Leon Keller’s new appointment will help the company fulfil its ambitious growth and acquisition plans over the next three years, which includes £40 million of committed follow-up funds from Bowmark Capital. Mr. Keller joins the team to help shape an M&A strategy that utilises this investment to continue to add value to Node4’s customers.
Mr Keller brings over 12 years of M&A expertise and an impressive track record with Node4. He has been working with Andy Gilbert, CEO of Node4, for over seven years. He was previously an external consultant advising the company on its recent acquisitions and deals, including database management services firm Onomi in May, the orginal MBO backed by LDC, and the secondary MBO of Node4 backed by Bowmark Capital in October.
Andy Gilbert, CEO, Node4, comments: “Leon joins the Node4 team at a critical time, and I am happy to formally welcome him to the Node4 family. I’ve known Leon for a long time, and he has always provided valuable consultancy and support around our acquisition deals. He understands Node4 and what truly matters to us, and ensures this is reflected in every deal we sign. I can’t think of a better M&A Director to help us fulfil our acquisition strategy and ambitious growth plans.”
Mr Keller has more than 15 years of financial and strategic advisory experience to SMEs, private equity backed companies, and larger corporates as part of PwC, where he was Corporate Finance Director. Prior to joining Node4 Mr. Keller was Managing Director at Ormerod Rutter Corporate Finance.
Mr Keller said: “Having built an excellent relationship with Andy and his team over many years and admired Node4’s transformation into a market leading UK Managed Services player; I am delighted to finally be joining the Node4 family at this exciting time. I look forward to supporting the team in achieving their ambitious growth plans for the business through finding complimentary acquisitions that extend both our technical and geographic reach; and equally importantly fit with our people and customer centric culture.”
Leon Keller’s appointment follows a period of sustained success and growth for Node4. Over the last three years Node4 has tripled its staff, grown its customer base to over 1000, and expanded its geographical presence and cloud services portfolio.