The Q Works Group is Acquired by Veteran Search Consultant
May 25, 2018 – Acquisitions continue to make news in the recruiting industry, with a number of notable purchases playing out this year. The Q Works Group Inc., an affiliate of MRINetwork, was recently acquired by veteran search consultant Michael Clegg. Financial terms of the deal were undisclosed. Joe Woerner, the founder and previous president of Q Works, retired after 16 years running the firm.
Q Works provides executive placements globally in the lightning, automotive and manufacturing/building industries. Founded in 2002, the firm operates offices in Charlotte and Greenville, NC, and recruits for both U.S. and international companies. It has partnered with more than 50 European-owned firms, particularly in the German market.
Mr. Clegg has nearly 20 years of experience in the search industry. Most recently, he was VP of the southeast region for Eliassen Group. Before that, he led executive search projects as managing director with Kforce.
“We look forward to taking the business to the next level as we leverage the current team and incorporate new strategies, including consultant staffing services,” said Mr. Clegg. “We also plan to expand the offerings with our current clients and add healthcare and technology expertise.”
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:
StevenDouglas Acquires Technology-Focused Boutique
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.
London-headquartered Marlin Hawk has acquired Winter Circle, the invitation-only digital network for senior executives. The two firms will create the Marlin Hawk Group which will provide an array of talent solutions to help empower internal executive search teams through technology.
London-based Sheffield Haworth acquired Gillamor Stephens, a digital and technology sector recruiting specialist. The firm’s work focuses on hiring board-level executives for both publicly listed and venture capital/private equity backed technology businesses in the U.K. and across Europe.
ZRG Partners Acquires Epsen Fuller Group
ZRG Partners acquired certain assets of the Epsen Fuller Group. As part of the agreement, Thomas Fuller, formerly the managing partner and CEO of Epsen Fuller Group, is joining ZRG as managing director & global practice leader for the firm’s consumer sector.
McDermott & Bull Acquires Prime-Core Executive Search
McDermott & Bull has acquired Denver-based Prime-Core Executive Search. Ken Dropiewski, as a result, joins the firm as a principal consultant in the sciences group, specializing in the med-tech space.
Koya Leadership Partners Acquires Rework
Non-profit search specialist Koya Leadership Partners has acquired New York-based recruitment firm ReWork and its sourcing platform technology. ReWork co-founder and CEO Abe Taleb joins Koya as a vice president.
Russell Reynolds Associates Acquires Zygos Partnership
Russell Reynolds Associates acquired London-based Zygos Partnership, a U.K.-based board and CEO advisory firm. Founded by Julia Budd in 2002, Zygos Partnership specializes in the appointment of chief executives, chairmen, chief financial officers and non-executive directors for listed companies or …
Vaco Acquired by Private Equity Firm
Executive search firm Vaco was acquired by Stamford, CT-based private equity firm Olympus Partners. Founded in 2002 by Jerry Bostelman, Jay Hollomon, and Brian Waller, Vaco partnered with its first private equity partner, Quad-C Management, three years ago.
DES Recruitment and Miramar Global Executive Search Merge
DES Recruitment merged with U.K.-based Miramar Global Executive Search. John Hodge, founder and managing partner of DES Recruitment, became managing partner for Miramar. Miramar Global has forged a reputation serving U.S. multinationals in the Americas as well as across EMEA and Asia.
Heidrick & Struggles to Acquire Amrop Denmark
Heidrick & Struggles entered into an agreement to acquire Amrop Denmark. The deal is estimated at $8.4 million, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All five Amrop Denmark partners joined Heidrick’s Copenhagen office.
Prodigy Sports Acquires Ascension Sports Partners
Freehold, NJ-based Prodigy Sports, a nationwide leader in top-level sports recruiting, acquired Ascension Sports Partners, a boutique search firm led by veteran recruiter Dan Rossetti. Financial terms of the deal were undisclosed.
DHR International Acquires Boutique Search Firm Cooper+Logan
DHR International acquired boutique executive search firm COOPER+LOGAN. With the addition of two new managing partners, the acquisition strengthened DHR’s retail/fashion industry and functional expertise.
Ward Howell Continues U.S. Expansion With Acquisition
Global recruiter Ward Howell International acquired Curran Partners, a Stamford, CT-based executive search firm with a concentration in the life sciences, among other sectors it serves. Founded in 1989, Curran Partners became the U.S. member of ECI Group, an international network, in 2003.
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