Fortis Recruitment expands financial services capability with Kenmar acquisition

Fortis Recruitment has completed the acquisition of Kenmar Recruitment Partners, adding 45 financial clients while enhancing its specialist expertise in the funds and asset management sector.

The Expert Group on Future Skills Needs projects that international financial services firms will require between 6,000 and 9,000 additional hires by 2027, highlighting rising demand for talent in fund operations, asset management, compliance, and governance roles. Ireland’s €5.2tn investment funds industry remains one of the world’s largest centres for fund administration and asset management, according to the Central Bank.

Kenmar Recruitment Partners, established five years ago, has built a strong presence in financial services recruitment. Co-founder and managing partner Gavin Martin said: "Kenmar has always prioritised long term relationships and deep sector knowledge. Becoming part of Fortis gives our clients access to a broader delivery platform and wider international capability while retaining the specialist focus we are known for.”

Fortis describes the acquisition as building on five years of sustained growth and responding to consolidation trends in a fragmented recruitment market. 

Cormac Loughlin, founder and managing director at Fortis Recruitment, added: “Demand across funds and asset management continues to grow and bringing Kenmar’s client relationships and expertise into the Fortis platform enhances our ability to respond with greater precision and speed.”

The integration will see Fortis Alpha, its dedicated financial services brand led by Warren Hilton, leverage Kenmar’s knowledge and reputation to accelerate growth locally and internationally. Fortis plans to increase consultant headcount and expand specialist desks over the next two years to meet rising demand across the funds and wider financial services industry.

Discover how this acquisition is reshaping recruitment strategies across Ireland’s financial services sector in the full story.