Olivier Le Moal - Fotolia
Agilitas strikes MBO with Perwyn backing
Managed services player seals its second management buyout in six years as it looks for more growth
Agilitas IT Solutions has completed a management buyout (MBO), led by its current CEO and supported by private equity player Perwyn.
This is the second time Shaun Lynn, CEO of Agilitas, has led an MBO, with the latest one coming six years after the first. In that time, the business has carved out a role as an inventory-as-a-service specialist, and has now attracted the interest of Perwyn.
The private equity player has acquired a majority stake in the channel player and is on-board to support growth ambitions that include international expansion, increasing services and potentially dabbling in the mergers and acquisitions (M&A) market.
The inventory-as-a-service specialist is keen to stress to its channel partners that the MBO will not have an impact on existing relationships, with Lynn remaining in place as CEO, along with the rest of the management team.
Bill Wilson has become the new chairman with a brief to help guide the firm through the next phase of its existence.
“Since leading the original MBO back in 2014, Agilitas has been on an incredible journey to position itself as the leading services partner of choice to the channel. The team and I share immense pride in this achievement,” said Lynn.
“To achieve our ambitions, it was critical to select an investor which not only shared our growth ambitions, but also aligned to our values and corporate culture. Perwyn will bring a wealth of knowledge and know-how to our business,” he added.
“The partnership with Perwyn is great news for our channel partners, as it equips us with a superior toolkit to propel us onto the next level, by expanding our services portfolio and geographic footprint.”
In response, Perwyn partners Andrew Wynn and Mark Blower said Agilitas had already delivered good organic growth and had a strong reputation for service. “The investment aligns perfectly with Perwyn’s core investment thesis of backing high-growth businesses pursuing international expansion and M&A,” they said.
The MBO caps what has been a busy few months for Agilitas. The firm recently revealed it had taken steps to bolster its security offering by becoming a Fortinet Integrator Partner, allowing it to offer the vendor’s products to its partner base.
It also formed a partnership with white-label IT service provider ITEC in the summer, with both firms being able to offer each other’s range of services to customers, giving Agilitas access to more countries.
Lynn indicated that entering more countries was one of the benefits that the tie-up with Perwyn would bring. “It equips us with a superior toolkit to propel us onto the next level, by expanding our services portfolio and geographic footprint,” he said
