SNP acquires SAP data specialist Datavard

The acquisition of Datavard AG plays an important role in the implementation of SNP’s platform strategy, which allows companies to generate maximum value from their data transformation using just one software solution.

Gregor Stöckler, co-founder and CEO of Datavard AG, will join the Board of Managing Directors of SNP SE as the new Chief Operating Officer (COO). He will be responsible for the sales regions USA and UK-Ireland as well as globally for analytics, platform strategy, technology partners and partner marketing.

“With this acquisition, we are expanding our software portfolio to include Datavard’s solutions in the areas of SAP data management and analytics. In both the software and the consulting business, the two portfolios complement each other perfectly. Until now, SNP and Datavard have acted as competitors and partners in the market; in the future, we will use the newly gained strength from the merger of both companies to serve our customers and partners even more comprehensively,” says Michael Eberhardt, CEO of SNP SE.

Datavard has been active in the market for over 20 years and focuses on transformations and data management in SAP landscapes. In the area of transformation, Datavard supports companies in migrating to SAP S/4HANA, modernizing their analytics and data warehouse landscape, and carrying out mergers and acquisitions, carve-outs, and company splits. In the area of data management, Datavard offers solutions for data lifecycle management, business intelligence and analytics, and innovative cloud connectivity solutions that enable SAP customers to integrate and utilize SAP data in applications for artificial intelligence, machine learning and the Internet of things. Over 50 of the Global Fortune 500 and numerous DAX 30 companies are Datavard customers. In addition, the company has an outstanding partner network consisting of national and international players such as Accenture, AppDynamics, Google, Microsoft, SAP and more.

“We are very pleased to now be a part of the market leader for data transformation software solutions in the SAP world,” says Gregor Stöckler, founder and CEO of Datavard AG. “It opens up many new opportunities for our employees, customers and partners. SNP and Datavard have known and appreciated each other for many years as competitors and as partners. In addition, we are successfully collaborating in the “SAP S/4HANA Selective Data Transition Engagement” working group. Together, we will be able to support our customers and partners in their digital transformations even better." Dr. Stefan Elßer, Partner at Marondo Capital and former Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Datavard AG said: "We are pleased to have accompanied Datavard's excellent development over the past years. We wish SNP and Datavard every success on their future journey together." Marondo Capital had been involved in Datavard since 2019.

In addition to its headquarters in Heidelberg, Datavard has two large locations in Slovakia and a strong location in Switzerland. Furthermore, Datavard is also represented in the USA. “We are looking forward to welcoming the new employees, who will strengthen and expand our core business,” says Prof. Dr. Heiner Diefenbach, CFO of SNP SE.

Financing

As consideration for the acquisition of all shares in Datavard AG, a cash component of around EUR 20 million and the issue of 173,333 new shares from a capital increase through contributions in kind are planned. An independent valuation has confirmed the appropriateness of the total purchase price. Taking into account Datavard's double-digit growth expectations for the current year, the purchase price represents 15 times Datavard's currently expected operating profit for 2021. The new shares will be issued indirectly to Gregor Stöckler and two additional shareholders of Datavard AG, and all three will remain with the company after the transaction. The shares issued will be subject to a 36-month lock-up period.

About Datavard

Datavard is an innovative provider of intelligent solutions and consulting services for SAP data management, SAP S/4HANA migrations, data warehouse modernization, legacy system decommissioning, SAP data integration, big data and system landscape transformations. As a trusted SAP partner with over 20 years of expertise, Datavard helps companies worldwide run their SAP systems leanly, efficiently and profitably. Datavard is headquartered in Heidelberg, Germany, with offices in EMEA, the US and Asia. For more information, visit www.datavard.com.

About SNP

SNP is a world-leading provider of software for managing complex digital transformation processes. Instead of traditional IT consulting in the ERP environment, SNP offers an automated approach using specially developed software: The Data Transformation Platform CrystalBridge^® and the SNP BLUEFIELD^TM approach allow companies to restructure and modernize their IT landscapes much more quickly and securely as well as migrate to new systems or cloud environments more securely. This gives customers clear qualitative advantages while at the same time reducing their time and costs.

The SNP Group has around 1,600 employees worldwide. The company is headquartered in Heidelberg, Germany, and generated revenue of around EUR 144 million in the 2020 fiscal year. It serves multinational companies in all industries. SNP was established in 1994, went public in 2000, and has been listed in the Prime Standard segment of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange since August 2014 (ISIN DE0007203705). Since 2017, the company has been trading as a European company (Societas Europaea/SE).

More information is available at www.snpgroup.com