M2 Education Ltd, one of the North of England’s leading education staffing businesses, has been acquired by an international private equity backed organisation to support its continued growth and utilisation of new technology.
M2 Education Ltd, which was founded by Mark Birnie and Melissa Kumar, has been purchased by Sweden-based strategic acquirer Humly. This transaction marks Humly’s fifth UK acquisition as it strengthens its position in the education recruitment sector.
M2, which has offices in Newcastle and Preston, places teachers, teaching assistants, and tutors on a permanent and temporary basis into primary, secondary and Special Education Needs (SEND) establishments. In terms of geography, the business focuses on three regions, Newcastle, Cumbria and Lancashire.
Humly is a tech-focused education staffing company, which helps schools access skilled and qualified teachers and teaching assistants utilising an efficient, automated platform.
As a result of the acquisition, Humly will overlay its technology into M2 Education’s operations to serve existing and new clients to enhance overall user experience and increase efficiencies for both education establishments and candidates.
The business will be run, day to day, by its existing experienced management team, working in close collaboration with Humly. The founders will remain with the business for a defined handover period prior to their exit.
Advising the founders on the sale of M2 Education was Newcastle-based RG Corporate Finance, led by Partner and Head of Corporate Finance, Carl Swansbury, supported by CF Manager, Adam Tindale, and CF Executive, Ben Kain.
Legal advice was provided by Durham-based Swinburne Maddison LLP, led by Corporate and Commercial Partner, Craig Malarkey, with tax advice from MHA Moor and Smalley.
Financial Due Diligence was undertaken on behalf of Humly by BDO with legal advice from White & Black Solicitors.
Mark Birnie said: “We are exceptionally proud of the position we have carved out in the education staffing sector, generating strong relationships with both candidates and schools to deliver high-quality, compliance focused services and solutions. There are lots of synergies between M2 and Humly and we are confident that its international market experience and technology will help accelerate M2’s growth.”
Alex Shanks, Head of M&A & Integration at Humly, said: “M2 Education is an ideal addition to our UK portfolio of education staffing businesses. Mark, Melissa and the management team have built a solid, dynamic business, which will benefit further from the introduction of our intuitive and effective technology solutions alongside being part of our network.”
Carl Swansbury, Partner and Head of Corporate Finance at RGCF, said: “Humly is a highly respected international, PE-backed business in the sector and will bring added value and technological advances to M2 Education. This transaction not only demonstrates RGCF’s ability and knowledge of the education staffing sector, but also our expertise in advising on the sale of UK businesses to PE-backed, international acquirers. I look forward to seeing M2 Education continue to go from strength to strength, as part of Humly.”