Taplow Consulting France Acquires Aptimen Managers
December 21, 2018 – Executive search, coaching and management consulting firm Taplow Consulting France has acquired Aptimen Managers, an interim management consultancy.
The acquisition comes after nearly a decade of the organizations working together to offer clients complementary services.
The addition of Aptimen gives Taplow Consulting France a 1,000-interim managers network and provides its clients with a global offering, combining executive search and interim management, said the Taplow Group, a London-based international executive search firm.
The new entity will offer greater flexibility to managers and executive management applicants in an ever-changing economic climate, said the Taplow Group.
“The integration of Aptimen Managers into the leader of executive search was inevitable,” said Taplow Group.
A Growing Business
Jean-Marc Bury, chairman of Taplow Consulting France; Stéphane Martinod, France managing partner of Taplow Consulting France; and Xavier de Lombarès, managing director of Aptimen Managers, formalized the acquisition earlier this month in Lyon.
Mr. de Lombarès will continue to support Taplow Consulting France for the next two years.
The agreement propels Taplow Consulting France into the top ranks of French interim management. With a €300 million turnover in 2016, the interim management market is growing strongly, up 27 percent in 2017, after a rise of 23 percent in 2016, said the Taplow Group.
International competition, new products, regulatory and digital changes demand rapid change. “Companies are facing successive different periods of change,” said Mr. Bury. “They will therefore need more leaders used to adjust themselves to recent changes in the market.”
Well-Established Firms
“We are increasingly using interim management, even in case of vacancy in the position,” said Mr. Bury. “Interim managers are one of the solutions to the talent shortage and help the manager to supervise specific long-term missions. Interim management also prefigures the evolution of labor law.”
Lyon-based Aptimen Managers was founded in 2010.
Taplow Consulting France was originally Richelieu Consultants, which was founded by Roland Roux de Chavanes in 1989. It became Taplow Consulting France in 2008. The firm has offices in Paris and Lyon. In addition to executive search, its services include HR consulting, a tailor-made development program, assessment and professional coaching. The industries it serves include fast-moving consumer goods, transportation, construction, automotive, life sciences, energy, high tech, retail, financial services, and others.
Taplow Consulting France is co-founder of the Taplow Group, which has more than 130 consultants worldwide. The Taplow Group has 33 offices in 22 countries, spanning 90 of all economic sectors. Its clients include SODIAAL, Saint Gobain, ENGIE, STEF, Boehringer Ingelheim, among many other leading companies.
Sidestepping Talent Gaps
According to a report released by CareerBuilder and Economic Modeling Specialists International, hiring temporary and contract employees can help businesses sidestep talent gaps and remain nimble. The study said that more companies will be tapping into this labor segment, with temporary employment expected to add 173,478 jobs from 2016 to the end of 2018 – an increase of 5.9 percent.
“Today, nearly three million people are employed in temporary jobs, and that number will continue to grow at a healthy pace over the next few years as companies strive to keep agile in the midst of changing market needs,” said Kyle Braun, president of CareerBuilder’s staffing and recruiting group. “Opportunities are opening up in a variety of occupations and pay levels, and this is a trend we’re seeing in a wide range of industries and company sizes.”
Massive Shift to Contract Employment Underway
By 2025, most workers (70 percent) and employers (68 percent) agree that a majority of the workforce will be employed in an “agile capacity” (i.e. contractor, consultant, temp worker or freelancer), according to a study released by Randstad US.
A separate report by CareerBuilder found that 47 percent of employers reported that they planned to hire temporary or contract workers this past year, up slightly from 46 percent last year. Of these employers, 58 percent plan to transition some temporary or contract workers into full-time, permanent roles.
“Temporary employment benefits both sides of the labor market,” said Mr. Braun. “Hiring temporary and contract workers helps companies stay flexible and adapt quickly to changing market demands. For workers, it opens doors for those who want to utilize various skills, build relationships with different organizations and explore career options.”
These figures coincide with similar findings by The Execu | Search Group. Its “Hiring Outlook: Strategies for Adapting to a Candidate-Driven Market” report found that 26 percent of hiring managers surveyed planned to increase hiring of temporary employees last year.
In addition, an Adecco study, “Definitive Guide to Building a Better Workforce,” found that 67 percent of companies use contingent labor to enhance their workforce and close talent gaps. The study surveyed 536 C-suite executives across the U.S. regarding the types of talent they need, skills that are most difficult to find, how they are using contingent labor and progressive recruiting methods to enhance their workforces, employee retention techniques and more.
The report found that 80 percent of employers agree that the U.S. skills gap is a real challenge, and it provides insights into how different companies conceptualize and address this gap in talent. Part of the reason for the increased use of temporary workers: Companies are having difficulty finding quality talent.
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
