Danish IT consultancy ProData Consult buys Dutch player Eliantie
ProData Consult, a Danish business and IT consultancy firm, has acquired Eliantie, a Netherlands based IT services provider. Around 75 IT consultants and experts transfer to ProData Consult, taking the company’s headcount in the Netherlands to approximately 100 professionals.
Founded in 1994, ProData Consult is a Copenhagen headquartered IT consulting firm and contractor. The business generates revenues in excess of €90 million, realised by more than 800 consultants staffed across Europe, through offices based in Sweden, Norway, Germany, Poland and the Netherlands.
As part of its buy and build strategy – ProData Consult earlier this year acquired Raft Consulting, a Danish/Swedish competitor, and last year purchased a German counterpart in Munich – the IT consultancy picked up the Dutch firm Eliantie. Founded in 1989, Eliantie is a contractor which provides high-end IT professionals with expertise and knowledge in the fields of IT infrastructure, software development and testing. The company is located in Rijswijk and works for several clients in the Netherlands, including corporates as Heineken, Delta Lloyd and Allseas.
ProData Consult bought the firm from its existing shareholders, CEO Jeroen Diederik and CCO Maurice Blanken, who together held a majority share. The two directors will remain in position, and have been put forward to head the combined Dutch operations of Eliantie and ProData Consult’s local operations. ProData Consult established its Dutch arm in the country in 2013, and today has a team of around 25 IT professionals based in Gorinchem. The combined company is estimated to have a joint turnover of around €15 million, and will operate with offices in Gorinchem and Rijswijk.
“We are very happy to combine our company with ProData Consult, which will allow us to further accelerate our growth plan by building on their international knowledge and experience in the field of high-end IT”, comments Jeroen Diederik. He adds that the consultancy will, in particular, benefit from the nearshoring activities of its new parent in Poland. “In the Netherlands it is becoming increasingly challenging to find the right IT professionals. Through the Polish operations of ProData Consult (an office in Warsaw plus a new location opening in Krakow soon) we can now also provide our Dutch clients with highly qualified IT experts, mainly developers, for fees that can be up to half the current rates.”
Toine van Kastel, Country Manager at ProData Consult Netherlands, speaks of an “ideal match”. He states: “The similarities and the synergies between both firms are evident. Both on the business side, as well as on the cultural fit.” Van Kastel will join Diederik and Blanken in the executive team.
Dealmakers
The deal was advised on by M&A advisors from four consulting firms. Buyer ProData Consult was supported by RSM, which provided transaction support and tax advisory, and Loyens & Loeff, which served as the firm’s legal consultant. The Danish firm also leveraged the expertise of an in-house M&A team, comprising of three experts: Søren Rode, Lars Jørgensen and Jens Kyhaeb. The Dutch sellers were supported by MBCF, a boutique M&A consulting firm based in the Netherlands, Koenders Advies (tax advisory) and DVAN (legal advisory).
