow the business, and show Atlantic exactly what they invested in.
One more thing. We recently filmed our Aston Martin corporate film and I cannot wait to share it with all of you. Stay tuned.
The market is tough. We are tougher. Let us keep going.
Guus Franke FOUNDER & CEO, CIRCLE8 GROUP | EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN, ATLANTIC INTERNATIONAL CORP
Four countries. Four labels. 12,000+ technology professionals. $780 million in revenue last year and a clear run at $1 billion this year. This is not a holding company with logos on a slide. Every section below is a working business that earned its place in the Atlantic deal. The proof is in the execution.
MD: Myranda Dyck
Belgium is locking down partnerships and building governance that scales. The Atos relationship has levelled up from transactional to strategic Capgemini governance has been completely redesigned This is what operational maturity looks like H E R O W I N
Stabilised delivery, aligned governance frameworks, and hosted a Partner Day that combined strategic planning with an end-to-end process walkthrough The Atos relationship is no longer a contract It is a platform for scalable growth across 2026.
The entire end-to-end process with Capgemini has been rebuilt. Structured weekly governance calls, quarterly business reviews, and immediate improvements in transparency and delivery performance Already generating positive feedback from the client side.
Yasmine De Witte
Contracting & Invoicing Team
Joined in January. Already running across multiple client accounts. Takes ownership and delivers. Clear asset.
Soade El Homani
Operations Manager
Led the Atos MSP programme go-live under serious time pressure. Delivered it clean.
Organisations across Belgium are moving toward modular workforce solutions. Flexibility, faster deployment, scalable delivery models. That plays directly into our strengths.
MD: Jennifer James
Swisslinx is being rebuilt from the ground up. Financial control locked in. Five new accounts opened. Key hires poached straight from competitors. The Swiss market is brutal right now, but this team is outworking and outperforming everyone around them. H E R O W I N
Full Financial Control Achieved
Year-end closure and reporting deadlines met For the first time, Swisslinx has complete visibility and control over its financial reporting.
Five new client accounts opened with real contractor potential. Two key hires coming directly from competitors. Over 50% of the team are outperforming top billers at competitors 5
13 clients identified where margins can be improved. Initiative rolled out across the sales team. Every basis point matters.
Ines Silva Finance Manager
Full-year event plan in motion. First "Data Frontiers" event pulled 40+ attendees. Next: "Women in IT" breakfast in March. University partnership secured.
In a few weeks, Ines took full control of the financial department and drove transformations that were previously considered impossible What she accomplished is not a step forward It is a leap compared to December
Cancellation rates are up. Decision cycles are longer. Volume is down versus 2024. That is the environment. What matters: over 50% of our team are outperforming competitor top billers in a harder market.
MD: Holger Königstein
Germany is scaling fast. E.ON framework renewed on improved terms. New FPT framework signed. Three new salespeople in the first two months of the year. The compliance landscape is getting stricter, but this team is using that complexity as a competitive advantage
P
Marco Weiss
Operations Manager (from 01.01.2026)
Took over operations at the start of the year. Steady hand during a growth phase. Critical hire at the right time.
Mariusz Domanski
IT Recruiting
Outstanding engagement and exceptional results. A significant contributor to Circle8 Germany's success this year.
German clients are tightening compliance around Scheinselbstständigkeit (bogus self-employment) and taking longer to commit. Higher bar, stickier deals. Circle8 Germany is built for exactly this complexity.
MD: Martin Westerhof
The Netherlands is on a tear. We are crushing the Nationale Politie migration: 75% conversion versus Harvey Nash's 25%. Fee contracts already at 70 of 700 target. 14 new hires in two months. AI tools cutting manual work across operations. Scale with precision.
H E R O W I N
Working alongside Harvey Nash as dual brokers, Circle8 has converted 75% versus their 25% That is not a win That is domination
M A R G I N
The fee contract initiative has been picked up fast Target: 700 paid fee contracts Already at 70 and accelerating. Margin improvement is real and measurable.
"The entire organisation has worked incredibly hard over the past five months guiding customer implementations. The collaboration between teams on margin improvement, automation, and process optimisation is where we are making a real difference."
Hiring demand and freelancer availability in the Dutch market are both tightening. We are offsetting that contraction with growth built over the past period and more tenders on the horizon.
Custom AI recruitment agent in development. "Bid Buddy" AI tool already reducing manual bid processing time. AI hour processing and contract services mail agent rolling out across operations.
Supply chain policy enforced. Pre-negotiated positions locked in. Indexation processes standardised. FixedToday established as key supplier. Every lever pulled to protect and grow margin.
Hiring demand and freelancer availability in the Dutch market are both tightening. We are offsetting that contraction with growth built over the past period and more tenders on the horizon.
Circle8 is the official IT global talent-matching partner for the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team. Across every label, the partnership is moving from badge to business tool. Belgium is gearing up for the Grand Prix with a full client event calendar. The Netherlands has the brand video in the can. The whole group is turning this platform into real commercial traction.
The Atlantic deal did not happen because of a pitch deck. It happened because of what is in this newsletter. Real wins, real margins, real people doing exceptional work. Now it is about proving that everything Atlantic bought gets better in Q2. Here is how you can help.
If you are talking to a client this week, mention the Atlantic deal. It changes the conversation. We are a $1.2B platform now. Use it.
Got a contractor who should be permanent? Start that conversation now. Every conversion strengthens the business.
See a process that is still manual? Flag it. We are building the infrastructure to automate it. The Netherlands is already doing this. Your label should be too.
CIRCLE8 GROUP | AN ATLANTIC INTERNATIONAL CORP COMPANY
IT Global Talent-Matching Partner | Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team
newsletter is for internal distribution only. March 2026.