New Mountain Capital Acquires the International Talent Acquisition & Management Services Provider Alexander Mann Solutions for £260 Million

LONDON and NEW YORK, October 31, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

Alexander Mann Solutions (the "Company"), the world's leading talent acquisition and management business, and New Mountain Capital LLC ("New Mountain"), a leading private equity investor, are pleased to announce that New Mountain has signed an agreement to acquire Alexander Mann Solutions. The transaction is subject to EU Competition Commission approval.

New Mountain, a private equity firm which emphasises business building and growth, is investing alongside management who have a significant ownership stake in the Company.  New Mountain will support Alexander Mann Solutions to further develop their integrated offering of outsourcing and consultancy services which help international organisations to attract, engage and retain their people.

Alexander Mann Solutions was founded in 1996 by Rosaleen Blair who will remain as CEO, supported by her management team.

Rosaleen Blair said:

"This is an exciting day for the Alexander Mann Solutions team. New Mountain shares our conviction that human capital defines the ethos, culture and performance of business in the 21^st century.

"We have developed this business over the last 17 years and have become the number one provider of talent acquisition and management services globally. Our team chose New Mountain as our new partner because of their strong experience in the human resources services sector and commitment to business building. With New Mountain beside us, we look forward to extending our global footprint, particularly in North America, deepening our sector expertise and expanding our service offering to ensure our clients receive the most innovative and rewarding solutions for their organisation."

Mathew Lori, Managing Director at New Mountain Capital, said:

"We are firm believers in the critical importance of talent management and believe Alexander Mann Solutions' success is evidence of the industry-defining solution Rosaleen and her team have built.

"We believe in the strategy Alexander Mann Solutions has developed and are pleased to be investing alongside management to pursue a focused growth path.  We look forward to working closely with Rosaleen and her international team over the coming years and believe that through our partnership, Alexander Mann Solutions will not only continue to expand its services to clients, but will also create even more exciting career opportunities for many of their own team of professionals."  

Bal Dail, Managing Director at New Mountain Capital, said:

"New Mountain has been exploring investment opportunities in human resource services and I have known of Alexander Mann Solutions for many years through my experience as Co-CEO of Aon Hewitt and running other human resources businesses for Aon prior to joining New Mountain. We have a deep respect for the quality of the business and its employees, the culture of the organisation and the market leading position Alexander Mann Solutions has established. We are excited to support the Company through its next phase of growth."

Headquartered in central London, Alexander Mann Solutions has significant client presence in North America, Europe and Asia, operating in more than 75 countries and employing almost 2,000 people. The company supplies tailored talent acquisition and consulting services to multi-national companies. Alexander Mann Solutions has demonstrated strong growth over the last ten years and has approximately doubled since 2007.

New Mountain Capital is a growth-oriented private equity firm with a long history of backing high quality founders and management teams to execute growth strategies in carefully selected industries. The firm is based in New York and currently manages over $10 billion in assets.

New Mountain's support of Alexander Mann Solutions provides an opportunity for the company to accelerate this growth further by continuing to develop services that clients need to deliver efficiencies and excellence across the talent lifecycle.

Alexander Mann Solutions has been acquired from Graphite Capital, a specialist provider of private equity finance in the UK which has £1.7 billion under management.

About Alexander Mann Solutions

Alexander Mann Solutions is the world's leading provider of talent acquisition and management services.  It integrates outsourcing capability and consulting expertise to enable organisations to attract, engage and retain top talent.  Working with over 65 outsourcing clients and consulting to hundreds more, Alexander Mann Solutions acts as a trusted adviser across multiple industry sectors in over 75 countries.

Alexander Mann Solutions was founded in 1996 by Rosaleen Blair. Blair was named Veuve Cliquot Businesswoman of the Year in 2007. AMS was ranked number 18 in the Sunday Times' Top Track 250 that ranks Britain's leading mid-market private companies with the biggest sales.

Alexander Mann Solutions' work is all about people - doing the best by its employees, clients and candidates is central to the firm's philosophy that people are the foundation for success.

Delighting customers is the key to Alexander Mann Solutions' success. The HRO Today Baker's Dozen Customer Satisfaction metric is the number one indicator of success.  The company is set to build on its recent success in the United States and Asia, while enhancing the services it provides at every stage of the talent lifecycle in Europe.

For more information please visit http://www.alexandermannsolutions.com

About New Mountain Capital LLC

New Mountain Capital is a New York based private equity firm that emphasises business building and growth, rather than debt, as it pursues long-term capital appreciation.  The firm currently manages private and public equity funds with over $10 billion in aggregate capital commitments.  New Mountain seeks out what it believes to be the highest quality growth leaders in carefully selected industry sectors and then works intensively with management to build the value of these companies.  All of New Mountain Capital's efforts emphasise intensive fundamental research and a focus on growth and investor "value added", rather than reliance on excessive risk, as the best path to high and consistent long-term returns. For more information on New Mountain Capital, please visit http://www.newmountaincapital.com.

SOURCE Alexander Mann Solutions