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Pauwels Consulting acquires Akros Solutions

10 Oct 2017
Ghent, 10 October 2017. Pauwels Consulting, the Belgian engineering, life sciences and IT consultancy company, is proud to announce the acquisition of Akros Solutions, the Belgian IT recruitment and consultancy firm with offices in Brussels.

Akros Solutions was founded in 2009 by Sebastian Jacquin and Amélie Alleman. In the past 8 years, Akros Solutions has established itself as one of the leaders in the Brussels IT recruitment and consultancy market.

This acquisition will help us strengthen our position in Brussels and Wallonia and create new opportunities for our consultants and freelancers. We had a short interview with Bert Pauwels, Sebastian Jacquin and Amélie Alleman.

Bert, Sebastian and Amélie, congratulations on this new partnership! Could you please introduce yourself?

Amélie: Sure. My name is Amélie. After college, I started working at an American staffing company as a junior recruiter. I liked my job, but after a while, I wanted to go one step further.

In 2008, I started thinking about starting my own firm. I wanted to do things differently. I wanted to bring more added value and personality to the game. As a result, in 2009, Sebastian and I quit our jobs and we started Akros Solutions.

Sebastian: My name is Sebastian. I was born in England. I have done many different jobs in my life. I have had my own small restaurant, I have worked in sales and at a certain moment I ended up at the same staffing firm as Amélie.

Gradually, I moved up the corporate ladder to office manager, European team leader and European director. I  managed our offices in Brussels, Amsterdam, Eindhoven, Germany and very briefly in Paris. I had a great time but in 2009 it was time for a change. I wanted to start a business of my own again.

Bert: My name is Bert. I have been in the game since 1999, when I started Pauwels Consulting as an IT recruitment and consultancy company. In 2004 and 2005, we expanded our focus to engineering and life sciences recruitment and consulting respectively.

Apart from work, I like sports, spending time with my family, and a combination of both. I am an avid runner and I try to motivate as many people as possible to live a healthy and sporty life, a.o. by sponsoring events such as the Pauwels Consulting Ghent Marathon on October 28th.

Could you please explain the activities of your companies?

Amélie: Akros Solutions is an IT recruitment and consultancy firm. It is our job to find the right people and the best staffing solutions for our clients in various industries. It has always been our mission to become the leading firm in the Brussels IT consultancy and recruitment market.

Sebastian: We have always offered permanent recruitment and contract recruitment services. Nowadays, staffing companies often focus on one form of recruitment or technology. We deliberately chose to deliver both types of staffing solutions and to focus on good relationships with our clients instead. We take our time to truly understand our clients’ needs and demands, and to advise our clients regardless of the return for us.

akros acquisition by pauwels consulting
Why this approach?

Sebastian: When we started, we were too small to throw around resumes in the market. Obviously, we didn’t want to do this either. We wanted to add a genuine personal touch to our business instead.

There is a human being with wishes and ambitions behind every cv. It is not just our job to find IT consultants for our clients’ projects… it is our job to make sure that our candidates and clients get along and that they both feel and stay happy at work.

What about Pauwels Consulting, Bert?

Bert: We have the same focus and values at Pauwels Consulting. We want to be more than just a staffing agency; we want to deliver honest advice and great service to both our clients and our consultants. We always focus on long-term relationships. It is the best policy for healthy growth.

Amélie, when and why did you decide to start looking for a partner?

Amélie: This idea first popped up in January 2016. Sebastian and I have always loved our work at Akros Solutions, but we felt that it was time for the next step. Hence our decision to look for an experienced company with ambitious management that can help Akros Solutions get to the next level.

We had our first meeting with Pauwels Consulting in March or April that year, et voilà, here we are. This merger will help us take the next step in our growth and it will help us serve our clients in more areas than before.

This brings me to my next question: why did you choose for Pauwels Consulting?

Sebastian: Because we like Bert (laughs). No, all jokes aside, Amélie and I felt an instant connection with Bert and his team. We still have big dreams and ambitions for Akros Solutions, so we were looking for an experienced and ambitious partner with a healthy firm and a clear vision. We look forward to continuing our growth with the help of Bert and the Pauwels Consulting group.

pauwels consulting acquires akros solutions

Bert, why did you choose to enter this partnership?

Bert: Since our partnership with 3D Investments in January 2016 we focus on organic growth and growth through strategic acquisitions. We are always on the lookout for dynamic recruitment and consultancy firms with smart and ambitious management. Sebastian Jacquin and Amélie Alleman bring a lot of experience, a strong network and a clear vision to the table.

In addition, Akros Solutions has a great reputation and their IT specialties and customer base are complementary to ours. Pauwels Consulting is very active as an IT recruitment and consultancy company in Flanders, but not so much in Brussels and Wallonia. This merger will help us strengthen our position as IT recruitment and consultancy company in Brussels and Wallonia, and it will help us to reach new clients.

Amélie and Sebastian, will this merger change things for your consultants and clients?

Amélie: I only see benefits. If anything, this merger will help us serve our clients even better. We will no doubt benefit from the network, know-how and internal processes of Pauwels Consulting. This will make it easier for us to find ‘hard-to-find’ consultants for our clients in a limited amount of time.

Sebastian: I also see many opportunities for our consultants. Pauwels Consulting invests in knowledge growth and knowledge sharing between their consultants. Our consultants will enter a vibrant network of over 600 consultants and clients we haven’t worked for yet. Great career opportunities ahead!

Sounds great. Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers?

Bert: I am very happy with this merger. Not only because of the benefits for our clients, consultants and business, but also because I have a knack for smart, dynamic and ambitious people. I am very sure this partnership will be very successful.

Sebastian: I think there is nothing left to say (laugh). Evidently, I agree with Bert and Amélie. And should you (or the reader) have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to give us a call. We look forward to answering all the questions you may have.

Bert, Sebastian and Amélie, thank you very much for this interview and all the best with this new partnership.

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