Actica Consulting secures financial backing from Sovereign
Technology advisory Actica Consulting has completed a management buyout with the backing of investment firm Sovereign Capital Partners. The private equity company was advised on the deal by professionals from Alantra.
Guildford headquartered Actica Consulting works with predominantly central government clients, across the UK, as part of long-term, mission-critical programmes.
Since 1998, the business has worked to enable clients to become more efficient, effective and secure through supporting areas including strategy creation, architecture development, digital transformation, cyber security optimisation, data analytics and business intelligence.
Actica boasts a team of around 130 staff, and a strong reputation for technical excellence, collaborative problem solving and delivery. The business has routinely caught the eye of industry benchmarks – and was ranked as a ‘Leading Management Consultancy’ by the Financial Times in both 2020 and 2021.
As such, Actica has attracted the attention of investment from Sovereign Capital Partners. According to Jeremy Morgan, a Partner with Sovereign, the deal provides key opportunities for Actica to scale its service offering, both organically and through strategic acquisition – diversifying its services and end markets in the process, while leveraging its current skill sets into other relevant sectors.
Morgan went on, “We are very excited to be working with Mike and the team to support the next phase of growth for the business. Actica is a highly regarded operator in this specialist market which has enjoyed consistent organic growth for many years; it attracts high calibre talent to solve some of the public sector’s most complex challenges.”
Sovereign is a private equity firm that invests in high quality businesses, in specific sectors, to achieve accelerated growth and strong returns. Other business and technology services investments from Sovereign include Zenitech, Alveo, Acolin and AquaQ Analytics.
The investment in Actica sees Sovereign backing the incumbent management team led by Managing Director Mike Murphy. He joined the business in 2002, having started his career as a software engineer at IBM. Meanwhile, Actica’s founders, David Haws and Andy Evason, have materially reinvested in the business and will remain on the Board as Non-Executive Directors.
According to Murphy, the partnership with Sovereign “brings exciting new possibilities for the business”, as by “further developing and diversifying our services into new areas, we will be able to further strengthen our capabilities” while creating new opportunities for growth. Haws and Evason added that the deal presented opportunities to build on the firm’s already strong 24-year legacy, noting that “Sovereign recognises our premium offering and the opportunities to develop the business in this rapidly evolving market.”
Deal advisors
Sovereign was supported in the investment by global investment banking advisory firm, Alantra. This transaction builds on Alantra’s strong track record of advising investors and businesses within the technology consultancy sector including AquaQ, ECS, Ten10, Roboyo and Chaucer.
The firm’s team was led by Simon Roberts (Director) and supported by Guy Taylor, Luke Parvin, Harry Sparks, Christopher Bates and Scott Summers.
Roberts stated, “We’re delighted to have advised Sovereign on its investment in Actica. The Actica team have built an exciting business with leading capabilities in strategy, business change, digital transformation and cybersecurity, and are trusted to deliver on mission critical projects within the public and private sector. Sovereign’s investment will enable Actica to continue growing both organically and through acquisitions while expanding into other sectors.”
He further suggested that the deal was symptomatic of ongoing activity within the wider digital transformation ecosystem. In its work advising deals in the space, Alantra has seen “significant demand from strategic acquirers and private equity for high-growth consultancies”, especially among those with leading technological capabilities.
As organisations continue to adapt to the hybrid working of the post-pandemic era, Roberts suggested that he expects “more transactions in the space over the coming months.”
