Browne Jacobson advises Metric Search on $100m valuation investment by Southfield Capital

Browne Jacobson’s private equity team has successfully advised management and the shareholders (including BGF, the UK and Ireland’s most active growth capital investor) of specialist recruitment and talent solutions firm Metric Search on an investment by US private equity firm Southfield Capital which values the business in excess of $100m. The strategic partnership with Southfield positions Metric to continue the rapid expansion of its global footprint.

Metric was founded by Joe Jani in New York in 2019 and has grown to over 130 consultants across seven global offices, delivering senior and executive-level search through four specialist sub-brands – Metric Geo (engineering and infrastructure), Metric DCX (data centres), Metric Bio (life sciences and medtech) and Metric Exec (C-suite and PE-backed executive search). Metric’s core sectors are amongst the most capital-intensive and talent-constrained in the global economy and the business has scaled rapidly, being named in the prestigious Financial Times FT1000 list of fastest-growing companies in both 2025 and 2026. 

The deal marks an exit for BGF from its investment in Metric after just 20 months, delivering a money multiple of 4.1x and an internal rate of return of 138%. It is BGF’s third exit in the Midlands in four years to generate an IRR in excess of 120%. BGF’s investment and exit were led by investor Adam Huckerby. 

The Browne Jacobson team was led by Partner Matt Bolton, with Partner Gareth Davies and Associate Alys Bratch alongside. They were supported by a multi-disciplinary team across the firm which included Corporate Associate Lydia Mills and Trainee Solicitor Cheye Waithe, Tax Principal Associate Craig Thomas, Banking Partner James Busby and Associate Tyler Isaac and Employment Legal Director Maz Dannourah.

Matt Bolton commented: “We’ve been working with Joe, John-Joe, Andy and the Metric team since BGF’s investment and they are a genuinely exceptional group – their mindset, vision and the standards they drive are second to none. This partnership with Southfield is a huge statement of intent as they gear up for another phase of significant growth. We’re proud to have been involved in this stand-out Midlands international private equity transaction and want to congratulate Joe and his team on a significant milestone, and Adam and BGF on a stellar return”.

Joe Jani, Founder & CEO at Metric, commented: “This is a defining moment, not because of the capital, but because of what it represents. Every decision we have made since 2019 has been about staying disciplined, staying specialist, and earning the trust of the clients and candidates we work with. Our sectors, Data Centers, Life Sciences, Infrastructure, and Engineering, are at the centre of the most important capital flows in the global economy, and the cost of getting talent wrong in those markets is high. Metric exists to solve that problem, and with Southfield’s backing we now have the platform, the resources, and the team to do it at scale. I want to recognise every person at Metric for making this possible, and thank Adam Huckerby and the team at BGF, alongside our Non-Executive Chair Andy McRae, for the rigour and experience they brought to our journey.”

The transaction is Browne Jacobson’s latest US private equity deal, with other recent successes including advising Obsequio Group on its investment by Warren Equity Partners, and advising The Edwin Group on its sale to Quad Partners.