ePunkt acquires Talentor

Human resources consultancy undertakes massive internationalisation by means of acquisition Linz/Vienna, 31 January 2013. ePunkt, one of Austrias Top 3 human resources consultancies and distinguished with the Great Place to Work Award in 2012, is to acquire the Talentor Group. The purchase agreement was concluded in Malm on 25 January for an undisclosed price. Talentor is a human resources consultancy with operations in 15 European countries. Thanks to the acquisition, ePunkt now offers its clients a comprehensive international network that is optimally suited to provide local, regional and international human resources consultation. Founded by Fredrik Sundell and Mika Nevasuo in Helsinki in 2006, the Talentor Group is a European-wide human resources consultancy. The company is based in Helsinki and has a workforce of round 100 employees at its offices in 15 Northern and Eastern European countries. The Group generates revenues amounting to between 8 and 9 million euros annually. Due to the acquisition, the headquarters of the new company will be moved to Vienna. Michael Sarsteiner will assume the management of ePunkt Talentor International GmbH, which is a 100% subsidiary of ePunkt Internet Recruiting GmbH. Thomas Secher, CEO of the Talentor Group: Originally, we were only looking for a strong hub in Austria to be able to further expand our business in Central and Eastern Europe. ePunkt, one of Austrias largest human resources consultancies was the ideal candidate. It quickly became evident, though, that an acquisition by ePunkt would be better in the long run for both companies, and for our clients, too.

ePunkt: Growth through internationalisation ePunkt benefits from the acquisition in many ways. The geographic presence of the company, which has been represented by altogether seven offices in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, will instantly expand significantly. The number of employees (ePunkt has had 70 employees) will more than double and the business will acquire additional potential. By means of the acquisition, which was completely equity-financed, and the further development of the international business, we would like to drive our growth in a targeted manner. Talentor is a perfect match for ePunkt, since Talentor is also focused on recruiting and, like us, does its core business on the basis of standardised, software-supported processes. It is our goal to offer both our services and our eRecruiter applicant management software to the international market, which we can ensure optimally with our comprehensive presence in Northern, Central and

Eastern Europe. At the same time, we will continue to expand our network. We plan to open new locations in Germany, Italy and Croatia this year. Slovakia, France and Turkey are also being considered, explained Michael Sarsteiner, CEO of ePunkt Talentor International. Benefits for clients The acquisition means numerous advantages for the clients of both companies. They have a closely co-operating international network at their disposal that not only offers local support, but can also undertake international personnel searches in the quality they are accustomed to. In addition, the new company possesses knowhow and experience in a wide variety of fields.

Employee count will rise As ePunkt intends to expand its international network quickly, the number of employees will already begin to increase in 2013. The ePunkt and Talentor brands will be continued in parallel for the time being. As part of the integration, first regional clusters, as well as sector focus groups, will be created and should take optimal advantage of the business potential by means of close co-operation and consultation.

Copyright: ePunkt

Information about ePunkt Internet Recruiting GmbH

ePunkt is one of Austrias Top 3 human resources consultancies and is specialised in the search and selection of experts and executives, in particular in the fields of business, engineering and IT. The company was founded in 2000. Daniel Marwan holds a 67.2% share and there are three other partners. ePunkt achieved revenues of 10.8 million euros in 2012, and revenues amounting to 22 million euros are anticipated for ePunkt and ePunkt Talentor International in 2013. The recruiting specialist currently has 70 employees at five locations in Austria (Vienna, Linz, Graz, Salzburg and Klagenfurt), as well as one office in Germany (Hanover) and Switzerland (Zurich), respectively.

Contact details:

ePunkt Internet Recruiting GmbH Mag. Sabine Steiner Head of Marketing OK Platz 1a 4020 Linz T: +43 (0)732 611 221 -26 F: +43 (0)732 611 221 -20 eMail: sabine.steiner@epunkt.net www.epunkt.net