CVC portfolio company World Of Talents agrees to acquire Venk Professionals

CVC portfolio company World Of Talents has agreed to acquire Venk Professionals, a secondment platform in the Netherlands specialising in white-collar professions. The acquisition aims to strengthen the positioning of World of Talents in the Netherlands.

World of Talents is a pan-European network of HR companies and the business became a CVC portfolio company in 2024. Founded in 1981, CVC Capital Partners has become one of the most active institutional investors in Greece and Cyprus, having deployed more than €1.5b of equity since 2017 while almost all of its Greek portfolio companies are currently invested in Cyprus.

World of Talents announced it has agreed to acquire Venk, which operates under two reputable and complementary brands. With this strategic move, World of Talents further diversifies its offering in the Netherlands by adding new expertise, namely white-collar professionals for the technical/engineering and public end markets, it said, adding that Venk’s Management team, led by CEO Patrick van den Berg, will remain on board.

Steve Rousseau, CEO of World of Talents

“With the goal of accelerating our growth and diversifying our service offering, Venk is an excellent addition to our platform. Its long standing industry experience will help us further realise our mission and increase our impact in the staffing and consulting sector," said Steve Rousseau, CEO of World of Talents. “With Venk, we share a common vision around quality, expertise and an entrepreneurial culture. We are impressed with what Venk has achieved to date and are looking forward to working with Patrick and his team."

Voort and koen are two reputable brands with complementary business models, with Voort focused on temp-to-perm and koen on temporary secondment assignments. Venks’ unique qualities and offering support SME’s, (local) governments and corporate customers in finding the right expertise and in fulfilling flexibility needs.

Headquartered in Utrecht, the Netherlands, Venk has been a leading national player for over twenty years with its nationwide coverage via nine local offices and its local-for-local approach, assuring high customer and candidate proximity. Since its founding, Venk has grown into a strong and respected player, investing in digitisation, professionalisation and people.

Patrick van den Berg remains responsible for the day-to-day management, together with an internal operations team of c.150 people and c.1,150 professionals. Thanks to their long-standing and strong industry experience, the company plays a crucial role in reducing staff shortages and in ensuring continuity in the business operations of their clients.

Venk CEO Patrick Van den Berg

"This acquisition is an important milestone in the history and future growth of Venk," said Patrick Van den Berg. "It has always been our choice to be and remain a 'specialist'. With a personal approach, an extensive client network and ample training opportunities, we ensure the growth of people. With that DNA, we fit seamlessly with World of Talents. We are convinced that together we will establish a strong partnership that will benefit employees, customers and partners alike."

World of Talents is a specialised, international HR & consulting group with a strong focus on bottleneck professions and talent management. The group is active in outsourcing, interim (management) and recruitment & selection, together accounting for revenues of €475 million with more than 5,000 active employees. The company operates in Belgium and the Netherlands mainly under the House of Talents brand. In 2023, World of Talents also established a presence in Germany through the acquisition of easyCare, an HR company specialising in the medical sector.