Dublin-based Certification Europe has been acquired by Amtivo Group. The UK group’s portfolio of companies include the British Assessment Bureau (BAB), myActiv and Equas Consulting. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but media speculation suggests that Amtivo paid around €6m.

Certification Europe was founded in 1999 and is an international accredited certification body, with offices in Dublin, London, Italy and Japan.

The organisation works with businesses to help them achieve ISO certification. It also provides training on a variety of management systems, including quality management, health and safety, energy management and information security.

Certification Europe performs over 10,000 assessments annually for its customers, which include micro-enterprises, multinationals, government departments and state bodies.

According to its most recent account filings, Certification Europe Limited booked a profit of €475,000 in 2018 and closed the year out with balance sheet net worth of €944,000. Year-end debtor book value was c.€850,000 and the business had cash reserves of €733,000.

In Association with

Some €1m has been invested in Certification Europe since it was established. This includes a €400,000 fundraiser in 2014, which was led by Kernel Capital through the Bank of Ireland Seed and Early Stage Equity Fund.

“The deal delivers a significant multiple return for our investors The Bank of Ireland, Enterprise Ireland, The University of Limerick Foundation and the Galway University Foundation,” said Dawn Walsh, marketing manager with Kernel Capital.

Michael Brophy, CEO of Certification Europe, said that the company will bring to Amtivo access to several core markets, as well as expertise and leadership in the areas of IT and data security.

“We look forward to combining this with Amtivo’s unique go-to-market approach and technology, which will help us provide an even better and wider variety of services to our customers, and provides us with an innovate and market-leading approach to swiftly scaling our international operations,” Brophy added.

Kernel Capital was advised by LK Shields on the transaction. UK private equity company August Equity is behind Amtivo Group, which was set up in 2017.

Photo: Dawn Walsh and Michael Brophy