— 2019 —
July
Acorn's construction team is awarded the contract to supply workers for Bouygues UK’s pioneering Cardiff Innovation Campus (CIC) construction project on the basis of its responsible business practices.
June
Dan Langford, Group Marketing Director at Acorn for more than 15 years, is awarded an OBE for services to business in the Queen’s birthday honours list.
May
Acorn partners with Encon Construction to deliver The Career Changers - Women into Construction Project. Acorn moves to support CSR growth in construction with new specialist housing division.
April
Acorn is delighted to sign Community’s Mental Health Charter, following its recent campaign to bring mental health awareness to the workplace.
March
Acorn is announced a finalist in all three categories entered, 'Recruitment Agency of the Year', 'Best Temporary Recruitment Agency' and 'Best Marketing Team'.
February
Wales France Business Forum, Le Club launched in Paris. Le Club was founded by its Chair, Céline Jones, Solicitor and Head of the French Desk at Geldards LLP, and Dan Langford, Group Marketing Director at leading recruitment firm Acorn.
January
Acorn has made a major acquisition to support its continuing growth in Australia. Acorn has acquired Entire Recruitment and will take over all its assets, including three branches in Sydney, Brisbane and Rock Hampton.
— 2018 —
December
Acorn recruiter crowned UK best for second year running. Kristy Potter picked up an unprecedented second pair of awards at the prestigious Institute of Recruitment Professionals (IRP) Awards. Acorn has added a Portsmouth branch to its increasing portfolio in the South East following further employer demand in the area.
October
Acorn is celebrating after managing director Matt Southall was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2018 South Wales Argus Business Awards.
May
It's yet another double award win for Acorn with success at the UK Recruiter Awards and the Institute of Directors Awards in Wales. Acorn's marketing team took home Recruitment Marketing Team of the Year, whilst Group Marketing & Communications Director Dan Langford was awarded the surprise handpicked 'Directors Award' by IoD for his innovative work with Acorn and Wales Week in London.
April
Acorn opened a brand new branch in Weston-super-Mare, the 13th branch to be added to the growing Acorn portfolio in South West England following further employer demand in the area.
March
The 2018 Wales HR Awards took place in Cardiff - a phenomenal evening celebrating the very best of HR from across the country. More than 300 industry professionals gathered at The Exchange Hotel as 13 winners were crowned cream of the crop in their industry.
February
Acorn's rail division, Exxell, underwent a rebrand to become Acorn Rail. The change in company name brought it firmly in line with the group’s branding, ensuring they benefit from Acorn’s leading reputation as one of the UK’s leading multi-specialist recruitment agencies.
January
Acorn starts the year on a high after achieving key growth in 2017, with a record turnover of £123,543,753.
— 2017 —
December
Acorn's Kristy Moore won Recruiter of the Year and Permanent Consultant of the Year at the National IRP Recruitment Awards. Acorn’s Group Commercial Director Scott Liddle and the group’s Marketing team were also named finalists in the Business Leader of the Year and Best Support Team categories respectively. We opened a new branch in Manchester to continue North West growth. Finally, to end a fantastic year, WalesOnline listed Acorn in the Top 18 businesses expected to have a big 2018.
August
Maria Larcombe, Acorn’s Director of Operations for South Wales, was highly commended and Dave Sadler, our Head of IT & Digital Recruitment, was shortlisted at the 2017 Leading Wales Awards. Acorn’s Training Division partnered with Cardiff Metropolitan University and the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) to introduce a Higher Apprenticeship in Accounting which includes the ACCA Diploma in Accounting and Business.
June
Acorn celebrated the UEFA Champions League Finals (men and women’s) coming to Cardiff by hosting a Leadership, Teamwork and Empowerment event to inspire women in leadership with the FAW Trust. Acorn’s Executive Search Division announced a specialist recruitment partnership with the Welsh Sports Association.
May
Acorn’s Training Division gained approval to deliver Apprenticeship training in England. Acorn’s Group Commercial Director, Scott Liddle, was awarded IOD Wales Director of the Year Award within the Medium / Large Business category. Plus, Acorn’s specialist IT & Digital Recruitment team being announced as the recruitment partner to start-up company Delio, in their drive to recruit 30 new members of staff.
— 2016 —
October
Acorn secures the Cyber Essentials PLUS accreditation, signalling their ongoing commitment to ensuring their IT systems are protected. Acorn in partnership with Coleg y Cymoedd launches a brand new course, a Higher Apprenticeship in IT – Helpdesk Pathway.
July
Acorn and Cardiff Metropolitan University join forces to introduce a Higher Apprenticeship in Project Management. Scott Liddle, Director of Operations (Technical) for Acorn is named Leader in the Private Sector at the Leading Wales Awards.
March
Acorn goes legal, launching a brand new Legal recruitment division at the Principality Stadium welcoming nearly 100 leading lawyers and HR teams.
February
Acorn launches In-site, a forum for future construction skills in response to the growing skills crisis.
2015 – 1992
Read our full history.
November | Acorn becomes a 'Stronger Together' business partner, demonstrating its ongoing commitment to tackling modern slavery.
