BGF-backed education recruiter makes first acquisition in London

Operam Education Group, the education recruitment specialist supported by BGF, has made its first acquisition in London. The acquisition of Central London-based Horizon Teachers was funded by HSBC, with BGF providing strategic support.

Horizon Teachers is an education recruitment agency that provides teachers and support staff to primary, secondary and special schools across London and the South East. This deal, the eighth in Operam’s ‘buy and build’ growth strategy, significantly expands the company’s presence in the South East as it looks to expand beyond the North and Midlands.

Operam is headquartered in Barnsley with operations in Liverpool and has acquired Provide Education, The Education Specialists, Teachers UK, Key Stage Teacher Supply, First for Education, Bridge Education and Provision Recruitment to date.

Operam chief executive Eddie Austin (pictured above) said: “The acquisition of Horizon Teachers is an important step forward as the business confidently enters its next phase of growth. Over the past seven years we have built a strong platform that has enabled us to acquire highly complementary businesses that give us strength and depth – both from a sector and geographical perspective.”

Austin continued: “The sector has grown exponentially over the last 30 years. However, employment remains a real issue for our education clients and we are committed to helping address this. Our delivery workforce wants choice and flexibility – not just in the workplace but in the environment in which they work. We can give them that choice, especially as we grow the group through strategic acquisitions such as Horizon.”

Horizon Teachers was founded in 2008 by Matt Hill and Nancy McDonnell, who said the deal was “an opportunity to build on the successes of the Horizon Teachers brand and accelerate the company’s growth.”

BGF investor Rob Johnson said the strategy of buying and building Operam, complemented by strong organic growth, had enabled the group to build “an excellent reputation in the market, while implementing robust systems and processes that enable the group to deliver on its growth ambitions”.

Johnson added that the acquisition of Horizon Teachers puts Operam in a “strong position to compete nationally and enable them to partner with large education groups as they seek further growth.”

HSBC’s chief customer officer, Ross Mather, said the deal was a “key milestone” for Operam, expanding its geographic reach and enabling it to “support the education ecosystem in London and the Home Counties”.

Learn more about the trends that are defining M&A in the UK recruitment sector

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