Gi Group Holding turns 25. The founder, Stefano Colli-Lanzi, shares his vision for the future.
Stefano Colli-Lanzi celebrates a 25-year story that led the Italian employment agency to become one of the world’s leading HR players, announcing 100 mln euros annual plan of investments in acquisitions for the next 2 years
The ability to fully understand the rapidly changing labour market, to develop new businesses and services, and a strong drive for internationalisation are the underlying themes of the Gi Group Holding’s entrepreneurial history, and that of its CEO, Stefano Colli-Lanzi.
The goal for the near future? €6 billion revenue by 2024
In 1998, Stefano Colli-Lanzi, at that time a consultant, saw new regulations in the Italian market as an opportunity to enter the HR world, by launching the first Italian staffing company.
25 years later, he is at the helm of one of the leading global HR services and consulting companies, Gi Group Holding, with more than 8,000 employees (+1,500 more than 2022) and a presence in 34 countries worldwide.
Its steady growth, through even the most turbulent periods of this quarter century, like the pandemic and the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, has led to an increase in turnover from €1,581 MLN in 2015 to over €3.6 billion in 2022 (preliminary results)
Over the years, Gi Group Holding’s management has pursued a strategic approach to business growth: developing the company’s services (although Temporary and Permanent Staffing is still the main driver of revenue growth) while acquiring new businesses, thus becoming a true global ecosystem of HR services.
Throughout the company’s history, strategic investments and M&A operations have advanced its capacity for growth and resilience: in this regard, last autumn Gi Group Holding announced its 50th acquisition (The Bridge, an HR technology consultancy focused on building and scaling up digital capabilities for multinational businesses). Today, international revenues contribute about 53% (47% in Italy) of the Group’s revenues.
This anniversary is certainly an appropriate time to celebrate what has been done, so I would first like to address all the people who have contributed and continue to contribute every day to this project, which aims to seize the opportunity (and the responsibility) of contributing to the positive evolution of society, through work. But on occasions like these it is also important to lay foundations for the future. Over the coming years, the Group intends to continue on our current trajectory, increasing revenue from our international business from 50% to 70%. On the offer side, we will increasingly focus on verticalisation, diversification of solutions and progressive improvement of margins. Therefore, we planned an annual investment of 100 mln/€ in acquisition for the next 2 years. We have a very clear goal on the horizon: €6 billion by 2024
Also referring to the Group’s expansion, Stefano Colli-Lanzi, sole shareholder of Gi Group Holding, said – “Our approach has enabled the Group to recognise the work of all employees worldwide, but also to develop a bold acquisition strategy.”
Besides its growth trajectory, the Group has been guided for 25 years by a clear purpose: to contribute to the evolution of the labour market and to embrace the ambitious opportunity – and responsibility – to change people’s lives for the better. Stefano Colli-Lanzi continued: “Work has the power to generate priceless personal and social value, the Italian mindset underpins our organisation and is reflected in the Fondazione Gi Group for Sustainable Work. Sustainable Work means achieving living and working conditions that support people so they can find and stay at work throughout their active lives, without compromising the ability of future generations to enter or remain in the workforce”.
Drawing on his experience as a father and a university professor, in constant dialogue with young people, Stefano Colli-Lanzi highlights 3 drivers to attract them – which remains the main challenge for the current labour market: focus on practice rather than theory, give them the opportunity to have a positive impact on society, ensure work-life balance.
Regarding the economic outlook, the war in Europe is a major concern for Colli-Lanzi, who is nonetheless positive about economic recovery. On the labour market front, what worries him is the skill mismatch, which affects all the countries where the Holding operates. Along with training and reskilling, international mobility will be – and in some countries already is – the key to overcoming the candidate shortage.
