Shaw Gibbs Group has expanded its service offering with the addition of Reality HR, a people management and learning and development consultancy based in Basingstoke, Hampshire. The move represents the Shaw Gibbs Reality HR acquisition and marks the group’s 11th acquisition since 2023. The enlarged organisation now employs 645 staff across 18 offices in Central and Southern England, serving around 7,000 businesses with accountancy and tax advisory services.
Through the Shaw Gibbs Reality HR acquisition, clients of Shaw Gibbs will gain access to recruitment support and an established learning and development team. Reality HR’s capabilities include an executive coach, a mediator and insights discovery practitioners. The team will continue to operate independently while expanding its reach nationwide, with chief executive Sally Ann Hall Jones remaining in post.
Hall Jones said: “I am immensely proud of how much Reality HR has grown since it was founded in 2004, from a small boutique consultancy to one of the largest in the UK. We are now at the next stage in our growth journey and Shaw Gibbs can provide support and scale to build on our success. Shaw Gibbs is a perfect match for us. The team there share our values and our belief in putting people at the heart of business success.”
Reality HR chair Laura Davis said the deal brought new opportunities. “Joining Shaw Gibbs brings exciting opportunities for our team, including access to greater resources and more diverse projects and new career pathways. We’re also proud to bring our expertise to Shaw Gibbs’ partners and clients, helping even more businesses succeed by getting the best out of their people.”
Peter O’Connell, chief executive of Shaw Gibbs Group, said: “We are thrilled to welcome Reality HR to Shaw Gibbs. It’s important to us to find firms with a similar culture and client base to collaborate with, as well as the drive to provide high quality advisory services. The team at Reality HR share our commitment to excellence, client service, quality and building lasting relationships, making them a perfect fit. We can now offer our clients genuine specialist people support backed by a team with proven expertise and a strong reputation in the sector.”
Shaw Gibbs received advice from Osborne Clarke, while Reality HR was advised by Will Anderson of Clarke and Sons. The Shaw Gibbs Reality HR acquisition underscores a continued strategy of growth through integration of complementary advisory services.
