The DMW Group
Technology consultancy
Contributing Sustainable Development Goals
Background
Our investment partnership with DMW started alongside their founding shareholders, in November 2017. They are a specialist cloud and data services business that enabled clients to transform IT platforms, migrate infrastructure and applications to the cloud and achieve business outcomes through organisation change and technology.
DMW had originated as a specialist consultancy advising clients in relation to technology strategy and large-scale IT infrastructure projects. Its clients included large financial services organisations, energy companies and public sector organisations.
The management team wanted a partner who understood the service model intimately, had strong technology credentials, who could be hands on in supporting growth and who had experience of helping to manage long-term succession planning.
Between 2017 and 2020 DMW doubled headcount, doubled revenue and doubled profitability. It also invested heavily in its go to market approach and gained recognition for its exceptional combination of technical capability and collaborative culture.
This led to an unsolicited approach from Credera, a subsidiary of Omnicom Group, which had heavily mapped the UK market and identified DMW as a best in class acquisition target. We managed a remote only transaction through the Covid pandemic and delivered a heavily tailored deal that exited GCP but gave management the opportunity to scale and grow value whilst retaining autonomy within the acquiring group.
Strategic Clarity
Proposition
-
Service Line Development - Extension of service offering into software engineering which broadened the potential client universe and grew DMW’s share of wallet with existing clients
Accelerating Growth
Commercial
-
Sales/GTM - Investment in sales and marketing to simplify service messaging and drive new client acquisition
People & Organisation
Leadership
-
Org Structure - Material investment in business infrastructure including Finance, People, Sales and Marketing functions
-
Succession Planning - Board evolution, external and internal appointments and long-term succession planning
Talent & Culture
-
Recruitment Engine - Well-supported People function, including appointment of People Director and investment in recruitment engine
Platform for Success
Leadership
-
Operating Systems - Pipeline methodology and visibility supported strong forward-looking exit
Delivering the Best Outcome
-
High-Quality Delivery - A light-weight funding structure at completion which was funded entirely by GCP and created a sizeable sweet equity pot for management
-
Exit Preparation - A carefully crafted exit that achieved the right home for the business as a strategic catalyst of a large corporate, ongoing equity incentivisation and cross-sell opportunities
-
Maximising Value Through Process - An accelerated growth story that overperformed versus plan and which led to the business delivering Year 5 performance in Year 3