Daisy acquires UC provider Damovo UK
First purchase since founder and executive chairman Matthew Riley led a £494 million takeover of the company in October
Unified Comms
January 30, 2015
Riley, who founded the company in 2001 and is leading a £500 million management buy-out, to take on executive chairman role
Daisy Group has appointed Computacenter UK MD Neil Muller as its new CEO. He will take up his position in February.
He will replace Matthew Riley, who will now take up the position of executive chairman. Riley founded Daisy Group in 2001 and has grown its annual turnover to £350 million.
Muller (pictured) has worked at IT infrastructure services provider Computacenter for more than two decades and has run the UK business in the enterprise marketplace for the past four years.
Daisy said it is likely he will be based at the company’s office in Reading, which houses more than 100 staff and is the main centre for its managed services operations.
The news comes as a consortium, led by Riley, agreed to acquire Daisy Group for around £500 million.
The buyout will see Daisy return to private ownership for the first time since 2009 under the guidance of Riley, Toscafund Asset Mangement, its two largest shareholders and minor shareholder Penta Capital. Riley already held 23 per cent of the firm prior to the buyout with Toscafund holding 28 per cent of the firm, which is listed on the AIM.
Riley said the appointment of Muller was vital for developing Daisy’s growth in the ICT space, especially its managed services portfolio, an area within which the new recruit has vast knowledge.
“We are now perfectly positioned to become a major force in the SME and mid-market IT and business communications industry,” he said.
“With someone as experienced and ambitious as Neil at the helm, I have every confidence the company will progress to an exciting new level of growth.”
Muller added: “The converging world of telecommunications and IT represents a host of exciting opportunities and Daisy is in a prime position to evolve and to adapt its existing capabilities, addressing new market dynamics and mid-market customer needs.
“I am very excited about working with Matthew and the Daisy team to identify new opportunities for growth, capitalise on market changes, and further enhance the customer experience.”
Daisy Group, which is headquartered in Nelson, Lancashire, has 16 sites and employs more than 1,500 throughout the UK. Through a host of acquisitions and organic growth, it offers a portfolio across mobile, data, hosting, voice and systems, providing services to more than 65,000 business customers.