ECI Partners Acquires CIPHR (LDC Exit)

Harbor Acquires CE Global Partners to Expand HCM Advisory and UK HR/Payroll Transformation Capabilities

June 3, 2026

Professional Services

Harbor, a professional and technology services firm focused on the legal industry, announced its acquisition of CE Global Partners, a specialist in HR and payroll transformation and managed services. The deal expands Harbor’s Human Capital Management (HCM) Advisory solution line and strengthens its UK presence and delivery capabilities for workforce modernization.

ECI Partners Acquires Majority Stake in Croud

October 31, 2024

Marketing & Advertising

ECI Partners has taken a majority stake in Croud, the UK-headquartered global digital marketing agency, in a deal that marks LDC's exit after a five-year partnership. The investment will support Croud's continued organic growth and further acquisitions, enabling expansion of its media, data and technology capabilities while the business maintains operational independence.

Ciphr Acquires Shape Payroll

June 3, 2024

Cloud & SaaS

Reading-based HR software group Ciphr has acquired Shape, a cloud-based, API-first payroll platform used by around 1,500 UK businesses. The deal (Ciphr is backed by ECI Partners) is intended to accelerate Ciphr’s payroll technology development and strengthen its payroll proposition for medium and large organisations.

Ciphr Acquires Marshalls (Marshall E-Learning)

April 4, 2023

Education

SaaS HR provider Ciphr has acquired Marshall E-Learning (trading as Marshalls), a UK-based specialist in diversity, inclusion and workplace e-learning. The undisclosed deal brings Marshalls' eight employees and founder David Marshall into the Ciphr Group to expand its learning and development content and strengthen its integrated HR and learning management offering.

CIPHR Group Acquires Digits Industries Ltd

September 15, 2020

Cloud & SaaS

CIPHR Group, an LDC-backed UK provider of SaaS HR, payroll and recruitment software, has completed the acquisition of its strategic learning partner Digits Industries Ltd. The deal integrates Digits' learning management system with CIPHR's people management platform to expand CIPHR's L&D capability and cross-sell to its mid- and enterprise-market customers.

CIPHR Acquires Payroll Business Solutions

December 16, 2019

Professional Services

CIPHR, the LDC-backed HR software provider, has completed the acquisition of Marlow-based Payroll Business Solutions (PBS). The deal integrates payroll capability into CIPHR's platform and enables two new products—CIPHR Payroll and CIPHR Outsourced Payroll—expanding the group's payroll services and customer reach.