ALEX TUPMAN INTERVIEW
New name, established services Espria might be a new name in the sector, but the three businesses that have come together to form the company have many years of experience and strong reputations in managed IT, document solutions and unified communications. As such, Espria now provides end-to-end digital workspace solutions for UK businesses.
Current CEO Alex Tupman came on board in 2021 with a brief to integrate the Mode and Nix businesses – the pandemic had slowed that process initially – and find a suitable acquisition target that could fill that important IT/managed service provider capability. That target was identified as IT managed services provider eacs, and the business was acquired in June in a deal funded with debt from Blackrock. The combined business has more than 200 employees and a core customer base of almost 3,000 in a range of sectors including finance, legal, retail, healthcare and hospitality. “We focus on businesses of a certain size, rather than what they do, usually from 20-500 employees but we go up to 1,000+ where the opportunity lends itself,” Alex notes. “Because of the combination of the three businesses we can talk to smaller businesses and larger companies regardless of who they are. With the acquisition of eacs we have inherited public sector frameworks that we can now compete on as well. “The combination of these companies is a business that can provide a complete digital workspace proposition for a customer end-to-end – design, delivery and support for an entire office digital environment.”
In late September, a new name debuted in the sector – Espria. Billed as an independent provider of cloud, unified communications and document solutions, the company combines all its expertise under a single umbrella in a complete service aimed at UK businesses. Its launch created a lot of interest from the sector media and established companies alike, as there are few providers with such a comprehensive and broad range of services. But while the Espria name is new, the businesses behind the name are certainly not. Espria is the culmination of a long-standing strategy that has brought three well-established names from the document solutions, comms and IT sectors together: Mode, Nix Communications and eacs. The road to Espria started in earnest back in 2018 when Mode Solutions – a document solutions business set up in 1995 – received backing from private equity firm Connection Capital. From there, a plan to grow and diversify the business into a one stop shop for digital solutions for UK businesses via acquisition was launched. The first major step was the purchase of Nix Communications, a specialist provider of communications infrastructure and connectivity for businesses in 2019.
Alex Tupman CEO
We focus on businesses of a certain size, rather than what they do, usually from 20-500 employees but we go up to 1,000+ where the opportunity lends itself. “
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