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Award-winning BCN Group has appointed Victoria Jackson as Chief People Officer to oversee the human resources function. A Fellow of the CIPD, Victoria is a highly experienced HR professional, having spent 20 years in people management across a range of industries from boutique independents to FTSE100 businesses in the TV, technology, retail and hospitality sectors.

With BCN experiencing exponential growth in the past three years, the business now employs 425 people in Manchester, Leeds, Reading and Belfast and Victoria will be working with the rest of the management team to further develop best-in-class HR practices that nurture the existing team and attract new talent through a focus on making BCN an employer of choice as the business continues to thrive.

An important part of Victoria’s role will be the continued development of the BCN Academy, set up to ensure every employee has access to relevant training, the opportunities to gain insight from leading thinkers and innovators, and empower individual growth.

Each month we turn the spotlight on the leadership teams in our portfolio to find out what drives them, who inspires them and the biggest lessons they've learnt.

This month, we're delighted to welcome BCN's CEO, Rob Davies.

Based in Manchester, BCN is a UK-focussed IT managed and cloud services provider. It supports over 1,000 clients to deliver and manage business-critical technology solutions to over 30,000 users. Rob has been at BCN since 2020, becoming CEO in January 2022.

Q: Which one rule do you expect your employees to abide by?

We have a number of sayings such as “Think Customer” and “Collaborate internally, compete externally”, but in reality, for employees it’s about humility and respect. Treating each other with respect and maintaining humility both support a positive work environment.

Q: What motivates you?

My motivation stems from multiple sources. Firstly, my family provide support and encouragement. Secondly, my colleagues inspire me to excel. Lastly, the drive to build an industry-leading and successful business - one that I can be proud of.

Q: What are you most proud of in your career?

There are number of things - from winning business and building successful propositions - I’ve been fortunate to be a part of some great teams in my career. However, being appointed as the CEO of BCN Group remains my proudest moment. It reflects both my personal growth and the trust placed upon me by the business.

Q: Who do you admire / who inspires you?

People who succeed over adversity. If you read some of the stories of Victoria Cross winners and the sacrifices they made, their journeys are truly inspiring. Sport has had a big influence on my life, in particular, Rugby. Richie McCaw, All Black captain, won 88% of his 99 test matches as captain, including two back-to-back world cups, he’s truly an inspirational leader and player.

Q: What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learnt?

Never assume! Assumptions can lead to misunderstandings, missed opportunities and ineffective decision-making.

Q: What do you think makes a good leader?

For me, leadership is about inspiring and empowering others, while upholding the values and standards of the organisation.

Q: Why did you choose ECI?

We chose ECI for several reasons. Their knowledge and track record in our sector were impressive. Equally important, was their conduct during the process—it revealed their personality and organisational culture. We recognised shared values, which will bring the best out in BCN.

Q: What do you do to relax?

Walking my working cocker spaniel, Talisker - she needs a lot of exercise! I’m a (very) occasional gym-goer and have recently become a ‘beginner’ padel tennis player. I enjoy following my three sons around the UK and further afield, watching them all play rugby.

Q: Night in or night out?

Friday Night out, Saturday Night in! I can’t manage two nights out on the bounce these days.

Q: Favourite film?

You can’t beat a bit of swashbuckling adventure - therefore it has to be “Master and Commander” by Peter Weir.

BCN Group, the digital transformation and IT managed services specialist, has today announced the acquisition of NewCMI, a leading MSP and Microsoft Solutions partner.  This strategic move from BCN reinforces its Microsoft-first approach, building a complementary technology offering across the Microsoft ecosystem. The acquisition also brings a strategic foothold in the South East of England and Northern Ireland for BCN.

BCN is a leading digital transformation solutions and managed service provider delivering cloud-first data strategies, including Microsoft Modern Workplace, Microsoft Azure, Azure optimisation and analytics, Full Stack development, PowerPlatform, BI Data Analytics Solutions, Dynamics 365 Business Central, and cyber security services.

Founded in 2009, CMI is a leading MSP with offices in London, Belfast and the Thames Valley. Offering a complementary product set to BCN as specialists in Microsoft Modern Workplace, Microsoft Azure, cyber security and managed IT, the acquisition will bolster BCN’s portfolio and expand its UK base, which currently sits at 1,200.

