The SR Group Launches Keller West to Help Secure Senior IT Talent
September 18, 2023 – Global search company The SR Group has launched a specialist IT consultancy, Keller West, to drive the acquisition of senior IT talent. The new brand will initially focus on the DACH region, coming at a critical time for the German economy and the future development of its IT sector. Plans are already underway to further deploy the brand across the group’s global office network.
At the end of 2022, Germany had a shortage of 137,000 IT professionals according to technology trade body, Bitkom. The same study found that it takes an average of seven months to fill a vacant IT role, highlighting the scale of the challenges faced by businesses in the DACH region. “With the German economy facing a number of strong headwinds, technology offers a path to growth and greater competitiveness,” said Alex Gerritsen, head of Keller West. “Whether we’re talking about reducing costs, improving the customer experience, opening up new revenue streams, or some other strategic priority, the smart deployment of technology is going to be key. At a time of industry talent shortages, Keller West arrives to match outstanding candidates with rewarding careers.”
Mr. Gerritsen has over 20 years in the recruitment industry and previous experience in launching and growing recruitment brands in Germany and other European markets. He is a partner in The SR Group’s Dusseldorf office and the head of DACH for all of The SR Group brands in the region (Brewer Morris, Carter Murray, Frazer Jones, and Taylor Root). He is responsible for leading the teams in Dusseldorf and Frankfurt and building the brand of The SR Group across the region.
“Introducing an IT-focused brand to The SR Group stable is going to be hugely beneficial for business customers, candidates, and the wider IT sector,” said Mr. Gerritsen. “The SR Group ethos prizes quality rather than quantity, and this applies across Keller West’s operations — in the specialized, international, exclusively-mandated roles we help clients to fill, and in our focus on professional, attentive customer service. For businesses looking to bring on experienced IT talent, they get the benefit of working with seasoned consultants with a deep understanding of the sector and its rapidly changing requirements. For candidates, thanks to the commercial relationships of The SR Group’s other brands, they get access to a wider pool of potential employers at domestic and international businesses.”
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The SR Group is a global search and recruitment company comprising specialist search and recruitment consultancies Brewer Morris, Carter Murray, Frazer Jones, and Taylor Root. Combined, its brands recruit across all the corporate functions including tax, treasury, senior finance, legal, risk, compliance, marketing, sales, and HR. The new Keller West brand sits alongside these other consultancies. The SR Group has placed more than 15,000 employees into some of the largest businesses across more than 55 markets.
Recent Refinancing
In June, The SR Group announced a refinancing of the business supported by Eurazeo and longstanding private equity partner, Baird Capital. The funds raised as part of this refinancing have been used to repay founder shareholder and institutional debt and equity, the net result of which has been to position group management as majority shareholders in the business. Baird Capital will continue to be a significant shareholder in the business.
The SR Group Opens Second Office in the U.S.
The SR Group has expanded its U.S. presence with the opening of a new office in Orlando, FL. The new office will be led by Brewer Morris executive director Jack Hart but can support clients and candidates from across all The SR Group’s three brands present in the U.S. – Brewer Morris, Frazer Jones and Taylor Root. “The launch of the office in Orlando is a significant step in the growth of The SR Group across the U.S., particularly in the Southeast,” the company said. “We are delighted to be expanding The SR Group and our three specialist brands with the opening of our Orlando office – a reflection of the great success of our first U.S. office based out of New York,” said Barrie Sanderson, partner and head of The SR Group, North America. “We have experienced significant growth across the teams in the last 18 months, tripling our U.S.-based headcount. I’m looking forward to seeing how The SR Group can continue to support clients and candidates across the region with the added advantage of now having a physical presence in the Southeast. This is a major milestone for us and will be the catalyst to further expansion across the country in the next few years.”
“Given strong performance and expansion over several years and with exciting plans for further growth and development, this is a fantastic opportunity to position the business for the future and to welcome more of our management group as shareholders,” said David Buckley, CEO of The SR Group. “This transaction, completed as it has been in challenging market conditions, would not have been possible without the continued support of Baird Capital and Eurazeo. Both have been incredibly supportive partners in the past and will continue to be in the future.”
“Baird Capital has enjoyed supporting The SR Group in achieving its ambitious growth plans and aspirations to date and we look forward to continuing to support David and the wider SR Group team going forwards,” said Dennis Hall, partner and global head of portfolio operations at Baird Capital.
Related: Frazer Jones Appoints Head of U.K.
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
