What Cognitive Group does

Cognitive Group is a UK-based specialist recruitment consultancy, founded in 2007 and headquartered in London, operating as the Microsoft-focused brand within the broader Focus Cloud Group platform. The firm is part of a portfolio of eight platform-specific recruitment brands covering Workday (Focus on WD), Microsoft (Cognitive), SAP, Oracle Fusion, Dayforce, ServiceNow, Salesforce, and AI & Machine Learning, each functioning as a dedicated practice area. Its core activity is placing permanent and contract professionals into organizations implementing or operating these enterprise cloud platforms, serving both hiring managers (enterprise clients) and candidates (individual technology professionals) primarily in the UK and USA markets.

The business model is professional-services-based fee-for-placement recruitment, structured around both permanent and contract engagements, with revenue generated through traditional recruiter commission and margin on contract staffing. Go-to-market is sales-led and direct, supplemented by a self-serve job portal, CV upload infrastructure, and content marketing (downloadable guides, blogs, podcasts, video testimonials). The firm holds official certified partnerships with Workday (including Workday Staffing Partnership and Workday AMS Partnership designations), Dayforce, and Oracle Fusion, and operates a flagship-tier alignment with Microsoft UK on the partner skills initiative. Adjacent to recruitment, the firm offers a System Selection Consulting service supporting platform selection prior to implementation.

The company is privately held with no disclosed investors, parent, or funding history, and operates with 11-50 employees. Leadership is anchored by Bas, Founder and Group CEO. Select enterprise client relationships include Hitachi Solutions (a 10+ year engagement supporting its Microsoft practice) and ETZ. The firm's competitive position rests on depth of specialization within named vendor ecosystems, multi-brand distribution, and partner-led demand generation rather than on proprietary technology.

Name

Cognitive Group

Legal name

Focus Cloud Group

Website

https://cognitive-group.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cognitive Group is a London-based specialist recruitment consultancy (founded 2007) operating the Microsoft-focused brand within Focus Cloud Group, placing permanent and contract professionals in Workday, Microsoft, SAP, Oracle, Salesforce, ServiceNow, Dayforce, and AI/AI talent pools for enterprise clients across the UK and USA.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Recruitment and Staffing Services: The company generates revenue through recruitment and staffing fees, placing candidates in permanent and contract positions with clients seeking Cloud Technology, ERP, and digital transformation professionals.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Cognitive Group is a specialist recruitment consultancy brand operating within Focus Cloud Group, focused on placing Microsoft technology professionals. It provides permanent and contract recruitment services covering Microsoft Dynamics 365, Azure, and Modern Workplace practices for organizations ranging from small teams to large enterprises undergoing cloud and digital transformation.

Product overview

Focus Cloud Group is a group of specialist global recruitment consultancies that provides talent acquisition services. The company operates as a platform of specialized recruitment brands focused on cloud technologies and enterprise software platforms. The portfolio includes eight distinct specialist brands: Focus on WD (Workday), Cognitive Focus on Microsoft (covering Dynamics 365, Azure, and Modern Workplace), Focus SAP, Focus Fusion (Oracle), Focus DF (Dayforce), Focus On ServiceNow, Focus Salesforce, and AI & Machine Learning. Each brand operates as a dedicated recruitment practice area, with additional offerings including Workday Staffing Partnership, Workday AMS Partnership, Business Applications, Azure Data & AI, Azure Security, Azure Infrastructure, and System Selection Consulting services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Focus on WD: Specialist recruitment brand focused on Workday technology talent acquisition
• Cognitive
• Focus SAP
• Focus Fusion
• Focus DF
• Focus On ServiceNow
• Focus Salesforce
• AI & Machine Learning