This is the second acquisition since we invested in BCN in 2022, following on from the purchase of Microsoft Dynamics 365 specialists, Evo-soft, in September 2022.

BCN Group, the Manchester based IT cloud and managed services specialist, is delighted to announce the strategic acquisition of Evo-soft, a leading Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central specialist. The acquisition follows our investment earlier this year.

BCN is a leading digital transformation solutions and managed service provider delivering cloud first data strategies. This includes Microsoft Modern Workplace, Microsoft Azure, analytics, development, and IT security services to the mid-market and public sector organisations. The acquisition of Evo-soft provides BCN with an exceptional platform to provide solution driven services for businesses across the UK. The move enhances the group’s focus on and capability of delivering services and solutions from the Microsoft ecosystem.

Founded in 2001, Evo-soft is a UK top 5 Microsoft Gold Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Partner. The solution focuses on implementing, supporting, enhancing, and accelerating the use of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central for customers that want to build on process efficiencies, integrate their business solutions, automate manual processing of data, and gain operational control.

Evo-soft have developed their own bespoke software called Evo-supply for the importation, distribution, and simple manufacturing industries. The flexible distribution management software has been designed by Microsoft Dynamics developers with years of industry experience and is continually refined, ensuring new and improved features are available.

In addition, Evo-soft has created specialist software for auction houses, aptly named Evo-Auction, a seamless and cost effective, front and back-end content management integration tool. The software reduces errors, speeds up processes and provides full reporting of live auctions with full integration.

We're delighted to announce our investment in BCN Group, one of the largest and fastest-growing independent Managed Service Providers in the north of England. The investment represents a full realisation for Beech Tree Private Equity which invested in BCN Group in 2018. 

BCN Group is a Microsoft Direct Tier 1 CSP and Gold Partner with bases in Manchester, Leeds, Runcorn and Bradford. It supports over 1,000 clients to deliver and manage business-critical technology solutions to over 30,000 users, with a customer retention rate of 98% and an industry-leading client satisfaction score of 89%.

BCN Group has completed five strategic acquisitions since 2018, significantly expanding its capabilities and customer reach, and our investment will provide capital to continue this buy-and-build strategy going forwards.  

How we’re helping

BCN is a UK-focussed IT managed and cloud services provider. It supports over 1,000 clients to deliver and manage business-critical technology solutions to over 30,000 users, with a customer retention rate of 98% and an industry-leading client satisfaction score of 89%.

BCN had completed five strategic acquisitions prior to ECI's investment, significantly expanding its capabilities and customer reach. Our team are proactively supporting BCN to continue this buy-and-build strategy, with the acquisitions of Evo-Soft and NewCMI since investment.

It’s well known that GenAI has rapidly emerged as a transformative technology and harnessing its potential is critical to stay competitive. But how do you start your GenAI journey?

Mark Rotheram, Chief Technology Officer at BCN, shared his insights during our Digital Summit and outlined a practical roadmap for businesses eager to get started with GenAI and Microsoft's Copilot.

Here are Mark’s five essential steps to start your AI journey successfully.

1.    Set clear objectives from the start

Before jumping into the GenAI space, you must fix on a clear objective. One of the most common pitfalls businesses face is starting without a defined purpose. AI technologies are powerful, but they’re only as effective as the problems they’re designed to solve. Do you want to automate routine tasks? Improve customer engagement? Or perhaps enhance productivity in document management?

It’s essential to identify your key business challenges and focus on how AI can address them. An example might be using AI to automatically process invoices from emails - a relatively simple task, but one that could save considerable time and effort. By starting with clear, measurable goals, you can align your AI initiatives with your business needs and avoid wasting resources on low-impact applications.

2.    Evaluate your current capabilities

Next on the list is to take stock of your organisation's existing capabilities, including your technology and your people. This is crucial in determining whether your AI initiative will thrive. Do you have access to AI and machine learning specialists? Do your teams have the necessary data literacy to interact effectively with AI tools? If not, training or hiring might be necessary prior to starting.

My advice is to start small and lean into the tools you already have. Many businesses, for example, already use Microsoft 365, which includes access to Copilot, the AI tool that integrates across Microsoft products like Word, Excel, and Teams. Leveraging tools your employees are familiar with ensures a smoother transition into AI-driven workflows.

