Unseen Group, the future talent partner for enterprise employers, has completed the acquisition of Early Careers recruitment business, The Ladder Group (TLG), and HR Tech advisory firm, The Udder Group (Udder) for an undisclosed sum.
The transactions bring Unseen’s total number of acquisitions to 13 and increase the Group’s workforce to more than 145 full-time equivalent employees globally. They come as Unseen sees strong growth in demand for tech leadership and recruitment services as employers navigate a rapidly advancing talent and HR technology market.
Zac Williams (pictured), CEO of Unseen Group, said: “Welcoming both The Ladder Group and Udder to Unseen is a huge moment for us. We have spent years building and acquiring hiring technology platforms, with our solutions supporting some of the world’s largest employers across every stage of the talent journey. These two acquisitions take that even further.”
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The acquisition of The Ladder Group strengthens Unseen’s presence in early careers and recruitment delivery. It comes at a crucial point in the graduate job landscape as employers report rising application volumes for entry-level roles, with research from the Institute of Student Employers (ISE) recording an average increase of 59%.
Zac added: “The Ladder Group is a specialist early careers recruitment business that has built a strong reputation for delivery and a genuine commitment to improving outcomes for emerging talent. We believe we can rapidly accelerate their great work in delivering talent programmes globally by bringing our technology solutions and assessment science into their work.”
Dan Ball, Founder of The Ladder Group, said: “I have always admired the ambition, values and culture that the Unseen team have built, so when we started thinking about the future of The Ladder Group, Unseen felt like its natural home. I am immensely proud of what our team has achieved, not just the business we have built, but the impact we have had on thousands of young people. None of this would have been possible without the dedication and belief of an exceptional team. Combining The Ladder Group’s expertise with Unseen’s technology platforms means we will be able to deliver even more innovative, end-to-end solutions for our clients while accelerating our impact.”
Udder expands Unseen’s commercial services into HR technology advisory and implementation. By combining vendor-agnostic advice with accredited expertise across a range of leading technology platforms, Udder supports employers through technology scoping, platform selection, implementation, integration, adoption, and optimisation.
Zac added: “Udder is really exciting because it allows us to meet clients wherever they are on their technology journey, whether that is implementing a new ATS, integrating software across the hiring process, or optimising what they already have.”
Alan Walker, Co-Founder of Udder, said: “We built Udder on the belief that organisations should be able to make big technology decisions with honest, independent advice, without jargon, noise or vested interests. What drew us to Unseen was a shared belief that technology should make hiring better and more human, as well as a real appreciation for what makes Udder different. Joining Unseen gives us the opportunity to bring what we do to more organisations, work alongside specialists across the wider talent journey, and create new opportunities for our people. It feels like a natural next step for Udder, and we are genuinely excited about what we can achieve together.”
With thirteen acquisitions now complete, Unseen Group spans a broad range of specialist capability, from people strategy and delivery through to assessment science, hiring technology, employer storytelling, and independent technology advisory.
Zac Williams concluded: “Supporting employers across every part of the talent journey has always been our goal, and with thirteen acquisitions now complete, we have the scale and breadth of capability to do that in a way that genuinely excites me. The Ladder Group and Udder are significant additions that strengthen and deepen our expertise, and both bring incredibly talented and skilled teams into the Group. As a business, we are here to build the futures not yet seen, and I have never felt more confident in our ability to do exactly that.”
Unseen was advised by JMW (Legal), Cowgills (FDD and Tax), Megabuyte (Commercial) with support from Pelican Capital and ThinCats.
