12 enterprising Women FEATURE #1 on the “50 Fastest” The merger of two powerful women-led companies— SDI International and HCMWorks creates a global powerhouse SDI International LLC, a global leader in procurement and tail spend optimization, led by founder Carmen Castillo, and HCM Works Inc., a leading North American provider of contingent labor solutions, led by Toronto-based Allison McCrea, announced a strategic merger that led to SDI International earning the #1 spot on the 50 Fastest Growing Women-Owned/Led Companies list with a whopping $518 million in revenues for the global powerhouse Together, SDI and HCM offer an integrated solution designed to transform procurement and extended workforce services. The new organization is uniquely positioned to address complex and fragmented spend categories. Enterprising Women had an opportunity to connect with Carmen Castillo and Allison McCrea to get their perspectives on the merger, the impact of being named to the #1 spot on the “50 Fastest,” and hear what’s ahead for this fast-growing company. ENTERPRISING WOMEN: You’ve earned recognition as #1 on the 50 Fastest list. What does this recognition mean to you? CARMEN: It is an honor to receive this recognition alongside Allison. This achievement reflects more than three decades of hard work and commitment from our team. It really is a testament to their dedication and, most importantly, to the trust our clients have placed in us over the years. Allison: I couldn’t agree more. Being recognized as #1 is incredibly meaningful, and it reflects the work of our people more than anything else. Growth at this scale only happens because of an incredible team and partners who believe in the vision. EW: How did this merger come together? CARMEN: The merger came together quite organically. One of our longtime executives joined Allison’s organization after nearly 30 years with SDI and immediately recognized the potential of bringing our two companies together. We met, and the chemistry was palpable from the start. The more we learned about each other’s businesses, the more obvious the opportunity became. ALLISON: It really was fortuitous. My business was primarily in the contingent labour space, and I was Carmen Castillo
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