Additionally, explore whether it’s better to build or buy your AI solution. Depending on the complexity of the task, you may find that off-the-shelf solutions, such as Copilot, meet your immediate needs. For more specific challenges, however, you might consider building custom models using Azure OpenAI, which offers a higher level of customisation but requires a more significant investment.

3.    Prioritise data quality and security

One of the most important elements of any AI initiative is data. Good data is the foundation on which useful AI models are built, yet many organisations overlook the importance of structuring their data properly. Businesses need to ensure they have access to high-quality, relevant data that can be fed into their AI models.

However, the use of data comes with a privacy and security warning. Many AI solutions, particularly public ones like OpenAI's GPT, come with risks regarding where your data is stored and how it is used. For businesses in sensitive industries or those handling proprietary data, it’s important to choose AI platforms that ensure your data stays secure. Solutions like Microsoft’s Copilot provide built-in safeguards, making them an ideal choice for organisations concerned about data privacy.

4.    Select the right AI tools for your use case 

With clear objectives, capabilities assessed, and data in place, the next step is to select the appropriate AI tools. There are broadly four tiers of AI implementation, starting from simple reactive tools to more complex, custom-built solutions:

Transformed: The final stage involves custom-built AI solutions that fundamentally transform the way your business operates. These might include bespoke applications that process unstructured data or sophisticated chatbots trained on your company’s data. Such initiatives require deeper investment but can offer significant competitive advantages. 

Reactive: Many businesses already have access to basic AI tools embedded within their software subscriptions. For example, Microsoft 365 includes a free version of Copilot, which can assist with simple tasks like drafting emails or organising documents. This is an excellent starting point for organisations just beginning their GenAI journey.

Foundational: A step up from the free version, the paid M365 Copilot unlocks more advanced functionalities like integrating with Teams for meeting transcription and note-taking, or generating automated reports from Excel and Word. These tools provide a more comprehensive way to streamline everyday business processes.

Enhanced: This level involves embedding AI directly into your core business systems, offering tailored solutions for more sophisticated tasks, such as integrating AI into your sales pipeline or customer service operations.

5.    Monitor, refine, and iterate

The AI journey doesn’t end once you’ve deployed a solution. In fact, the most successful AI projects are those that are continuously monitored and refined. My advice is to set up clear processes for measuring the effectiveness of AI initiatives. Are you achieving your initial objectives? What insights can you gather from the data? Are there areas where the AI is underperforming? Regular reviews ensure that your AI applications are delivering value and can adapt as your business evolves.

A key part of this step is adjusting your AI's training as it learns from new data. For example, BCN’s AI solution for invoice processing improved over time by learning from the company's feedback and refining its accuracy in data extraction. The more you iterate and improve, the greater the long-term value you will derive from your AI investment. 

Following a milestone 2023 with several successful exits plus the final close of its largest ever fund, ECI 12, ECI has kicked off the new year with the promotion of two Investment Directors to Partner.

Daniel Bailey has been promoted to Partner. Daniel joined ECI in 2018 and his promotion reflects the exceptional contribution he’s made at ECI, including co-leading the recent investment in ISMS.online. Daniel has also led 12 acquisitions across our portfolio companies, including the strategic acquisition of Sipcom, by Content+Cloud which contributed to ECI’s 4.0x return. He has also worked closely with BCN, Peoplesafe and CSL.

Rich Pearce has also been promoted to Partner. Since joining ECI’s Commercial Team in 2019, Rich has been instrumental in several recent investments including Ciphr, BCN Group, and most recently Commify. Rich was also the Commercial Team lead on four successful exits including MiQ in 2022 which generated a 6.1x return and Tusker in 2023, generating a 6.2x return. He has also been instrumental in developing our People & Culture strategy and the resulting People Toolkit, a repository of tools and case studies that portfolio companies can use to create great places to work.

In addition to the new Partners, we’re also thrilled to announce Jin Ni Ooi’s promotion to Investment Manager. Jin’s promotion recognises her outstanding work in the Investment Team and her exceptional support on the exit of 4Ways, a leading UK and European tele-diagnostic company, which resulted in a 2.7x return in 2023.