October | Acorn's Australian subsidiary, Synaco Global, acquires Perth-based oil and gas specialist recruiter B2B Engineering Pty Ltd adding circa AUD $10m to the turnover of our business in Australia. A UK first for Acorn's Learning & Development Division, as six of its Principality Building Society Apprentices achieve the Higher Apprenticeship in Banking, Level 4.
August | Acorn secures a Cyber Essentials accreditation, signalling its commitment to safeguarding its data and systems. Acorn is yet again ranked in top 1% of UK recruitment agencies.
July | Acorn is awarded a place as a Crown Commercial Service (CCS) supplier on the non-medical, non-clinical temporary staffing framework for the National Health Service (NHS).
April | Acorn Global expands its presence in Ireland with the appointment of Mike Ruddock OBE in Dublin.
January | Acorn’s Australian subsidiary Acorn Recruitment PTY Ltd rebrands under new name of Synaco Global Recruitment.
December | Acorn reached record turnover in 2014 at £115m.
June | Acorn IT develops 'Liveware - the IT Scarce Skills Forum', to bring leading software companies and industry stakeholders together to deal with the issues surrounding the IT sector.
May | Acorn Global opens a new office in Perth.
April | Acorn relaunches the South Wales HR Network, a series of topical seminars for HR professionals, with new partners Seer Green and Greenaway Scott.
January | Acorn was named top ten finalist within the Jobsite RecruitRank awards for the ‘Best Recruitment Agency’ category.
December | Turnover for 2013 is £102m.
October | Acorn’s Learning & Development Division is presented with the 'Provider Award for Social Responsiveness' at the National Apprenticeship Awards Cymru / Wales.
March | Acorn Global opens a new office in Darwin, its third in Australia.
January | Acorn's subsidiary brand in the south west of England Concept Staffing, begins trading as 'Acorn'. We also open a new branch in Widnes.
December | Turnover for 2012 is £88.7M.
September | Acorn launches its Pubs & Hospitality Division, offering recruitment and training support to leading family brewers and major retailers in the UK.
August | Acorn Global opens a further office in Adelaide, Australia.
April | Acorn launches its 20-20-20 campaign, aiming to raise £20,000 to be distributed amongst 20 local charities in its 20th year.
March | Acorn celebrates its 20th birthday. We also launch Acorn Global, which has seen the company opening offices in Australia (Perth) and Singapore.
January | Acorn’s Learning & Development Division adds Apprenticeship programmes to its commercial training portfolio in England.
In April, Acorn acquires Caerphilly based Draig Personnel.
In November, Acorn’s Learning & Development Division is designated the 'Apprenticeship Provider of the Year' at the National Apprenticeship Awards Cymru / Wales.
Also in November, Acorn’s Learning & Development Division becomes a member of the National Skills Academy for Retail; a network of skills-shops designed to improve productivity for retail businesses and their staff, through training. Acorn Skills Shop forms part of a network of three skills shops in Wales.
Turnover for 2011 is £94m.
In September, Advance Personnel becomes fully integrated into the Group, discontinuing the Advance brand, and begins trading as Acorn.
In October, Acorn achieves the milestone of £2m of 'temp' revenues in one week for the first time.
2010 closes as Acorn’s record year, reporting 36% increase in turnover to £93.5m. Acorn also played a significant role in boosting parent company Synergie’s revenue for 2010 to record levels, returning sales for the year of €1.23 billion – an increase of 29.8%.
Turnover for 2010 is £93.5m.
In January Acorn's Learning and Development Division wins the Newport Construction Initiative's 2008 'Investment in Skills Award'
In June Acorn becomes the first education provider in Wales to be accredited by the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII).
Acorn achieves the latest Investors in People (IIP) certification incorporating the entire group - Concept Staffing, Acorn Recruitment and Acorn Learning Solutions.
In August, Acorn acquires national technical recruiter Oracle Global Resourcing. With its head office based in London, the engineering specialist, which now trades under the name of Exxell, continues to support clients in rail, construction & building, energy and facilities management UK-wide.
In September, Acorn acquires part of Track Safe Telecom (TST), the telecoms, installation and infrastructure management business operating in the rail sector. TST's signalling and telecoms division, and RSS, its specialist safety planning subsidiary, are now part of Acorn.
Turnover for 2009 is £68.7m
In January, for the first time, Acorn offers a specialist international service for the construction management sector; in March making its first international placement in Kuwait with a leading Global construction management organisation.
In February, Acorn opens its new branch in Gloucester.
In March, Acorn opens another branch in Axminster, Devon.
In April, Acorn's new Defence & Technology Division is launched, offering recruitment support to the UK's defence, aerospace, IT and engineering sectors.
Also in April, Acorn acquires Advance Personnel, one of the leading recruitment firms in the north west of England with revenues of circa £18m. This also gives Acorn four new branches in Crewe, Stoke, Birkenhead and in Gdansk, Poland.
In September, a new office in Glasgow is opened.
In November, Acorn is a finalist in two award categories at the Recruitment International Annual Awards; nominated by an independent panel of industry experts and analysts.
