A Belfast firm has entered into a landmark deal after an acquisition with London’s Omni Partners.
The new investment showcases the success of a Northern Ireland female entrepreneur, Orlagh Kelly, who will act as CEO for the new business.
Barrister-led training, compliance and technology business, Briefed, announced its acquisition by Omni which has been hailed as a ‘testament to the company’s growth under Ms Kelly’s leadership”. Following the deal close, Briefed will be merged with leading legal and governance talent search company, DMJ Recruitment – meaning the firm will triple in size.
Founded in 2012 by barrister and entrepreneur Ms Kelly, Briefed employs ten people, including three barristers delivering expert on-line support for professional firms in the legal sector across the UK through a suite of programmes delivered on a dedicated digital platform.
Ms Kelly, Founder and CEO, of Briefed commented: “Omni has a strong track record in supporting founders and I am thrilled that they share my vision and ambitions, evidenced by their investment in Briefed. The newly combined UK business will triple in size overnight. Our aim is to use that strength to become a leading global resource by providing specialist training, development and recruitment solutions to professionals in legal, corporate governance and compliance roles.
“I established Briefed to help organisations reduce their exposure to risk by not complying with key employment and compliance legislation and increasing employee effectiveness – that will now be further enhanced by our ability to source and place the most experienced fully trained employees.”
Steven Clark, Founder of Omni Partners, stated: “We see a real opportunity for the combined business to become an innovative full-service talent manager that helps legal, corporate governance and compliance professionals match their talent with opportunities and supports their professional development and growth at all stages of their career. We are confident that under Orlagh’s experienced leadership the combined entity will flourish.”
Following their participation in numerous Invest NI programmes, Briefed claim they have secured a total of £460,000 investment from the economic development agency to assist in R&D to develop its digital platform and create new jobs.
Welcoming news of the acquisition Jeremy Fitch, Executive Director of Business Growth Group said: “’Today’s announcement is a testament to the collective effort and expertise of the entire Briefed team, led by Orlagh Kelly. They’ve shown how combining professional knowledge with innovation can drive business growth, and Invest NI is proud to have supported them from inception to this significant milestone.
“This acquisition and Orlagh’s role in leading the newly merged company are clear endorsements of her professionalism, vision, and dedication—qualities that highlight the strength of Northern Ireland’s growing entrepreneurial landscape.”
John McGuckian, Partner at Tughans also welcomed the news saying;
“Tughans was delighted to represent Orlagh on the legal aspects of this deal. We wish her and Briefed well on the next stage of her entrepreneurial journey as a private equity backed founder. This is a shining example for local founders in general and female founders in particular, of the rewards in building a strong business brand which will attract investment partnership leading to further sustainable growth.”
