Birmingham consultancy firm snapped up by counterpart

A Birmingham consultancy firm which works mainly with the public sector has been sold.

Ameo, which was established over 10 years ago, has been snapped out by The Panopoly, a tech-based consultancy firm.

Neal Gandhi, chief executive of The Panoply, said: “Our focus is to deliver positive, sustainable change in the UK public sector and Ameo’s stellar track record of work in central and local government, healthcare and higher education broadens our capability to achieve this goal for our clients. Ultimately, this acquisition increases our relevance and puts us in a stronger position to target and win larger, more strategic engagements at the heart of the UK public sector.

“With this acquisition, public services revenues now account for approximately 70% on a pro forma basis, giving us additional scale in the sector and adding to the breadth of skills that we can now offer clients.”

Ben Ward, director of Ameo, said: “Over the past decade we’ve built a highly knowledgeable team capable of delivering change across a range of industries and sectors. We recognise The Panoply as a group which complements our approach to seeking to deliver projects that are empowering and transformational.

“The collaborative culture fostered within the Group will take us to the next stage in our evolution by expanding our existing service capabilities and expertise to bring new leading-edge solutions to our clients’ challenges, particularly across service redesign, robotic process automation and Applied AI. We are excited to begin work as part of the Group and to take advantage of the many opportunities this collective strength brings.”

Smith Cooper Corporate Finance advised Ameo. Darren Hodson, partner, said: “It has been a privilege working with Mike and Ben to complete this transaction. We are delighted for the shareholders and excited to see Ameo continue to thrive as part of the Panoply. This transaction expands Smith Cooper’s strong credentials for working with consultancy businesses, our ability to navigate the takeover code, and demonstrates our ability to get deals done swiftly.”