In December, Acorn acquires Concept Staffing Ltd., the leading South West of England recruitment firm. Concept has 16 branches and adds circa £16.5m to Acorn's turnover.
Turnover for 2007 is £63.5m
Following his recent success as the first Grand Slam winning National Rugby Coach for Wales in nearly 30 years, Mike Ruddock joins Acorn as its new Commercial Development Manager in April.
In May, Acorn successfully achieves full registration with the Gangmasters Licensing Authority, (reg no. ACOR0003).
In June, Acorn successfully retains its 'Investors in People' (IiP) accreditation with the Assessor's report stating; "Acorn is quite clearly a successful organisation that recognises the importance of a skilled, motivated and effectively managed workforce. The level of positive responses to questions to staff about the organisation and its management was extremely high compared to most organisations."
In July, Acorn purchases specialist nursing recruitment agency 'Link'.
Also in July, Acorn launches its new HR Development Services Division, offering a HR consultancy and advisory service.
In September, Acorn expands its branch network, opening a new branch in Preston.
Turnover for 2006 is £41.7m
In January 2005, Acorn becomes the first business in Wales to become a Corporate Patron of the NSPCC, pledging to raise £100,000 to help children and encouraging other businesses to support the charity in this way.
In February, Acorn expands its branch network, opening a new branch in Blackwood.
In June, Acorn opens a new branch for North Wales located in Wrexham, which is officially opened by Andrew Davies AM, Minister for Economic Development & Transport.
In September, Acorn is publicly listed as the UK's 79th largest recruitment agency out of 14,000 agencies UK-wide, and as the leading agency in Wales. Acorn is recognised as one of the UK's 'top ten' recruitment providers to the public sector and one of the top 35 'independent' recruitment companies in the UK by Recruitment International.
In October, Acorn launches its new Rail & Civil Division.
Also in October, Acorn opens a new branch in Runcorn.
'contactUs' is merged into the Acorn brand.
Acorn is officially identified by the Welsh Assembly Government as one of their top 50 companies with the best prospects for growth, in its flagship 'Knowledge Bank 4 Business' programme.
23rd December - Acorn signs agreement with global French-based recruitment group 'Synergie', which sees Synergie acquire a 70% stake in the business. (www.synergie.fr).
Turnover for 2005 is £38.5m.
Acorn becomes a Patron Member of the Cardiff Chamber of Commerce and of Business West (Bristol, Bath & South Glos Chambers of Commerce).
Acorn becomes Wales' first Corporate Partner of the Institute of Directors (IoD).
Acorn signs strategic partnerships with UWIC and UWCN; universities in Cardiff and Newport respectively.
In January 2003, Acorn acquires Treforest-based senior executive recruitment provider 'Pegge Thomas'.
February sees Acorn's expansion into Bristol through the acquisition of 'JL', a long-established recruitment and IT training company in Thornbury, north Bristol
Acorn expands its network into Scotland in April 2003, opening premises in Edinburgh.
During May, Acorn's Education Services Division is launched.
In August, Acorn's training division merges with 'Lexicon', a major UK provider of vocational training. The move enhances Acorn's training portfolio to cover all areas of IT training, vocational learning, and management and leadership development programmes.
During 2003, Acorn's specialist European Division expands, affirming its position as one of the UK's forerunners in the positive use of European labour. It attracts skilled workers via its recruitment office in Portugal and a number of strategic partnerships across Europe.
In December 2003, Acorn achieves full ISO 9001:2000 recognition for quality of customer service and high levels of customer satisfaction.
Turnover for 2003 is £29.9m
For an unparalleled fourth year in succession, Acorn features in the 2002 'Wales Fast Growth 50' listing of Wales' fastest growing companies.
This sustained growth is recognised when it wins the first 'Excellence in Growth Award' announced at the Welsh Business Awards Dinner in May 2002.
In this same year, Acorn's position as a major UK recruitment agency is also acknowledged when it wins two national awards; 'Best UK Regional Recruitment Firm', and the overall 'UK Gold Award', representing the 'best of the best' of all categories at the 2002 Professional Recruiter Awards.
In December 2002, Acorn completes the development of its own 19,000 sq ft purpose-built headquarters and training centre at Celtic Springs in Newport. The new building is officially opened by Rhodri Morgan AM, First Minister for Wales.
Acorn also completes the acquisition of a specialist mechanical and electrical recruitment firm called 'G-Force' based just outside Cardiff.
Turnover for 2002 is £23.9m
2001
'contactUs' Acorn's specialist contact centre division is launched. Although primarily based in Manchester, the division attracts work for contact centres UK-wide.
2000
In March, Acorn is formally recognised as an 'Investors in People' company.
1999
Acorn adds a specialist Nursing & Healthcare Division to its portfolio by acquisition of a nursing agency in Swansea.
1992 - 1998
Acorn builds a specialist network of branches throughout south Wales, opening additional premises in Cardiff, Swansea, Pontypridd and Bridgend.
The company is professionally accredited by becoming a full member of REC, the Recruitment & Employment Confederation.
1992
Acorn is founded by current Group Managing Director Matt Southall, and its first branch is opened in Newport, south Wales.
Part of the Synergie Group