Travers Smith LLP has advised August Equity LLP and management on the sale of the SecureData Group ("SecureData") to Orange Business Services S.A. (a company backed by Orange Cyberdefence, the cyber division of the global telecoms and mobile operator Orange).
Founded in 1992, SecureData is the largest independent cybersecurity service provider in the UK. The company has a 25 year track record of providing integrated cyber solutions designed to assess risks, detect threats, protect a customer’s IT assets and respond to security incidents. SecureData's elite consulting arm, SensePost, enjoys a worldwide reputation for its expertise in cyber-criminality, security research and penetration testing. In 2018, SecureData recorded annual revenues of approximately £50 million and has enjoyed consistent growth rates of approximately 20% since 2016.
Orange is one of the world’s leading telecommunications operators with sales of 41 billion euros in 2017 and 150,000 employees worldwide as at 30 September 2018, including 92,000 employees in France. Orange has a total customer base of 261 million customers worldwide as at 30 September 2018, including 201 million mobile customers and 20 million fixed broadband customers. Orange is present in 28 countries.
The Travers Smith team was led by Head of Private Equity Paul Dolman, assisted by Private Equity Senior Associate Tom Hartwright and Associate Tom Lloyd. The team also included Tax Partner Hannah Manning, assisted by Associate Tom Margesson.