Atos buys ICT sport consultancy MSL Group

Atos has bought a 50% stake in MSL Group, a specialized consulting firm that supports major global sports events. In the deal both firms agreed a construction that provides Atos the possibility to acquire the remaining shares in the coming year. The deal is expected to close by 31st March 2012. MSL Group has annual revenues of around €15 million. Atos and MSL Group are not new to each other – they have been working together since the Barcelona 1992 Summer Olympics.

Over the past two decades MSL Group has provided its services in more than 50 countries and supported several large sporting events, such as the Olympics and Paralympics, Asian Games, Tennis Master Series and Commonwealth. Atos is the worldwide IT Partner for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Together the two entities - MSL Group and Atos Major Events - will have more than 500 specialized business technologists and up to 5,000 IT experts to support major sport events. The main headquarters of both Atos Major Events and MSL Group is based in Spain.

Patrick Adiba Chief Executive Officer Olympics & Major Events at Atos, said: “Today’s announcement marks a major milestone in our strategy to be the global IT leader for major events. We have a strong heritage in this specialized IT, having delivered 50 successful global events worldwide since 1989. By joining forces with MSL Group, we have a strengthened portfolio that will ensure our business technologists can continue to write history for sporting and major events around the world and that as a business we increase our market share as well as value from each deal.”

Jose Alberto Jaen, Founder of MSL Group, said: “I am delighted to be working with Atos, a recognized leader in the IT sports industry. Our experience and expertise is extremely complementary and I am very excited that through this deal, we will have the opportunity to support some of the biggest sporting events in the world.”