SCC strengthens digital transformation play with Nimble

SCC has bolstered its digital transformation capabilities after sealing a deal to take a majority investment in Nimble.

The deal, the terms of which were not disclosed, will see SCC able to take up the 150-strong workforce of Nimble, which is a digital engineering consultancy headquartered in Sheffield.

Last November, SCC made it clear that the business had a war chest in the region of £300m and would be using it to strengthen the business with M&A moves, aimed at supporting its ambition to become a digital solutions and services provider (DSSP).

Nimble helps to keep it on track to develop a 2,000-people European digital consultancy within the decade.

“For decades, our customers across Europe have trusted us to bring value and support in their technology environments,” said James Rigby, CEO of SCC EMEA. “The investment in Nimble – alongside organic investments we have already made in the areas of cloud, cyber security, and digital workplace – will enable SCC to bring that same trust and value as they embark on digital transformation journeys.”

Rigby added that it decided to “seed” its digital transformation business with Nimble after meeting the team and its CEO Chris Roberts.

“We looked first for a company that shared our values and our commitment around customer service,” explained Rigby. “The way Nimble engages with its clients, the culture Chris and the team have created, and the pragmatic way they make decisions – it felt comfortable from the first conversation and will fit well with the way we are already operating in our cloud.”

From a Nimble perspective, the attraction of a tie-up with SCC was not only getting access to an established public and private sector customer base, but gaining an opportunity to expand into Europe.

“Partnering with SCC gives us rocket fuel to grow Nimble both in the UK and beyond,” said Roberts. “This gives Nimblers [the staff] an even bigger playing field to deliver innovation across our current capabilities and to consider new areas where we can help customers accelerate their transformation, including AI.”

The plan is to run Nimble as a separate company under the leadership of Roberts and the current executive team.

“With SCC’s global footprint and our investment in cloud services, we had many of the pieces we needed to help clients with digital transformation,” said Christine Olmsted, SCC’s corporate development director, who will also serve as Nimble’s chief strategy officer.

“What we lacked was the front end – a team of seasoned consultants who could help customers envision and articulate their needs and the development and delivery ‘squads’ to then make that vision a reality. With Nimble now on board, SCC can become the full-scale DSSP our customers are seeking,” she added.

The Nimble deal keeps the momentum going at SCC, which only a couple of weeks ago cut the ribbon a a fresh Scottish HQ and indicated plans to drive revenues North of the Border. It also follows on from other M&A activities, including the deal for Vohkus in March this year.