Kernel Global founder announces investment and partnership with THCP

THCP’s investment will be used to fund CEO and founder Logan Naidu’s ambitious growth plans, centred on building out Kernel Global’s multi-brand platform via both organic growth and acquisition. Kernel Global (“Kernel” or the “Group”) will receive an investment from Three Hills Capital Partners (“THCP”). The proceeds from THCP’s preferred capital instrument will be used to support CEO and founder Logan Naidu’s ambitious growth plans, centred on continuing to build the Group’s multi-brand platform through both M&A and organic growth. In return for its investment, THCP will hold a significant minority stake in the business. Kernel is a platform that invests in and operates high-potential recruitment businesses globally. It was recently ranked by the FT as one of the fastest growing companies in Europe. Today it comprises two key brands.

• Dartmouth Partners, an award-winning recruitment consultancy that is the market leader within advisory and investment markets. Niches include, M&A, Credit, Private Equity, Strategy, CFO and Finance HR, Investor relations and Change, with an industry-unique ‘Classroom to Boardroom’ approach. The firm continues to experience strong growth; in 2022 65% of the roles placed into PE-backed businesses were senior and C-Suite hires and continues to support diversity hires, with females accounting for 54% of the total placements across its core private equity portfolio practice.
• Pure Search is a global market leader with more than 20 years’ experience across the Tax & Treasury, Legal, CFO, Audit, and Risk & Compliance recruitment niches. Its track record includes placing 30% of the current sitting Heads of Tax among the FTSE 100 and across discipline, supports some of the best-known global brands within the financial services, commerce and professional services sectors on the identification and hiring of exceptional talent and future leaders.

Kernel is well established as a sector specialist with over 280 employees and a deep network of more than 260,000 candidates, serving over 900 clients. CEO and founder Logan Naidu is an experienced entrepreneur with a strong track record of leadership in recruitment, having founded Dartmouth Partners in 2012. In parallel to the acquisition of Pure Search in 2019, Kernel Global was established to enable his vision of a multi-brand, multi-niche, high-quality recruitment platform. Logan Naidu, CEO and Founder of Kernel said: “Over the last 10 years we have cemented our position as the go-to partner for our clients to find the very best people in financial, professional services, and high-growth aspirational companies. Through our various conversations we quickly saw THCP as the ideal partner to back us through our next stage of growth. THCP will accelerate our development and our own M&A and integration experience. With their support, we look forward to continuing to add trusted brands to our ecosystem, in addition to organically building out new recruitment niches to support our clients achieve the best outcomes when it comes to hiring the best talent”. Financial and professional recruitment services represent an addressable market of c.£8 billion globally, with Kernel already a specialised and trusted partner in the most active middle-career segment of the industry.

The recruitment sector remains highly fragmented, with more than 40,000 firms active in the UK alone, presenting a significant opportunity for consolidation. The partnership with THCP will enable the Group’s leadership to combine their demonstrable experience integrating acquisitions into the Kernel platform with THCP’s track-record of supporting M&A within businesses it partners with. Arjan Blok, Investment Director at Three Hills Capital Partners said: “Partnering with Kernel is an exciting opportunity for us to further cement and underpin the continued growth of a successful business model within a highly attractive industry that can benefit from disruption. We look forward to working with Logan and his team to help realise their plan to continue Kernel’s journey from a sizeable player to a diversified global market leader across multiple industry specialisms.”