£18m Leicester software firm sold to London rival

Leicester software firm Safe Computing has been sold to London rival Access.

Safe Computing, which turns over £18m a year, is Access’s biggest acquisition to date.

Safe will add to Access’s existing recruitment sector capabilities with its Tempest ‘Pay and Bill’ solution. Safe’s other products in the HCM (Human Capital Management) and FMS (Financial Management System) space focus on functionality and market segments that compliment the existing Access portfolio.

“The addition of Safe to The Access Group is a game-changer for us and greatly increases the value we can deliver to our customers. Safe have a number of best-in-class solutions, an excellent customer base and an experienced team, and there’s a great alignment in our cultures and the way we do business,” said Chris Bayne, CEO of Access Group.

“Access is a high growth company and we’re confident that this acquisition will help us further accelerate, particularly into markets where Safe has particular strength, like recruitment. Our customers tell us that they need capabilities in these domains so with Safe on board, we’ll be extremely well placed to help them.”

Sandy Scott, Safe CEO, is leaving the business and Paul Vogel, who has more than 30 years in the enterprise software industry, has joined Access as managing director of the Safe subsidiary.

“The Access Group is a natural fit for our culture and capabilities and throughout the acquisition process I have been impressed with the team and their vision. I am immensely proud of Safe and what we’ve built together and though I have taken the decision to move on I am confident I leave our customers in good hands,” said Scott.

Safe has offices in Leicester and Derby, as well as Manchester, London and Hertfordshire.