3i-backed WilsonHCG acquires Personify

3i Group plc (“3i”) today announces that WilsonHCG, an award-winning, global leader in talent solutions, has acquired Personify, a leading provider of recruitment process outsourcing (“RPO”) services to specialised end markets including life sciences, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, and healthcare. The total purchase price was not disclosed, but as part of the transaction, 3i will invest c.$7m of additional capital alongside a significant reinvestment from Personify’s management.

Headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina, Personify offers a turnkey talent solution that spans the entire talent acquisition life cycle, including services such as labour market analysis, candidate marketing, sourcing, interviewing, assessments, overall candidate management, and onboarding. The company focuses on higher-end, more specialised roles, often for hard-to-fill or high-demand positions in its core end markets.

Personify is a leader in its core markets and well regarded for its service quality, partnership mentality with clients and its flexible delivery model. Personify has consistently grown at rates that are above the broader RPO industry, and forecasts continued strong growth over the next few years, capitalising on many of the same favourable tailwinds that have benefitted WilsonHCG, including increasing adoption of outsourced talent acquisition solutions.

The acquisition provides WilsonHCG with further exposure to the attractive life sciences and healthcare markets, which represent key growth markets for both companies. Personify also provides additional capabilities to better serve existing customers and to expand the types of services that WilsonHCG can offer in the market. WilsonHCG’s global presence (with resources in 65 countries) and breadth of talent solutions will allow Personify to better serve its existing customers, including internationally, which is a key differentiator in today’s competitive talent environment.

Today’s acquisition is the third for WilsonHCG since 3i’s investment in February 2021 and follows the acquisition of Claro Analytics, a labour market intelligence platform, in February 2022, and Tracking Talent, an RPO headquartered in South Africa, in October 2022.

Ryan Carfley, President and CEO, Personify, said: “We are very pleased to be joining WilsonHCG. I have known John Wilson for many years, and there is a great cultural fit between our organisations. The partnership will enable us to scale our presence in our end markets and deliver globally for our existing clients.”

John Wilson, CEO, WilsonHCG, said: “Personify operates in attractive, growing areas in the RPO industry and its highly specialised capabilities will be an asset to WilsonHCG. We look forward to welcoming Personify and working closely with Ryan Carfley and his team to support Personify’s growth ambitions, especially as it pertains to delivering solutions internationally.”

Rahul Lulla, Partner, 3i, said: “WilsonHCG and Personify have strong alignment with complementary business models and customer-first mentalities. We look forward to supporting the teams as they continue to deliver great results for their existing customers and win new accounts.”

-Ends-

Download this press release    

For further information, please contact:

About 3i Group

3i is a leading international investment manager focused on mid market Private Equity and Infrastructure. Its core investment markets are northern Europe and North America. For further information, please visit: www.3i.com.

WilsonHCG

WilsonHCG is an award winning, global leader in total talent solutions. Operating as a strategic partner, it helps some of the world’s most admired brands build comprehensive talent functions. With a global presence spanning more than 65 countries and six continents, WilsonHCG provides a full suite of configurable talent services including RPO, executive search, contingent talent solutions and talent consulting.

TALENT. ™ It’s more than a solution; it’s who we are.

For further information, please visit: www.wilsonhcg.com

About Personify

Personify was founded in 1978 as an executive search business and is headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina United States The company is a provider of RPO services to end markets such as life sciences pharma biotech, and healthcare Its RPO offering is an integrated talent solution that spans the entire talent acquisition life cycle including end to end services such as labour market analysis candidate marketing, and interview workflow management, as well as onboarding and retention Through use of techno logy its clients are provided with detailed data analytics and strategic recruiting insights across the life cycle Personify’s variable fee per requisition model align s with clients’ fluctuating needs.

Personify has won multiple awards including the Triangle Best Places to Work in seven out of the last eight years and been recognised for its culture and status as an employer of choice.

For further information, please visit: www.personifysearch.com.

Regulatory information

This transaction involved a recommendation of 3i Corporation, a US wholly owned subsidiary of 3i Group.