ZRG Acquires Ignata Finance Group, London-Based Staffing and Recruiting Firm

NEW YORK and LONDON, March 05, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — ZRG, one of the world’s most rapidly growing global talent advisory firms, today announced its acquisition of Ignata Finance Group, a UK-based executive search & finance recruitment business.

Founded in 2017, Ignata has become a go-to partner for VC, PE, and listed organizations seeking Chief Financial Officers and their teams.

“We continue our commitment to build a world-class business, employing passionate consultants that are experts in their fields. The partnership with ZRG marks a pivotal moment in our global expansion,” said Ignata founder Ben Searls. “By joining forces with ZRG, we are not only enhancing our C-suite capabilities but also broadening our reach internationally.”

“Partnering with Ignata will enable our European growth strategy both in private equity but across our shared global customers, especially in the UK,” said Larry Hartmann, CEO of ZRG. “Adding Ignata to the family of ZRG companies puts us another step closer to true global talent advisory.”

The Ignata opportunity came from within James Caan’s Recruitment Entrepreneur investment portfolio which helps entrepreneurs scale recruiting businesses.

The sale to ZRG is another example of an entrepreneur coming through Caan’s stable, which has achieved an outstanding result in creating an amazing business that is now embarking on its next chapter.

“We are really proud of what Ben has achieved and wish him every success within ZRG,” said James (now a board Director at ZRG).

ZRG is one of the fastest growing firms in the global talent industry. In 2021, ZRG added London-based executive search firm Walter James (Dec. 2021); Brimstone Consulting Group (Dec. 2021); Walking The Talk, a leading culture consulting firm (July 2021); and Sucherman Group, the top advisory firm for media and entertainment companies around the world (June 2021). ZRG’s organic growth continues across the UK, EU, and Middle East in retained search, on-demand talent solutions, and consulting.

About Ignata Finance
Based in the UK, Ignata Finance is a leading executive search & finance recruitment business renowned for its bespoke talent solutions tailored to meet the unique needs of clients across diverse industries. Launched in 2017, Searls quickly added his wife, Vikki (to run the Interim practice) and biggest competitor, Steve Revill as co-founders & equity partners. Backed by private equity firm, Hamilton Bradshaw, Ignata Finance is focused on a diverse array of sectors, both within the UK and in Europe, encompassing listed companies, private equity, and venture capital-backed enterprises, as well as high-growth start-ups and owner-managed firms. The business has a significant focus on retail, e-commerce, FMCG, technology, leisure, hospitality, professional services, industrial, renewable energy, telecoms, property, construction, facilities management, and oil & gas.

About ZRG
ZRG is a global talent advisory firm that is changing the way companies hire and manage talent. ZRG’s data-driven approach to executive and professional search has been changing the way clients think about how to find top talent. The company’s digital Zi platform combines talent intelligence, candidate insights, and process improvement to dramatically deliver executive searches quicker and with proven better results.

Today, with the help of private equity investor RFE Investment Partners, ZRG is among the fastest growing firms in the search industry and provides a full suite of retained search, on-demand talent, and consulting and advisory solutions across the Americas, Asia, Europe, and Australia.

About RFE Investment Partners
Founded in 1979, RFE Investment Partners is a private equity investor with a long-standing small buyout heritage and a time-tested strategy for growing businesses. RFE equips companies with the capabilities and resources to scale by leveraging the extensive operational expertise, financial acumen, and broad business network of the RFE team. 

Through over seventy-five small buyout transactions, RFE has consistently guided portfolio companies through multiple business cycles while driving value creation. RFE invested in ZRG Partners in December 2018, providing the tools and guidance needed to expand the capabilities and product offerings of the company, as well as grow the business on an international scale.

Contact: John Mooney, Over the Moon PR, (908) 720-6057, john@overthemoonpr.com