StepStone Expands US Operations

Provider of Talent Management Solutions Leverages Global Success, Comprehensive Product Portfolio to Fulfill Growing Customer Demands

AUSTIN, Texas--(EON:Enhanced Online News)--StepStone Solutions, a leading provider of on-demand talent management solutions, today announced continued business momentum with the establishment of its US-based operations headquartered in Austin, Texas. StepStone Solutions, Inc., a subsidiary of StepStone ASA, one of Europe’s largest HR software and services providers, will be led by Bucky Couch, Managing Director, Americas.

“I’m thrilled to be part of this next stage in our company’s growth”

StepStone’s US expansion builds on more than 10 years in the global talent management market, during which time the company has established one of the most comprehensive sales, support and delivery capabilities in the industry. StepStone solutions are currently utilized by 1,200 customers representing more than six million registered users across North America, South America, Europe, Asia and Africa.

StepStone’s Total Talent Management solutions enable customers to map HR processes and practices to key business priorities, giving them the necessary insights to maximize workforce productivity in driving their organizations forward.

“I’m thrilled to be part of this next stage in our company’s growth,” said Bucky Couch. “As the US job market continues to tighten, recruiting and managing talent will become more and more challenging – and a key issue affecting business initiatives. My goal is to help customers in one of the world’s largest markets build competitive advantage through the implementation of strategic talent management solutions.”

StepStone tripled its US sales force in 2007 and plans to increase its US market share by expanding sales, marketing and customer support operations. In support of these efforts, industry veteran Shelley Ingram joins the company’s leadership team as vice president of Customer Success, bringing more than 10 years of experience in the development and delivery of customer-oriented HR technologies. Prior to StepStone, Shelley was manager of Hire.com’s Solution Center and the manager of On-Demand Services for Authoria, Inc.

In related news, StepStone ASA today announced record third quarter results, highlighting 90 customer wins including Nestle Nutrition (Switzerland), Bentley (UK), TeliaSonera (Sweden), Lindorff (Norway) and BMW (Germany), as well as record new monthly subscriptions. In the US, the company continues to build momentum in key verticals such as energy, aviation and retail with wins at Superior Energy Services, Flight Safety International and a leading luxury retailer of premium lifestyle products, as well as expanded projects within long-term customers such as Virgin Atlantic and Waste Management, Inc.

About StepStone

StepStone is one of the world’s largest providers of on-demand, talent management solutions, offering a portfolio of technology, software and online services that enable organizations to attract, recruit, develop, retain and manage the best available talent.

StepStone Online operates some of Europe’s largest and most successful Total Talent Communities, covering 13 countries and attracting 1.9 million visitors each week. StepStone’s Total Talent Management Software Solutions are a range of on-demand services which enable organizations to manage the entire employee lifecycle, from initial attraction through pre-hire online recruitment, on-boarding and post-hire performance management, including compensation management, skills and competency management and employee training and development. StepStone recently completed the acquisition of ExecuTRACK, a global leader in strategic Talent Management, which extends StepStone’s Total Talent Management solutions portfolio.

Thousands of organizations including Aviva, BBC, Novartis, DuPont, Virgin Atlantic, Royal Bank of Scotland, British Airways, Xerox and Fiat use StepStone’s products and services to help them recruit qualified staff globally. Founded in Norway in 1996, StepStone is the only European-headquartered vendor to be recognized as a “leader” in Gartner, Inc’s recent “Magic Quadrant for E-Recruitment Software, 2006” report. For more information, see: http://www.stepstone.com.