Altran acquires IRM, a Cyber Security consultancy based in the UK
- The acquisition of IRM will significantly enhance Altran's skills and expertise in Cyber Security, a growing and strategic global market.
- IRM brings Altran a portfolio of high-profile and long-term clients.
- The accreditations and certifications of IRM are recognized as best-in-class, and will enable Altran to advise both commercial and governmental entities.
IRM serves a highly attractive and long-term customer base of commercial and governmental clients, such as Travelex, BNP Paribas and Telefónica, but also the UK Ministry of Defence, Department for Transport, Cabinet Office and GCHQ (including a strong alliance with its newly established UK National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC)).
Commenting on this acquisition, Dominique Cerutti, Chairman & CEO of the Altran Group, stated: “Cyber Security has become a global concern and an acknowledged priority for protecting the digital economy. It is key for the secure deployment of technologies around digital transformation, IoT, Industry 4.0 and autonomous vehicles. With the acquisition of IRM, there is a real opportunity for Altran to take a leading position in this space where Information Technology (IT) alone is not sufficient, but must be combined with deep engineering and domain knowledge to ensure the security of the new breed of complex and connected systems.”
Charles White, Co-founder and CEO of IRM, added: “Altran and IRM have a shared vision to create a world class Cyber Security offering for the benefit of our clients and which will challenge and motivate our professionals as this exciting market evolves”.
IRM significantly enhances Altran’s capability in Cyber Security, providing critical mass to address this market and grow from its UK base. In the UK, there is increasing demand for Cyber Security services from both existing and prospective Altran clients. IRM holds numerous best-in-class accreditations and certifications qualifying it as an established citizen in the Cyber Security world.
IRM’s capability will be combined with other Altran assets to address emerging and highly demanding Cyber Security risks arising from current trends around digital transformation and the large-scale use of technologies such as industrial IoT, autonomous systems and drones. Evolving regulations in Europe, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and very stringent North American requirements underpin the strategic nature of the acquisition of IRM.
Headquartered in Cheltenham, IRM has a total workforce of 82 employees. IRM benefits from a senior management team that has a high degree of experience within the information security risk industry and is well invested for the future growth phase of IRM. As such, the co-founders Charles White and David Cazalet will remain in the business post acquisition.
Founded in 1998, IRM is currently held by the co-founders and their families, company employees, as well as external investors.
Altran advisors:
- Legal Advisory and Due Diligence: Hogan Lovells
- Financial and Tax Due Diligence: EY
Sell-side advisors:
- M&A: Lincoln International LLP
- Legal: Harrison Clark Rickerbys Limited
