Alantra advises ECS on its international sale to GlobalLogic
SECTORTechnology
ServiceM&A
Alantra, the independent global mid-market investment bank, has further enhanced its reputation in the digital transformation market following the sale of ECS Group (ECS), the leading digital transformation and DevOps consultancy, to GlobalLogic, a Silicon Valley headquartered digital product engineering provider.
Established in 2008, ECS employs 650 people worldwide, delivering digital solutions that harness the latest cloud technologies, with a focus on Digital Engineering, Data Analytics and Customer Experience. Its enterprise-grade DevOps techniques enable it to rapidly deploy and scale teams working on critical client transformation projects across the financial services, telecoms, pharma and energy sectors.
The acquisition of ECS enables multinational PE backed GlobalLogic to advance its European and Financial Services footprint and adds a host of complementary cloud-centric offerings to its portfolio.
The sale of ECS is Alantra’s 21st deal across the international digital transformation and cloud services space. It is also our 11th UK technology sector deal in 2020 and follows digital and cloud deals including the sale of Ten10 to Graphite Capital, MML’s investment in Roboyo, the investment in Chaucer by Italian corporate BIP and the sale of Sol-Tec to Content + Cloud. The Alantra deal team included James Chapman-Andrews, Renee Shaening and Michael Lenoce (Alantra’s west coast and east coast US cloud specialist managing directors), Emmet Keating and Dave Bellis.
“We’re delighted to have delivered what is a market leading price in a sector seeing significant M&A activity,” said James Chapman-Andrews, UK Head of Technology at Alantra. “It’s clear that there is strong appetite amongst key international strategic acquirers such as GlobalLogic for businesses with ECS’s expertise in complex cloud services. We expect to see further consolidation as the major international players seek to secure the capabilities required to service this high growth global market.”
Michael Lenoce, Managing Director in Alantra’s US cloud services team, added, “Digital transformation and cloud migration have been accelerated by Covid-19 and increased remote working and the services provided by ECS are experiencing strong growth in demand as businesses look to consultancies to bridge the capability gap. Strategic acquirers are increasingly looking internationally for the best in class targets and we’re delighted to have delivered on a milestone cross-border deal in this market.”
“The demand for digital engineering and cloud services continues to grow at an accelerated pace,” commented Mark Farrington, ECS’s CEO. “Joining GlobalLogic is a game-changer for ECS, with access to a broader set of competencies and global scale, we can address a wider range of client opportunities. Alantra’s track record in the global digital consultancy and cloud services space was key in securing an excellent outcome for the shareholders and their international team worked seamlessly in delivering a great outcome for all.”
Eddie Young, ECS’s Founder, added, “The talent, experience and commitment of ECS’s workforce, where the customer comes first, is the secret to its success and this landmark deal reflects that. The strategic fit with GlobalLogic is clear and we wish the combined entity every success. This is the second deal James has delivered for ECS and we would recommend him and the Alantra team to anyone looking for a blend of real sector knowledge, global trade and private equity buyer access and transaction delivery expertise.”
