Following a management buyout, Kaizen Workforce Solutions CEO Lauren Mulligan discusses taking ownership of the €34m business she helped build and her ambitions for its next phase.
For Lauren Mulligan, completing the management buyout (MBO) of Kaizen Workforce Solutions is both a personal milestone and the beginning of a new chapter for the business.
Having helped build Kaizen from the ground up, Mulligan is now focused on growing the €34 million revenue workforce solutions business while protecting the customer relationships, people and culture behind its success.
“The MBO isn’t the destination. It’s the starting point for the next phase of our growth”
Kaizen Workforce Solutions has built its reputation as a workforce partner rather than a traditional recruitment agency. Working across logistics, warehousing, distribution and manufacturing, the company supports clients with recruitment, workforce planning and the management of large-scale staffing operations.
The business has developed expertise in high-volume environments where labour demand can fluctuate and retention can be challenging. In some cases, Kaizen manages workforces of up to 250 people, giving it the systems and operational experience needed to support complex client requirements.
A good example is its relationship with Primeline Group. Rather than acting as a transactional supplier, Kaizen works closely with the logistics and distribution business to understand its operational needs and provide the workforce support required to keep operations running smoothly. Partnerships such as this have helped fuel Kaizen’s growth and reflect its ambition to combine recruitment expertise with a more strategic approach to solving workforce challenges.
Building on strong foundations
The Kaizen Workforce Solutions leadership team: Alan Cousins, Lauren Mulligan and Bart Kane
“Having been part of Kaizen’s journey from the beginning, I’ve seen the strength of the business we’ve built and the opportunity still ahead of us,” Mulligan says.
“Taking ownership is something I’m incredibly proud of. We have an experienced team, strong customer relationships and a reputation built on consistently delivering.”
Kaizen’s growth has been driven by positioning itself as a long-term workforce partner rather than simply a recruitment supplier.
“We work hard to understand our customers’ businesses and what they actually need. That approach has helped us build lasting relationships and grow alongside our clients.”
Evolution, not revolution
Mulligan describes the next phase as “evolution, not revolution”.
“The MBO gives us the opportunity to accelerate our plans, but we’re not changing what makes Kaizen successful. Our customer focus, commitment to candidates and our culture remain at the heart of the business.”
Growth will come from deepening existing customer relationships, winning new clients, broadening Kaizen’s services and investing further in people, technology and systems.
“Technology and AI will help us become more efficient and make better workforce decisions, but recruitment remains fundamentally about people, judgement and relationships.”
Backing growth
Bank of Ireland supported the MBO and will remain an important financial partner as Kaizen expands.
“You need a funding partner that understands the business, the management team and the ambition behind the transaction,” Mulligan says.
“Bank of Ireland understood what we are trying to achieve and has given us the financial platform and flexibility to pursue the opportunities ahead.”
“At Bank of Ireland, we are passionate about backing ambitious Irish businesses,” said Pat Purcell, senior manager, Business Banking Origination Team at Bank of Ireland.
“Kaizen Workforce Solutions has established itself as an innovative and trusted workforce partner. This innovation and trust is evidenced by the client base that they support. We are delighted to support Lauren, Alan, Bart, and the rest of the team as they continue to invest in growth, and deliver exceptional value to clients across Ireland.”
Looking ahead
Mulligan’s ambition is to build Kaizen beyond the traditional definition of a recruitment company and establish it as a leading workforce solutions partner.
“We’ve built a €34 million business with a strong platform, but there is considerably more potential ahead of us.
“We don’t want to grow simply for the sake of getting bigger. We want to build a stronger and more valuable business while maintaining the service and standards that got us here.”
People will remain central to that strategy.
“We want Kaizen to be somewhere talented and ambitious people can build their careers. That means continuing to invest in our team, developing our next generation of leaders and protecting the entrepreneurial culture that has been so important to our success.
“We have an ambitious plan for the next five years, and we’re excited about what comes next.”
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