Stay specialist.Move quicker.
SERT joined Meraki in January 2026. A south coast business that recruits and trains people for energy, utilities and the built environment, it now supplies specialist workforces on a contract-first model, with the group behind it.
The casefor the deal.
SERT was built for some of the fastest-growing parts of the UK economy: utilities, renewables, retrofit and facilities management. Sectors where the skills shortage is real, and where clients need people who are qualified, compliant and ready on day one.
It had something most recruiters do not. An established training solution that puts stronger, better prepared candidates into the field. That made it a specialist with depth, exactly the kind of business Meraki backs.
SERT's leadership could have taken other routes. What persuaded them was the recruitment knowledge on the other side of the table. In their words, something non-specialist investors could not offer.
From first dealto Day One.
SERT joined Meraki in January 2026, the group's second deal of the year, with a £1.4 million investment facility behind it.
With it came access to the group's infrastructure: operational playbooks, shared talent pipelines, technology, and delivery support from Meraki's team in South Africa, designed to help SERT scale without dropping quality.
Ben Knight, COO at the time of the deal, now leads SERT as Managing Director. The business sharpened its focus and its model, putting recurring contract work ahead of one-off permanent placements, and relaunched with a new identity and a new line: Switched On.
A £1.4m investment facility, plus access to group playbooks, shared talent pipelines and delivery support in South Africa.
HVAC and refrigeration, retrofit and data centres at the centre, with smart metering, solar, heat pumps and EV charging alongside.
SERT recruits contractors and deploys them with clients, building recurring contract business ahead of one-off placements.
A new identity and brand line for SERT, at sert.work.
Where itstands today.
SERT is now a contract-first business. It recruits contractors and deploys them directly with clients, building recurring contract revenue rather than relying on one-off fees.
Its focus is HVAC and refrigeration, retrofit and data centres, with smart metering, solar, heat pumps and EV charging alongside. It works from a head office in Whiteley, Hampshire, recruiting for clients across the UK.
And it has a group around it. Sister businesses to compare notes with, shared systems and support, and the backing to invest in sectors that are only going to grow.
What we kept.What we added.
The first thing we ask a founder is not what we are going to change. It is what must not change. Then we put everything behind it.
Kept
- The specialism. SERT stays focused on energy and utilities rather than becoming a generalist.
- The leadership. Ben Knight, COO at the time of the deal, now leads SERT as Managing Director.
- The training heritage that puts better prepared people into the field.
Added
- Investment through a £1.4m facility.
- Group infrastructure: operational playbooks, shared talent pipelines and technology.
- Delivery support from Meraki's team in South Africa, to scale without dropping quality.
- Sister businesses to compare notes with and build joint capability alongside.
Joining Meraki gives us a platform to move quicker and do more. Meraki immediately had our attention due to its overwhelming recruitment knowledge.Mark EdwardsCEO, SERT, at the time of the deal
Being part of Meraki's recruitment group means we can stay specialist, while gaining the operational depth and collaborative ecosystem needed to deliver at pace.Ben Knightnow Managing Director, SERT
SERTtoday.
Switched On. Find out more at sert.work.
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