FluidOne has acquired Orca IT to fuel its ambitions of trebling in size over the next five years. This is its first buy since securing funding from Pemberton in June 2024 and ninth since the MBO led by Russell Horton in 2019.
The deal introduces a local presence in the north west for Fluid One and bolster its IT and cyber security managed services offering. It takes the groups revenues to £113m and employee count to 540 across nine office locations.
Russell Horton, FluidOne CEO, said: “We will bolster our IT Centre of Excellence with Orca IT’s expertise and to provide support for Orca’s team to scale their business and deliver wider FluidOne offerings to their customers.”
Mark Tunstall, Finance and Managing Director, Orca IT, added: “With the backing of FluidOne, we will be able to extend our reach within professional services, including Accountants.
“By becoming a regional branch of FluidOne’s, we’ll be able to build on our strengths in IT managed services, drawing on support from the group and adding further cyber security services, as well as connectivity, mobile and unified communications.”
Post-acquisition, FluidOne’s CEO, Russell Horton, is to become Chairman of Orca IT, with FluidOne Directors Simon Ward and Chris Rogers also becoming board directors.