John Allen and the White & Black Corporate Team recently advised client Humly, the UK’s leading digital marketplace of supply teachers, on its acquisition of H2 a specialist teaching agency that places Supply Teachers, Cover Supervisors, Tutors, Teaching Assistants, Nursery Nurses, and other supply staff for schools and other educational establishments across the North of England.

M2 places teachers, teaching assistants and tutors on a permanent and temporary basis into primary, secondary and special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) establishments.

This acquisition marks Humly’s fifth in the UK and will fortify its stance in the education recruitment domain. 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. This acquisition signifies Humly’s ambitious expansion goals in the UK, giving educators more autonomy and expanding its influence in key regions. “M2 was a strategic choice for us”, states Gustav Bild-Tofftin, CEO at Humly. “Their well-established presence in both the North West and the North East of England, combined with their reputation as a well-run, quality-driven business, makes them a perfect fit for our ethos”.

Humly’s CEO further emphasised the synergy between the two entities: “When entering the UK market 2 years ago, we sought companies that shared our vision and had a robust foothold in strategic regions. This acquisition, our fifth in a series of successful mergers, sets the stage for remarkable success, bringing our innovative solutions to even more schools, nurseries, and educators”.

Adding to this sentiment, Alex Shanks, Head of M&A at Humly, who was closely involved in the acquisition process, remarked, “M2 is not just a solid business; it’s a dynamic entity that continues to evolve and adapt in the ever-changing educational landscape. Humly has a proven M&A strategy through four acquisitions in the UK to date, with a presence in many regional markets. M2 fits the acquisition strategy perfectly with their locations, teams, and culture”.

Mark Birnie and Melissa Kumar founded M2, which has offices in Newcastle and Preston, and places teachers, teaching assistants, and tutors on a permanent and temporary basis into primary, secondary, and Special Education Needs (SEND) establishments. They focus on three regions, Newcastle, Cumbria, and Lancashire.

Taken from the Humly Press Release.

Congratulations to everyone involved in this transaction.

About Humly 

Humly is the UK’s leading digital marketplace of supply teachers, empowering educators to control their resources. Humly is dedicated to bridging the supply gap to schools, nurseries, and educators across Sweden and the UK, including, Fareham, Milton Keynes, Bristol, Birmingham, Sheffield, Nottingham, Liverpool, Manchester, and Newcastle.

Corporate transactional work is the largest area of our practice, with deals ranging from £1m to £750m, including mergers and acquisitions, finance, joint ventures, corporate governance, and banking involving high growth and pure technology companies. We guide our clients through every aspect, through to post-deal integration. Please reach out to Jonathan Williamson or John Allen from the White & Black Corporate Team for more information.