Products and services

• Cognitive Focus on Microsoft Microsoft-focused recruitment brand covering Dynamics 365, Azure, and Modern Workplace practices, serving clients ranging from small teams to large enterprises.
• Focus on WD (Workday Recruitment) Specialized recruitment brand focused on placing Workday professionals, including permanent, contract, and staffing solutions.
• Focus SAP SAP-focused recruitment brand serving organizations implementing or running SAP solutions.
• Focus Fusion (Oracle) Oracle Fusion-focused recruitment brand serving organizations with Oracle Cloud ERP, HCM, and CX implementations.
• Focus DF (Dayforce) Dayforce-focused recruitment brand providing talent solutions for Ceridian HCM implementations.
• Focus On ServiceNow ServiceNow-focused recruitment brand serving organizations implementing or operating ServiceNow platforms.
• Focus Salesforce Salesforce-focused recruitment brand serving organizations with Salesforce CRM implementations and ecosystem needs.
• AI & Machine Learning Recruitment AI and Machine Learning recruitment brand providing talent for organizations building AI capabilities.
• System Selection Consulting System selection consulting service assisting organizations in evaluating and selecting enterprise software platforms such as Workday, Microsoft, SAP, Salesforce, ServiceNow, and Dayforce.
• Permanent Placement Recruitment Permanent recruitment service placing full-time technology professionals with client organizations across cloud technology ecosystems.
• Contract Placement Recruitment Contract recruitment service placing technology professionals on a temporary or project basis with client organizations.

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• WorkdaycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial Workday partnership demonstrating expertise in Workday recruitment. The company holds Workday Staffing Partnership and Workday AMS Partnership designations, indicating a formalized, certified relationship with Workday for delivering recruitment solutions.
• DayforcecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial Dayforce partnership demonstrating specialization in Dayforce talent recruitment. The partnership enhances credibility and provides access to resources and networks for delivering recruitment solutions.
• OraclecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial Oracle partnership demonstrating expertise in Oracle Fusion recruitment. The partnership enhances market presence and credibility in the Oracle ecosystem.
• Microsoft UKflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlignment with Microsoft UK on their partner skills initiative. The company has a dedicated 'Focus on Microsoft' brand offering and specializes in Microsoft technologies including Azure, Dynamics 365, Modern Workplace, and Business Applications.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Glocomms: Specialist technology and digital transformation recruiter covering enterprise software, cloud platforms, and data/AI roles. Comparable niche focus on high-value cloud and transformation hires similar to Focus Cloud's positioning.
• Henderson Scott: UK-based specialist technology recruitment consultancy focused on enterprise software, cloud, and data hires. Direct competitor in the UK specialist cloud recruitment market with overlapping Workday/Microsoft coverage.
• Explore Group: Specialist technology recruitment consultancy focused on cloud, data, and enterprise software placements across Salesforce, AWS, and Microsoft ecosystems. Comparable specialist multi-platform model competing with Focus Cloud in the European market.
• Frank Recruitment Group: Specialist technology recruiter operating multiple niche brands (Jefferson Frank for AWS, Nelson Frank for Salesforce, Anderson Frank for Workday). Highly comparable multi-brand cloud/ERP recruitment model directly competing with Focus Cloud's specialist platform structure.
• McGregor Boyall: UK-based specialist technology and transformation recruitment consultancy covering cloud, ERP, and digital change programmes. Comparable London-headquartered specialist competing for the same enterprise cloud mandates.
• Mason Frank International: Specialist Salesforce, ServiceNow, and broader enterprise cloud technology recruitment consultancy. Direct competitor in the Salesforce/ServiceNow niches where Focus Cloud operates dedicated brands.
• Computer Futures: Specialist technology recruitment consultancy placing permanent and contract professionals across enterprise software, cloud, and digital transformation. Direct overlap with Focus Cloud's ERP/cloud placement model, particularly in Workday, Microsoft, and SAP.

Broad incumbents

• SThree: Global specialist staffing group with technology-focused brands including Progressive Recruitment and Computer Futures covering cloud, ERP, and digital transformation. Publicly listed incumbent with comparable specialist recruitment offerings.
• Reed Technology: Major UK recruitment firm with a dedicated Technology division covering cloud, ERP, and digital transformation roles. Broader portfolio than Focus Cloud but competes directly for the same enterprise placement mandates.
• Hays Technology: Global recruitment group with a large dedicated Technology division covering ERP, cloud, and digital transformation roles across Workday, SAP, Microsoft, and Salesforce ecosystems. Comparable as a multi-platform technology recruiter but operating as a broad incumbent with hundreds of consultants versus Focus Cloud's specialist positioning.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks2 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cognitivegroup
• Facebookfacebook.com/CognitiveGroup

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cognitive Group