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Ernst & Young (EY) Acquires ServiceNow Consulting Firm whyaye

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EY (Ernst & Young) has acquired whyaye ltd, a UK-based consulting services provider for the ServiceNow platform. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

This is technology M&A deal number 160 that ChannelE2E and MSSP Alert have covered so far in 2023. See more than 2,000 technology M&A deals for 2023, 2022, 2021, and 2020 listed here.

Ernst & Young, founded in 1989, is headquartered in London, England. The company has 355,764 employees listed on LinkedIn. EY’s areas of expertise include advisory, assurance, tax, transactions, audit, mergers, M&A, financial services, accounting, professional services, law, technology, consulting, data, transformation, strategy, legal, digital transformation, legal, growth and managed services.

Founded in 2019, whyaye ltd is based in Newcastle, UK. The company has 120 employees listed on LinkedIn. whyaye's areas of expertise include consulting services for the ServiceNow platform, ServiceNow, IT Implementation and Business Change and Adoption.

The acquisition, which will be known as EY whyaye, will support the growth of EY Technology Consulting services by expanding capabilities around the ServiceNow technology platform and is part of EY's ongoing investments in technology consulting services. Maureen Robson-Norman, whyaye CEO, will join Ernst & Young LLP as a partner.

EY Acquires whyaye: ServiceNow Consulting Expansion

Benoit Laclau, managing partner, consulting, UK & Ireland, EY
Benoit Laclau, managing partner for consulting, UK & Ireland, EY
Maureen Robson-Norman, CEO, whyaye

Benoit Laclau, EY Managing Partner for Consulting, UK & Ireland, commented:

“Our UK consulting teams achieved record levels of growth last year and we have maintained the momentum into this financial year. We are seeing strong levels of client demand for technology consulting and are making significant investments to expand and strengthen the skills and capabilities we can offer clients as they transform and future-proof their organisations. The acquisition of whyaye is an important addition to EY Consulting in the UK as we look to grow our market capabilities around the ServiceNow platform.”

Alison Kay, EY Managing Partner for Client Services, UK & Ireland, commented:

“This is the eighth acquisition in the UK in just over two years and is part of our wider growth strategy. EY whyaye will enhance our thriving consulting services, bringing new capabilities and skills and follows the recent acquisitions of Frank Hirth, Pythagoras Communications, Seaton Partners, Lane4, PeakEPM, Blackdot and most recently Digital Detox.”

Maureen Robson-Norman, CEO of whyaye, said:

“This is an important milestone for whyaye and we’re excited to be part of the EY organisation. ServiceNow is an incredibly powerful platform which can help bring significant efficiencies to a business when used to its full potential. We’re looking forward to working collaboratively with EY teams to accelerate our growth and work with clients on their transformation journeys.”

EY’s Continued Growth

Ernst & Young (EY) has been active in the M&A market, acquiring multiple MSP, MSSP and IT consulting firms worldwide. Today's announcement marks the eighth EY acquisition in the UK since April 2021, the company said. Last year, the EY organization unveiled plans to double the size of its UK and Ireland Consulting services over the next four years, backed by £75m of investment, the company said. Key EY acquisitions have also involved application, cybersecurity and managed services expertise, as well as sustainability and digital and customer experience expertise.

Some recent EY acquisitions ChannelE2E has tracked include: