Protis Global CEO Bert Miller Acquires Management Recruiters International
May 31, 2019 – Bert Miller, co-founder and CEO of Protis Global, through control of MRI Network Holdings LLC, has acquired Management Recruiters International Inc. (MRI) from CDI Holding Co. LLC, an affiliate of CDI Corp. and a portfolio company of AE Industrial Partners LP.
Mr. Miller is an industry veteran with over 24 years in executive search and talent advisory services. MRI operates MRINetwork, one of the largest search and recruitment organizations in the world, which is comprised of nearly 400 independent search and recruitment firms. In his new role as president and chief executive officer of MRI, Mr. Miller will dedicate his professional time to MRI. He will be supported by Nancy Halverson, who will continue to serve as general manager of the organization.
“Protis Global has been a member of MRINetwork since 1995, and today is one of its 10 largest members,” said Mr. Miller. “I understand intimately the challenges faced by independent search and recruitment firms in our rapidly changing industry.”
“The timing was perfect as I also have extreme confidence in the future direction of Protis Global, under Michael Bitar and the tenured leadership team leading Protis Global,” he said. “Both MRI and Protis Global are primed for extensive growth, and I very much look forward to the future.”
Michael Bitar, partner and managing director for the FMCG division of Protis Global, was promoted and is now general manager for Protis Global. He will assume day-to-day leadership of the Miami, FL-based organization. Protis also has locations in Indianapolis and San Francisco, with a new and growing focus on the Latin American market.
“The Protis Global team is proud to carry on the legacy that Bert and Laura Miller established in 1995 and have been driving for the last 24 years,” said Mr. Bitar. “Through Bert’s leadership, Protis Global has a very clear 2019 business plan and a strong strategic objective in place. It is now our responsibility to execute against those plans.”
“Our focus has always been and will continue to be our performance and delivery for our client companies that have entrusted their business-critical searches to our team,” he said. “As we have evolved to a professional services approach, Protis Global is well positioned to deliver world class value in many areas for both clients and candidates.”
“More than ever, Protis Global is situated to continue its growth within the professional services industry, providing a full-service talent agency for the consumer, food and beverage, cannabis, hospitality and banking industries,” Mr. Bitar said.
Recent M&A activity
Acquisitions have kept the executive search industry in a state of flux. Here’s a sampling of recent acquisitions taken from the Hunt Scanlon Media archives:
Aleron Group, a global workforce and business solutions company, acquired TalentRISE, a Chicago-based firm specializing in executive search and recruitment process outsourcing (RPO). Founded in 2008, TalentRISE supports companies in nearly every vertical — retail, manufacturing, technology, financial services, healthcare, life sciences, e-commerce, and more.
San Francisco-based Riviera Partners acquired New York-based technology-focused search firm Bamboo Talent. Founded in 2014, Bamboo Talent is recognized for building lasting relationships with candidates, companies and venture capital partners. The team at Bamboo has partnered with companies from their earliest funding rounds through every stage of growth.
StevenDouglas has acquired Tallience, a full-service technology search, staffing and consulting firm located in Fort Lauderdale, FL. As part of the acquisition, founding partner Tim Baron is joining Sunrise, FL-based StevenDouglas as managing director of its Washington, D.C. metro office.
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
