Quercus is pleased to announce that it has advised the shareholders and management of Hunter Healthcare Resourcing Ltd, a fast-growing healthcare and life sciences recruitment business, on a management buy-out supported by Agathos Management LLP. The Quercus team was led by Ed Groome.

Hunter Healthcare is a London-headquartered, specialist healthcare recruitment business that places interim and permanent candidates into roles in the NHS, private healthcare and life science sectors. Hunter is known for its niche sector focus, high calibre candidates, depth of market knowledge, and the strength of its relationships with clients.

Hunter has developed an exceptional position in healthcare recruitment for non-clinical roles, with revenues growing to £44m in the current financial year. Agathos’s investment will facilitate the management buy-out of Hunter Healthcare and support the senior leadership team in delivering ambitious growth plans.

Charles Oakshett, Partner at Agathos, commented: “We are delighted to be partnering with Ben, Damian and the team at Hunter. The business has consistently delivered an excellent service to clients seeking to attract the best talent in the market, and as a result has achieved rapid growth. We see an opportunity for Hunter to build its core business with its existing clients and candidates whilst also breaking into new, growing markets.”

Discussing the outcome of the transaction, Ben James, CEO, said:

“We were in a fortunate position to have choice in who our private-equity partner could be, and it was clear early on that Agathos’s values, business ethics, operational experience and their genuine interest in our needs set them apart. We have worked incredibly hard to build Hunter to the business it has become, and we are hugely excited about what our exceptional team can deliver over the coming years as we pursue continued domestic and international growth along with personal choice for our employees and shareholders. We’re delighted to be joining forces with Charles, Will and the wider Agathos team.”

Ed Groome, leading the transaction for Quercus, commented:

“I’m delighted with the outcome of this process, for both the exiting shareholders and the management team who are going on to partner with Agathos for the next stage of their exciting growth journey. To echo Ben’s comments, we were pleased to have choice in the private equity sponsor to back Ben and the team, and I’m sure that Agathos will prove to be an excellent partner. It’s been a pleasure working with the Hunter team throughout the process and I wish them well for the next chapter.”

Commenting on Quercus’ role in the process, Gavin Johnstone, founder of Hunter Healthcare, said:

“We selected Quercus to advise us on this process due to their experience working with SMEs and particularly in the recruitment sector. Ed and the team guided us through the transaction process and his knowledge and experience were a key factor in ensuring a successful outcome, which all the shareholders are delighted with.”