Centric has been acquired by a group of Dutch investors. The board hopes that this will bring the troubled IT service provider back to calmer waters.
Headquartered in Gouda, Centric employs over 3,100 people and operates in eight countries, including the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Lithuania, Norway, Romania and Sweden. Last year, turnover was €425 million.
Centric has been under scrutiny for years due to a seemingly endless series of scandals surrounding controversial founder and owner Gerard Sanderink, resulting in (among other things) an exodus of top managers and several lawsuits between the company and Sanderink.
The unrest surrounding Centric was also closely monitored by the government, given the important supporting role of the IT service provider for many municipalities, health insurers, pension providers and, until last year, the Dutch Central Bank.
With the transfer of ownership of Sanderink to a new group of shareholders, the company is embarking on a new course. “With this agreement, Centric is finally entering calmer waters,” says Peter Wakkie, CEO of Centric. “I would like to thank our employees, customers and partners for their trust in Centric in the past period.”
The group of new owners is led by Imker Capital Partners, a private equity firm with Dutch roots and a proven track record in software and IT services. Several well-known entrepreneurs have also co-invested, including Adriaan Mol (founder of Mollie), Ronald Bezuur (founder and CEO of Uniserver) and Bram Bastiaansen (founder of ACT Group).
Willem Meijer, CEO of Centric, says that the IT company is opting for the long term with this group of owners. “Imker Capital Partners is a long-term investor and, together with the consortium partners, brings a great deal of knowledge and is committed to supporting Centric for further growth in line with our strategy.”
‘Against the rules’
The acquisition is still subject to approval by the Netherlands Authority for Consumers & Markets. The transaction is expected to be completed in September.
If it were up to founder Sanderink, it would not come to that. In an interview with IT trade journal Computable he stated that in his opinion the takeover is “ once morest European regulations and international rules”.
“I’m curious to see what will happen,” he says. “In my opinion, what is happening is unlawful and punishable. We’ll see.”
Sanderink lost control of his Centric shares in early 2023 following a case before the Business Chamber. He had already been replaced as CEO.
