On January 17, 2014 GP Strategies announced its intent to acquire the Effective-People and Effective-Learning companies in Denmark to strengthen its HCM capability beyond learning. The two companies are part of the Effective Companies headquartered in Copenhagen. Their combined revenue in 2013 was $8.5m.

Effective-People and Effective-Learning offer HCM technology for:

• Recruiting
• Onboarding
• Compensation
• Succession planning
• HR analytics.

The acquisition includes capabilities around sales and support of the SuccessFactors BizX platform. The companies are partners with SuccessFactors and SumTotal.

GP Strategies continues to make acquisitions to strengthen its service offerings and global capability. This is GP Strategies fourteenth acquisition in the last four and a half years, and its 23rd since 2006. Combined with organic growth, including its large multi-year global learning BPO (LBPO) services contract with HSBC, NelsonHall estimates that since 2009, GP Strategies has more than doubled its LBPO revenues. Once fully implemented and deployed across HSBC affiliates globally, GP Strategies anticipates that HSBC will be its largest client.

Learning is an integrated and integral component of talent management. According to NelsonHall's Q4 2013 LBPO market analysis, vendors continue to strengthen and integrate their talent management service and technology offerings. SaaS talent management continues to accelerate across all HRO service lines, including combined with LBPO. Client learning spend will continue to accelerate for job skill training and professional development for purposes of attraction, development and retention of talent.

The acquisition is expected to close by the end of March 2014.

Expect GP Strategies to continue acquisitions to expand its global capability and its HCM services.