LOS ANGELES and LONDON, October 9, 2023 – Marlin Equity Partners (“Marlin”) is pleased to announce that Cloud Technology Solutions Group (“CTS”), an existing Marlin portfolio company, has signed a definitive agreement to merge with Appsbroker Ltd. (“Appsbroker”) to form the largest Google Cloud-dedicated digital consultancy in Europe. The two Google Premier Partners will become a single, united company for both strategic consulting and 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 U.K. and across the EMEA region.
“We are 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,” said Tom Ray, CEO of CTS. “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.”
“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,” said Mike Conner, CEO of Appsbroker. “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.”
“CTS and Appsbroker are two of Europe’s most established and trusted Google Cloud partners. This strategic merger will provide the scale, expertise and market focus needed to accelerate growth across the U.K. and EMEA,” said Mike Wilkinson, a managing director at Marlin. “We’re incredibly excited to partner with the company’s leadership team to help them drive the next chapter in premier Google Cloud services.”
About Marlin Equity Partners
Marlin Equity Partners is a global investment firm with approximately $9 billion in capital commitments. The firm is focused on providing corporate parents, shareholders and other stakeholders with tailored solutions that meet their business and liquidity needs. Marlin invests in businesses across multiple industries where its capital base, industry relationships and extensive network of operational resources significantly strengthen a company’s outlook and enhance value. Since its inception, Marlin, through its group of funds and related companies, has successfully completed over 200 acquisitions. The firm is headquartered in Los Angeles, California with an additional office in London. For more information, please visit www.marlinequity.com.
About CTS
CTS is one of Google’s largest dedicated cloud partners in Europe, helping customers to differentiate by adopting Google Cloud technology while nurturing a culture of innovation and sustainability. CTS works with organisations to modernise their technology stack, providing consultancy, implementation, billing and managed services for both Google Cloud Platform (“GCP”) and Workspace. Their secure and sustainable GCP solutions allow organisations to build infrastructure that supports long-term growth and to become data-driven by using Google’s industry-leading data platform to make strategic and efficient decisions. Additionally, CTS has extensive expertise in change management and helps customers develop a more collaborative and productive workforce by adopting Google Workspace. CTS is a certified B Corporation. For more information, please visit www.cts.co.
Contacts:
Peter Spasov
(310) 364-0100
pspasov@marlinequity.com
Gasthalter & Co.
marlinequity@gasthalter.com