HeadFirst believes that Impellam represents an attractive opportunity to invest in one of the leading Managed Services Providers in the world and a leading STEM (data, life-sciences, tech & engineering) workforce and recruitment group in the UK.

There is a compelling strategic rationale for the combination between HeadFirst and Impellam which is expected to deliver the following benefits: 

Julia Robertson, CEO of Impellam Group, said: ​
​“We are looking forward to joining forces with HeadFirst to create a larger, more digitally enabled, and diverse service offering with increased geographic reach. The combined strength of market leading brands, cultures and people balanced with technology of the enlarged group will enhance our proposition to solve customers’ workforce challenges in the UK, Europe, North America and APAC whilst also providing greater career opportunities for colleagues.”

Han Kolff, Chairman of HeadFirst Group, comments: ​
​“This merger will ​ be transformational, building on the complementary strengths of Impellam and HeadFirst. Together we will become a global leader in mission-critical talent enabling us to service our customers, suppliers and professionals in an unrivalled manner. A very exciting journey ahead with ample opportunities for our teams, leveraging HR tech depth and geographic reach further and faster.”

Future management for the group

HeadFirst envisages that the key executive management of Impellam, namely Julia Robertson (current Chief Executive Officer of Impellam) and Tim Briant (current Chief Financial Officer of Impellam) will join the board of directors as Group CEO and Group CFO, respectively. They will work alongside Board members Marion Van Happen, who will also continue as CEO of HeadFirst Group, Han Kolff, who will be non-executive Chairman, and non-executive Directors Koen Bekkering and Boyd Sleeman, to ensure the future success and growth of the enlarged group.

There are currently no changes to how Impellam Group and HeadFirst Group operate day to day. Impellam and HeadFirst will continue to deliver their services to customers, suppliers, and professionals. The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2024.

An announcement with full details of the terms and conditions of the transaction can be read in full at headfirst.group/takeover.

About HeadFirst Group

HeadFirst Group is a leading, international HR-tech service provider and ​ the largest platform for professionals in the Benelux, operating across ​ fifteen European countries. The organisation offers a wide range of HR ​ solutions, such as Managed Service Providing, Recruitment Process Outsourcing, IT Sourcing & Recruitment and HR consultancy. More than twenty-five thousand professionals work for over five hundred clients in Europe, through which HeadFirst Group realises an annual revenue in 2022 of over two billion euros. The main brands of HeadFirst Group are MSP (including intermediary services) labels HeadFirst, Between and Staffing Management Services, RPO and recruitment specialist Sterksen, IT talent sourcer StarApple, and Belgian HR-tech company ProUnity.

About Impellam Group

Impellam is the holding company of a group of integrated, diversified workforce and STEM talent providers offering global workforce solutions, talent management and specialist recruitment across a variety of industry sectors and key end markets. Services provided by the Impellam Group’s two key operating divisions are as follows: Global Managed Services (“GMS”): multi-disciplinary management of the overall talent ​
​process to provide comprehensive workforce solutions; and STEM: MSP, RPO, contract, permanent and Statement Of Work workforce solutions focused on IT and digital specialists, data experts, scientists, clinicians, and engineers. Impellam’s divisions operate through multiple brands including Guidant Global and Comensura (GMS), as well as Carbon60, SRG, Lorien, and Bartech (STEM).

​On 3 March 2023, Impellam completed the disposal of two previous operating divisions – Regional Specialist Staffing and Healthcare – which has allowed the Impellam Group to focus on its key GMS and STEM divisions, where the Impellam Board expects higher returns from attractive growth markets, significantly improved revenue visibility and
​​ improved conversions.

Note to editors

Do you have any questions or comments regarding this press release? ​
​Please contact:
​​
​Bart van der Geest, head of marketing & communication at HeadFirst Group, bart.vandergeest@headfirst.nl ​
​​
​Kirsty Tranter, global head of communications at Impellam Group, kirstytranter@impellam.com.

Further information

NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN, INTO OR FROM ANY JURISDICTION WHERE TO DO SO WOULD CONSTITUTE A VIOLATION OF THE RELEVANT LAWS OR REGULATIONS OF SUCH JURISDICTION.

This announcement is for information purposes only and is not intended to and does not constitute, or form any part of, an offer to sell or an invitation to purchase or subscribe for any securities or the solicitation of any vote or approval in any jurisdiction pursuant to the acquisition described above or otherwise. This announcement does not constitute a prospectus or a prospectus equivalent document.

Copies of this announcement and any formal documentation relating to the acquisition are not being, and must not be, directly or indirectly, mailed or otherwise forwarded, distributed or sent in or into or from any jurisdiction where to do so would constitute a violation of the laws of such jurisdiction and persons receiving such documents including custodians, nominees and trustees) must not mail or otherwise forward, distribute or send them in or into or from any such jurisdiction.