Southwark-based global recruiter Rethink Group acquires Digital Gurus in a deal which is expected to boost Rethink’s turnover to £140m this year

Rethink Group has added the expertise of specialist digital recruitment agency, Digital Gurus to its portfolio in a deal that will take the company’s projected 2016 turnover to £140m, and global workforce to more than 200 client-facing consultants.

A recent study released by O2 predicts 766,000 new digital jobs will be created in the UK by 2020. In preparation of what could be an exacerbated digital skills’ shortage, this acquisition will address the hiring gap Rethink clients may face. Rethink Group CEO Steve Wright explained: “The convergence of traditional IT and the explosion of digital technology means that UK corporates must start planning to address the new digital skills demands that are forecast over the next four to five years.” 

According to Wright, Rethink will now provide existing clients with the full range of digital and analytic skills. 

Digital Gurus has a strong brand presence in London, Dubai and Sydney, and as part of the deal, will expand to other cities in the UK including Manchester, Birmingham and Bristol under the leadership of its original founders. 

“Ultimately it is a partnership which will bolster all our skills and will keep us all well ahead of the curve in advising our clients on the commercial digital revolution,” Farooq Mohammed, founder of Digital Gurus said.

The news comes less than a year after Rethink’s acquisition of Consort, an RPO talent management specialist that bolstered its presence in the financial and retail sectors. The subsidiary has now been successfully integrated into the group’s talent management brand, RTM; creating 15 per cent growth and increasing RTM’s turnover to £65m last year.

Wright expects this latest acquisition to have the same impact, concluding: “This acquisition enables us to extend and future-proof our approach to talent management, which will be of increasing importance as corporates wrestle with current and future skills demand.”

The Group now comprises a number of successful brands including RTM, ReThink Recruitment, Berkley and Digital Gurus.