Strategy and environmental consultancy SLR Group has purchased RCS Global, for an undisclosed fee. The ESG performance firm will enhance the audit function of its buyer, in a deal overseen by Consulting M&A.
RCS Global specialises in supporting the transition from combustion engines to electric vehicles, working with well-known, major companies across a range of sectors. In particular, the company is noted for its work in the automotive, electronics, battery, and mining markets, where clients are looking to enhance their sustainability credentials.
SLR Group – born in 1994 as SECOR, before rebranding to SLR around the turn of the century – is a sustainability consultancy with around 2,000 employees worldwide, in more than 20 countries. The firm has been rapidly upscaling its capacity via acquisitions, in recent months, having received new backing from US-listed financial investor Ares Capital Management.
Looking ahead, the RCS team will spearhead SLR’s evolution as a global audit provider, giving SLR access to RCS’ widely used responsible sourcing audit programme. RCS’s digital solutions, VINE, and TRACE, will also help clients more easily understand and visualise their supply chains, trace material to origin, and help identify where in the supply chains actions are needed to address ESG risks. These complement SLR’s existing capabilities in climate risk, GHG data and technology solutions.
Neil Penhall, SLR’s CEO said of the news, “I’m delighted to welcome the RCS team to SLR. It’s great to add such a talented and world-leading team to the business. Responsible sourcing is so important to global companies in their drive to achieve their ESG and sustainability goals and RCS are undoubted work leaders in this field.”
RCS’ shareholders were supported throughout the deal by advisors by CM&A. A UK advisory business, CM&A enables owners of consulting and IT services business to grow valuable and sellable businesses.
Bruce Ramsay, Managing Partners at CM&A, said of the deal, “RCS is a great example of creating a successful and valuable consulting business: start with a high-value advisory expertise in an area of growing importance – in RCS’s case the sourcing of material for the rapidly-growing electric vehicle market – and build around it a series of longer-term managed services enabled though technology platforms and the accumulation of unique industry digital data sets.”
