Case study · Govtech · UK justice
100+ hires, then acquired by Capita
In short: STL Technologies, whose Libra platform powered every magistrates' court in England and Wales, made 80 hires with Hurren & Hope before its acquisition by Capita, and 20 more after it, including SC-cleared developers.
Key numbers
hires before the acquisition, across every critical function
more hires after the acquisition, for Capita
strategic hires across the justice technology platform
The challengeWhat did STL Technologies need?
STL Technologies needed to grow its team, and show the depth an acquirer would look for, while keeping critical justice infrastructure running.
- National infrastructure: Libra powered every magistrates' court in England and Wales
- Security clearance: SC-cleared professionals from a limited talent pool
- Positioning: building capabilities that would attract acquisition interest
- Continuity: scaling without disrupting live court systems
- Breadth: PMO, engineering, product, support and service delivery hiring all at once
“We needed partners who understood that we weren’t just filling roles, we were building the foundation for our company’s future while keeping the UK’s justice system running.”
How Hurren & Hope helped
We helped shape STL's hiring plan around the capabilities an acquirer would value, then kept recruiting through the change of ownership.
80 hires before the acquisition
Project and programme managers to show delivery maturity, SC-cleared developers maintaining and enhancing Libra, product leaders, and support and service delivery teams.
Acquisition-ready
Leadership depth, operational maturity and SC-cleared professionals meeting government contract requirements, with new hires chosen to fit both STL and, later, Capita.
20 hires after it
We kept recruiting through the ownership change, building teams for Capita's Case and Records division during integration.
ResultsWhat happened next
Before the acquisition
- 80 strategic hires across all critical functions
- A stronger team that made STL a more attractive acquisition target
- Capability that attracted Capita's acquisition interest
After the acquisition
- 20 further hires through the ownership change
- Enhanced teams for Capita's Case and Records division
- Recruitment support maintained throughout integration
“Without doubt the best recruiter I have worked with. I can't recommend Hurren & Hope highly enough. Our first meeting was not great, we started a long way apart in terms of expectations and approach, however we worked to understand our requirements and quickly developed a mutual respect.”
Transformation Director, STL Technologies
“Hurren & Hope take the time to understand the requirements of a role and are not afraid to challenge your perceptions. On several occasions they have helped me realise I needed a different skill set to the one we started searching for.”
Transformation Director, STL Technologies
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Questions about this case study
Who was the client?
STL Technologies, the company behind Libra, the platform that powered every magistrates' court in England and Wales. STL was acquired by Capita.
How many people did you hire for STL?
80 before the acquisition and 20 more after it, for Capita's Case and Records division.
Can you recruit SC-cleared people?
Yes. For STL we placed SC-cleared professionals, including developers working on Libra, to meet government contract requirements.
Can you help a company preparing for an exit?
We can help you build the leadership depth and delivery capability that buyers look for, and keep recruiting through the change of ownership, as we did for STL and Capita.
What does Hurren & Hope charge for a permanent hire?
20% of first-year base salary for permanent hires below executive level, or 18% on every hire when you give us three or more roles to fill. You can pay it as one invoice on the start date, or monthly over 12 months through Pay While They Stay, where payments stop if your hire leaves. UK fees are plus VAT.US clients are not charged VAT.
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