Aider and Ascender merge to strengthen advisory and recruitment services

Andreas og Knut 2

Aider expands its service offering by merging with the rapidly growing executive search company Ascender. – This marks the beginning of a powerful initiative within advisory, recruitment and management for hire, says Andreas Vik, CEO of Aider.


 


Reunited


Aider was founded in 2019 in Ascenders premises. The company was launched by Ascender CEO, Knut Grotli, together with Andreas Vik, and Grotli has served as Chair of Aider since then. After five years of strong growth in parallel, the two companies are now reuniting.


– The circle is now complete, and it is admittedly a little emotional for both Knut and me. But for Aider, this primarily means that our advisory initiative will receive a significant boost. We are committed to redefining the accounting industry, and we believe the industry remains relevant by providing strong advice. With Ascender on board, we are better positioned to do just that.


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A broader toolbox


Vik explains that there are truly unique synergies in a collaboration between Aider and a consultancy specialising in recruitment and management for hire.


– We can now support our clients in a new way by helping them build the right finance function. We can deliver efficient accounting services and systems, whilst also assisting in recruiting the people they need within their own organisation. If temporary positions are required during a transition phase, we can provide that as well.


– In short, we now have a much broader toolbox and can support clients throughout an entire change process in a new way, says the Aider CEO.

Andreas og Knut

 


The right time for a merger


Aiders growth and an increasingly broad client base make the timing ideal. With the merger with Sum last year, the advisory initiative was established. Now, it is being further elevated with Ascender.


– In addition, we gain significant leadership and sales capacity, which will strengthen both our execution capabilities and our market presence, says Vik.


 


Increased commercial impact


Ascender will remain as a company and retain its brand name. While operations will continue as usual, CEO Knut Grotli is confident that they will benefit substantially from the merger.


– We often enter from an investment perspective, where a financial entity owns a company that needs renewal. They may need to replace a CEO or CFO, or require temporary support. We now have Aider behind us, which in an outsourcing process or staffing situation can provide both specialist expertise and financial systems. This is extremely exciting for us and our clients.


He also highlights that Aider offers other complementary areas of expertise, such as sustainability, board advisory, business analytics and HR consulting. This full service offering will now be available to Ascenders clients.