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DRA, a regulatory services firm acquired Asked whether a further acquisition is the in 2021, moved the business up the value next lever, he keeps the ledger open.“ As for chain into solutions work that would have future acquisitions, you just never know!” taken years to build from scratch. Each deal was bigger than the last, and each Every pound, dollar and euro was made with the previous one’ s revenue The life sciences downturn was the stretch already banked. that tested it all. While much of the sector The 2022 purchase of R & D Partners cut deep, the operation held on to the was the most data-shaped wager of all. majority of its people and still grew 4 %“ At the time, most of our US staffing year on year through 2024 / 25, an outcome revenue came from permanent placements, Paul attributes to preparation rather than whereas R & D Partners generated around fortune, every pound, dollar and euro 85 % of its revenue from contract staffing,” watched on its way out the door. Paul says.“ The opportunity to create a
“ Cost management is important, but more balanced and resilient portfolio was simply cutting costs is rarely enough,” too good to pass up.” he says.“ Leaders must give people Deloitte’ s survey found that 63 % of CFOs confidence that there is a clear path expect greater M & A interest in 2026 than forward and demonstrate that the business in 2025. What separates Paul’ s game is is doing everything possible to emerge knowing when to stop. stronger. Excellent communication is also THE ACACIUM PLAYBOOK
The stopping came in October 2025, critical during periods of uncertainty.” when Hobson Prior was Paul folded’ s division into runs the on the trend. One back office serves all R & D Partners brand discipline, the back its office consultants from sell Ownership. three adds brands its own while pressure the sales teams finance to compliance Every merged prospective into a single recruiter Acacium is Group stay separate, one of the, free UK to’ s compete largest or operating model, and profiled the sales against teams the left characteristics healthcare collaborate staffing and as services the client businesses demands,. deliberately separate of, free the to firm compete’ s most successful belongs to the private equity firm Onex, or collaborate as the operators client demands, candidates. arrive and by Paul is Built candid to the that Thirst profitability shape: per concrete“ This approach gives recommendation us significant rather than head cold is the internal metric a practices sponsor watches stacked. in The one leverage across the group application while allowing, and no hire is signed division is back block in, closing growth on mode the and structural hiring clients to access the expertise off before and the specialist full cost of getting across it several logic regions. It condenses, he says, rather with the than knowledge of multiple wrong businesses, £ 500,000 through once ramp explicit time brief copies that growth the body and phrasing profitability, so can a single relationship,” and he lost says revenue. are counted move, has together sit in. the FOB without duplicating a been weighed against the revenue paragraph verbatim.
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