Gateley Legal advises on major software acquisition

The corporate team at Gateley Legal have advised technology company ELMO on its acquisition of HR platform Breathe.

The acquisition provides ELMO with entry to a new market segment, the small business market, while at the same time expanding its footprint in the UK.

The Breathe business model enables small businesses to digitise critical HR processes.

Founded in 2002, ELMO is Australia and New Zealand’s leading cloud HR and payroll solution company.

The company provides cloud-based HR, payroll and rostering / time and attendance technology to more than 1,600 organisations.

Steven Raize, corporate partner at Gateley Legal was the lead legal adviser on the deal.

He said: “We are delighted to have acted for ELMO on its acquisition of Breathe. The acquisition is a fantastic move for ELMO and significant to its growth strategy. Demand for HR Tech products has increased significantly in recent years – with the need for employers to find new innovative ways to engage and communicate with their work force and this demand is likely to increase with an expected increase in employees working remotely.

“Breathe is a fast-growing, first-class business with a reputation for exceptional products, so it’s an ideal fit for ELMO who is keen to target and diversify its customer base in a new region.”

ELMO CFO, James Haslam, said: “The acquisition of Breathe is an important step in ELMO’s evolution as a provider of SaaS cloud-based HR solutions. We are now able to transform the way people are managed, either in office or remotely no matter the size of the organisation, improving productivity, performance and overall well-being of millions of workers across Australia, New Zealand and also the United Kingdom.”