Fractional HR leadership when your business needs it

Mabel led the workforce transition when a US global data analytics and consumer intelligence group acquired We Predict. We retained the specialist team through the change of ownership, managing the move to new employment terms and acting as the Employer of Record until the buyer could employ and pay the team directly through its own UK entity.

Mabel HR coordinated the handover of employee records, HR policies and contracts into the buyer’s systems, while putting revised working arrangements into practice. Communication was paramount at every stage so the team knew what would change, when it would take effect and how it would affect their day-to-day work.

Preparing the team for a cross-border acquisition

We Predict had a team of 40 when a US analytics group acquired it. Mabel worked directly with the buyer to prepare employees for the change of ownership, manage employment changes and keep the team together while the buyer established its local entity.

• Equipped managers to navigate sensitive conversations. We trained managers to explain what the acquisition meant for employees, respond to difficult questions and recognise which issues needed to be escalated.
• Compared benefit options on cost and coverage.
• Retention. We helped the buyer address employee concerns throughout a period when the departure of even one key colleague could have unsettled the wider team.
• Prepared employee records for transfer into the buyer’s HR system.
• Mapped roles and reporting lines into the buyer’s structure.
• Maintained payroll continuity. We acted as employer of record while the buyer established its local entity, coordinating payroll, pensions and tax changes before transferring payroll to the buyer once it could employ and pay the team directly.

Protecting specialist talent through the change of ownership

As we had already worked alongside the business for a few years, we understood the team and could step in immediately. We worked directly with the buyer to prepare employees for the move into a US group and explain what the changes to working arrangements meant for them.

Bridging the gap between acquisition and direct employment

The buyer needed to take on the team before its local entity was ready to employ and pay people. Mabel acted as employer of record during that interim period. We coordinated payroll, made the necessary changes to pension and tax arrangements, and managed the handover once the buyer’s entity was ready to take over.

The buyer retained the expertise it had acquired and could bring the team onto its own payroll when the entity was ready. Employees had continuity of pay and a clear understanding of what would change as they moved into the new organisation.

What the client said

“What stood out was Mabel HR’s judgement. They knew where the acquisition could unsettle the team and helped our managers handle the conversations that mattered. They managed the transition and kept payroll running while the buyer set up its local entity. We came through the handover with our specialist team intact.”