ZRG, the seventh-largest retained search firm in the US, acquired The Registry, a Massachusetts-based interim executive solutions firm specializing in higher education. 

“Adding The Registry to the family of ZRG companies puts us in a leadership position in providing talent solutions in higher education,” ZRG CEO Larry Hartmann said in a press release.  

Founded in 1992 by former college presidents Tom Langevin and the late Allen Koenig, The Registry provides colleges and universities across the US and abroad with interim leaders. The Registry’s membership and span of interim positions expanded when it was acquired by Collegiate Enterprise Solutions. The company now counts about 20 internal staff member and has made 1,200 placements at more than 500 institutions. 

The transaction closed July 31; terms were not disclosed. The Registry brand will remain for the near term although long-term plans are for fuller integration. Executives remaining with the company in ZRG’s The Registry Division include Kevin Matthews as CEO, Amy Lauren Miller as president and COO, George Matthews as chancellor emeritus, and Brian Carlson as president emeritus. 

“Joining ZRG will make it possible for The Registry to sustain its dramatic expansion and dominance of the interim space in American higher education,” Carlson said. “In addition, The Registry has the potential to become a catalyst for the elevation of the ZRG brand throughout the nation and across the globe.” 

New Jersey-based ZRG, a portfolio company of RFE Investment Partners since 2018, provides retained search, on-demand talent, and consulting and advisory services globally. ZRG recently acquired Helbling, an executive search firm in the construction and real estate developers sector; Hub Recruiting, a boutique recruiting process outsourcing firm; and Seba International, a retained executive search firm focused on finance, risk, marketing and revenue roles.