Global talent acquisition company acquires its best hire yet

October 2007

Global talent expert First Advantage Corporation has acquired pre-employment screening specialist R. E. Austin Ltd; adding muscle to First Advantage's European offering. Founded 20 years ago by managing director Ron Austin, focusing specifically on the financial services sector in the U.K, R.E. Austin's expertise in this area means First Advantage Europe will be in the position of being able to offer customers a highly developed 'end to end' talent acquisition solution.

Until recently, First Advantage Europe's core business provided state-of-the-art e-recruitment systems, including applicant tracking, skills and behavioural assessments which bring significant cost and time savings and improved efficiency to the recruitment process. With R.E. Austin's acquisition, First Advantage Europe can boast pre-employment screening as another crucial management tool available to recruiters, supporting them through this increasingly complex HR function.

The City of London sits at the heart of Europe as the epicentre of banking, investment management and insurance businesses. Companies trading in stock, shares, equities and resources need to ensure that they recruit top notch staff. This recruitment process needs to work within an established, legal framework - in compliance with FSA regulations - to attract, recruit and retain the best talent in the world.

First Advantage Europe's acquisition of one of the largest pre-employment screening companies in the UK, commanding an estimated 20 percent share of the local financial services market means an enhanced ability to serve employers in these highly competitive markets. It can also serve clients in the information technology, telecommunications, and a variety of other industries where quality of hire is imperative.

First Advantage president and CEO Anand Nallathambi said: "Globalisation is a growing trend and organisations need to attract the best candidates with the skills to perform at a global level. The acquisition of R.E. Austin completes the circle providing a crucial element of the recruitment process for our clients. The acquisition is also an important step in our international strategy; First Advantage is committed to achieving market leadership in Europe as we already have done in Asia, Pacific and the US."

Mark Cowie, head of resourcing for Schroders Investment Management, said: "As a long-standing client of R.E. Austin, I was very excited to hear that it has become part of First Advantage. For us, pre-employment screening is an incredibly important part of our recruitment process; all of our candidates are thoroughly screened. We now have the assurance that we are working with a leader in all aspects of talent acquisition and additionally we will benefit from First Advantage's global reach and expertise in this sector. This is a very strong offering for recruiters."

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