Alexander Mann Solutions Acquires Karen HR, Adds Leaders for North America
August 6, 2019 – Alexander Mann Solutions, a London-based talent acquisition and management services firm, is continuing its expansion, acquiring an HR technology company, Karen HR Inc., and bringing new talent to its North American leadership team.
The acquisition of Karen HR is a strategic move which will accelerate the launch of new digital products, said Alexander Mann Solutions. The purchase also extends the firm’s global engineering capabilities with teams now based in both Canada and Poland, and further supports its aggressive growth plans and commitment to extending its footprint in the Americas.
“Whilst we have previously built and successfully deployed RPA and AI capabilities into our existing client solutions it is crucial that we are continually innovating and investing in technical expertise,” said Rosaleen Blair, founder and CEO of Alexander Mann Solutions. “We are delighted to welcome the Karen HR team to the Alexander Mann Solutions family. Alongside the expertise and capabilities that our valued technology partners already deliver, this move will accelerate efficiencies for our existing clients and will enable the rapid launch of exciting new digital products within Alexander Mann Solutions.”
Noel Webb, co-founder of Karen HR, said his team is excited to join Alexander Mann Solutions. “Our collective approach to intelligent services will further enhance the comprehensive portfolio Alexander Mann Solutions has to offer,” he said. “With their global reach and solution-minded approach to the market, Alexander Mann Solutions is the perfect home for us.”
Launched in 2017, Karen HR’s “cognitive recruiting assistant,” Karen AI, integrates with existing ATSs and harnesses leading-edge technology to enhance recruitment processes and boost candidate engagement. Karen AI has the capacity to rank hundreds of resumes against jobs per second and can be deployed to engage with jobseekers via chat or SMS, while the platform’s “shortlisting and conversion” capability allows hiring managers to gain a deeper insight into a candidate’s personality and team fit. Karen Frontier is a digital assistant that takes care of inbound employee inquiries delivering a simple and powerful way to provide answers to common HR-related queries to an enterprise’s workforce.
New Leaders
On the leadership team front, Alexander Mann Solutions appointed David Swanz and Susan Cooksey as heads of sales (Americas) and Mike Drolet as head of Americas contingent workforce solutions and Americas Global Client Service Center
The appointments reinforce the firm’s ambition to continue on its strong growth trajectory in the region that now generates in excess of 30 percent of global revenues.
Alexander Mann Launches Talent Collective
Alexander Mann Solutions has introduced its new consulting group, Talent Collective. While the leadership provider has offered a strong and comprehensive consulting segment as part of its talent solutions service platform within Alexander Mann Solutions, the differentiation of a dedicated consulting brand will formally enable it to provide greater end-to-end talent solutions.
Following the appointment of Michael Wachholz as president of the Americas and global head of contingent workforce solutions in September, Mr. Swanz, Ms. Cooksey and Mr. Drolet were recently hired, all directly supporting business growth in talent acquisition services for both permanent and contingent workers.
Mr. Swanz joined the firm in November, bringing extensive industry knowledge in talent acquisition and experience leading innovative workforce solutions in the U.S. and Latin America. Before coming to Alexander Mann Solutions, Mr. Swanz worked with Marcus Buckingham, a noted researcher, author, speaker and thought leader on talent. He now leads Alexander Mann Solutions’ contingent workforce business development activity across the Americas.
Ms. Cooksey re-joined Alexander Mann Solutions in May, after an earlier three-year tenure with the firm beginning in 2015. Having previously held senior roles with well-known industry players like Monster and IBM, Ms. Cooksey brings strong industry experience. She now leads Alexander Mann Solutions’ RPO business development activity across the Americas.
Mr. Drolet joined the firm in April in a dual role, leading the design, delivery and execution of the Americas direct sourcing offering for contingent workers, in addition to serving as head of the Americas Global Client Service Center, which is the operational hub of Alexander Mann Solutions in the U.S. Mr. Drolet brings a blend of experience across global contingent, permanent and virtual workforce solution providers.
Industry Expertise
“Alexander Mann Solutions has grown its presence significantly in the Americas in recent years and our ambitions are bigger,” said Mr. Wachholz. “Bringing in the experience and capabilities of David, Susan and Mike to our exceptional leadership team will help accelerate our expansion plans and advance the innovative talent solutions we provide to our clients. Alexander Mann Solutions is unique in the breadth of capabilities it has to offer and the consultative approach we take, and I am excited about the future of our business and the opportunities we will create for both our people and our clients.”
Alexander Mann Solutions has industry expertise in a number of sectors, specifically retail and financial services; investment banking and professional services; technology and media; defense, engineering and business services; energy; and healthcare and life sciences. Over 4,000 of the firm’s talent acquisition and management experts partner with more than 100 clients, operating in 40 languages and over 90 countries.
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor; and Andrew W. Mitchell, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
