New York, Munich | September 17th, 2025 – The M&A Advisor announced the winners of the 16th Annual International M&A Awards and Drake Star was honored in the category M&A Deal of the Year ($100MM to $250MM) for advising on the Majority Recapitalization of GFOS, a leading provider of Workforce Management software, with The Riverside Company, a leading global technology growth investor.
Founded in 1988 by Katharina Van Meenen-Röhrig's father, Burkhard Röhrig, GFOS offers an enterprise-grade cloud platform that enables end-to-end digitalization of workforce management processes. More than 3,000 top-tier customers across 30 countries rely on GFOS solutions to digitalize their workforce processes and manage ever increasing complexity. GFOS’ modular platform is complemented by GFOS.Smart Manufacturing, the advanced manufacturing execution system, providing a fully integrated and holistic MES environment. GFOS' blue chip customer base includes Sennheiser electronic GmbH & Co. KG, Transgourmet Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG, MANN + HUMMEL International GmbH & Co. KG, Schwan Cosmetics Germany GmbH & Co. KG, ARI Armaturen Albert Richter GmbH & Co. KG, Arthrex GmbH, Feller AG, IMS Gear SE & Co. KG and NOWEDA Apothekergenossenschaft e.G.
Ralf Philipp Hofmann, Managing Partner, Member of the Executive Committee, Co-Founder of Drake Star and deal team lead commented: "I’m grateful to the teams at GFOS and The Riverside Company for their trust and strong partnership throughout this transaction. I’d also like to thank the M&A Advisor for honoring this standout deal in the HR Tech space. A special congratulations to our exceptional deal team at Drake Star – Pablo Lundershausen, Julian Wolf, and Jan Ceko – for their dedication and hard work. This recognition reflects our unwavering commitment to achieving the best outcomes for our clients and reinforces our leading role in HR Tech M&A."
The 16th Annual International M&A Award winners were recognized at an exclusive Awards Gala, one of the key events of the 2025 Leadership in Dealmaking Summit, which took place on September 15 & 16 in New York City. The summit brought together leading dealmakers, investors, and advisors from across the globe. Our award-winning deal team – led by Ralf Philipp Hofmann and Julian Ostertag (Managing Partners & Co-Founders of Drake Star), our CEO Gregory Bedrosian, alongside Julian Riedlbauer (Partner), and our Global Head of Marketing Jan Deahl – attended the gala to accept and celebrate the awards on behalf of the firm.
About The M&A Advisor
Founded in 1998, The M&A Advisor provides data, insight, and events for professionals working in mergers and acquisitions, restructuring, and corporate finance. Now in its 27th year, it remains the leading global network for dealmakers, helping firms stay informed, build relationships, and get recognized for their work.
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About Drake Star
Drake Star is an award-winning global tech investment bank that has completed over 500 transactions since 2003. The Drake Star global team of experienced professionals and senior advisors across offices in New York, Munich, London, Paris, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Berlin, and Dubai* focuses on mergers & acquisitions and corporate finance services worldwide in Software/SaaS, HR Tech, Digital Services, FinTech, Digital Media, Industrial Tech, Consumer & Retail Tech and Mobility & Sustainability.
Drake Star is the marketing name for the global investment bank Drake Star Partners Limited and its subsidiaries and affiliates. In the USA, all securities are transacted through Drake Star Securities LLC. In the USA, Drake Star Securities LLC is regulated by FINRA and is a member of SIPC. Drake Star UK Limited (FRN 942020) is an appointed representative of Razlin Ltd (FRN 730805), which is authorized and regulated by the FCA. © 2025 Drake Star Partners Limited.
*Partner Office