Advania UK Limited, an award-winning Microsoft Partner, is commencing the integration process that will bring Servium, CCS Media and Advania together as one unified business. This process has officially begun with the appointment of a single leadership team that will operate across all three brands, guiding the business into the future as a cohesive unit.
Although the full integration is not expected to complete until later in 2025, the three companies are collaborating effectively, and clients are taking advantage of the enhanced portfolio of services from the business.
Commenting on how things have gone since the acquisitions, Geoff Kneen, CEO of Advania UK said, “Working together has been easy. Everyone across the business has seen the additional value that we can now take to all of our clients, they have collaborated seamlessly and ensured that our clients are benefitting from the combined portfolio of services.”
To support this transition, the existing UK leadership team has been expanded with two new appointments. These roles are pivotal in driving the unified strategy forward:
James Hardy – Chief Commercial Officer, Advania UK
James’ role expands to cover the whole of the Advania UK. He will lead on both the strategy and execution of how we combine and take to market the overall portfolio of solutions and services. James will also oversee pre-sales and lead the ongoing development of our strategic vendor alliances, working closely with Geoff, other Advania country CEOs, and Advania Group CEO Hege Store to strengthen these partnerships across the group as well as within the UK. James brings with him 18 years of experience from his previous role as Chief Commercial Officer at CCS Media.
Paul Barlow – Chief Revenue Officer, Advania UK
Paul, who has been the CEO of Servium for the last 15 years, will integrate sales and marketing capabilities from all three businesses into one cohesive team, ensuring a coordinated and strategic approach to delivering services to clients. Paul and the team will be responsible for managing and enhancing our relationship with our existing clients and also acquiring new clients who can take advantage of the capabilities within the business. He will also lead on marketing and positioning the Advania brand and offerings in the UK market.
As Advania has been working through these initial plans, Terry Betts has made the decision to step down as CEO of CCS Media and retire. He has agreed to stay close to the business and work in an advisory capacity when needed.
Kneen added, “We are very grateful to Terry and the whole team for building an amazing business in CCS Media. We all wish him well for the future and are pleased that we can call on his knowledge and experience in support of the ongoing success of the combined business”.
Kneen went onto say “Bringing these businesses together as one team is exhilarating. The opportunities for our people to have broader and more varied career options means a great deal to us, and the combined value we can take to our clients is amazing. It is an incredibly exciting year and we are now positioned to capitalise on what we are building.”
The full Advania UK leadership team will be comprised of Geoff Kneen CEO, Andy Insley CFO, Thea Fineren CPO, Paul Barlow CRO, James Hardy CCO, Nick Isherwood CIO, Des Hudson Client Success Director, Pat Thatcher Professional Services Director, Dan Sharp Business Director - Mirus and Chris O’Brien Products and Service Director.
As the integration progresses to its next stage, Advania UK remains committed to maintaining the highest standards of service and innovation. The unified business will leverage the strengths and expertise of all three organisations, ensuring clients benefit from the broader range of solutions, enhanced customer support, and continued investment in technology. Together, Advania UK, Servium, and CCS Media are a significant force in the IT services sector, driving growth and delivering exceptional value as the trusted technology partner to clients across the UK.
