Alantra advises Appsbroker on strategic merger with CTS to form the largest Google Cloud-Only partner in Europe
SECTORTechnology
ServiceM&A
London – Alantra, the independent global mid-market financial services firm, has advised Appsbroker Ltd (“Appsbroker”) on its strategic merger with Cloud Technology Solutions Group (“CTS”), establishing the largest Google Cloud-dedicated digital consultancy in Europe.
The two Google Premier Partners will become a single, united powerhouse for both strategic consulting and best-in-class engineering, meeting the rapidly growing demand for seamless artificial intelligence, martech, data, and cloud security solutions that deliver real business impact.
With a customer base that already includes major household names, the agreement will further boost expansion goals in industries like financial services, retail, manufacturing, and the public sector – both in the UK and across the EMEA region.
Under the terms of the agreement, the company will be led by Tom Ray, CEO of CTS, with Mike Conner, Founder and CEO of Appsbroker, joining the Investment Board. CTS’ majority-shareholder, Marlin Equity Partners, will become the largest shareholder of the new company with NorthEdge Capital maintaining a minority share.
Alantra’s UK Technology team, including James Chapman-Andrews, Simon Roberts, Georgi Shopov, Josh Woodage and Edoardo Curti, advised Appsbroker. Advising Appsbroker marks the team’s fifteenth technology consultancy deal globally in 2023, with a combined value of over $1bn.
James Chapman-Andrews, UK Head of Technology at Alantra, said, “Mike has established one of Europe’s largest Google cloud-only managed services providers and it was a pleasure advising him and the team on this strategic merger. The transaction represents another notable deal for Alantra in the technology consulting sector. The significant momentum behind Google Cloud Platform is driving strong demand for Appsbroker’s and CTS’s services and this will continue to drive investment activity from both investors and strategic buyers.”
Mike Conner, Founder of Appsbroker, said, “Appsbroker and CTS have partnered with Google Cloud for over 15 years. In that time, we have grown rapidly and delivered success in premium professional and managed services to many of Google’s most important customers. With little overlap across our combined customer base and strong shared values, it made real sense for us to come together to create the largest concentration of Google Cloud talent in Europe. We are both committed to delivering high-impact transformational projects, so scale is important to ensure our customers have access to the skills and training to fully leverage the burgeoning Google Cloud AI, data, and security opportunity.”
Tom Ray, CEO of Appsbroker, said, “We’re incredibly excited about what this strategic merger means for our customers and our people. From countering cyber threats, to unlocking the true potential of AI, there is now a huge opportunity to leverage the full spectrum of Google Cloud capabilities to deliver real impact for businesses. CTS and Appsbroker house some of the industry’s foremost cloud experts, with over 420 Google certifications and numerous industry awards. Bringing our standout teams together under one roof puts us in a strong position to drive the future of digital transformation.”
