Sudlows Consulting is Acquired by Kent, Opening New Doors for Global Growth
Sudlows Consulting is proud to announce its acquisition by Kent, a global leader in engineering services, marking the beginning of an exciting new chapter for its business. This partnership positions Sudlows Consulting to fully capitalise on the extraordinary growth in the international data centre market and achieve even greater heights.
Since its founding in 2014, Sudlows Consulting has become a trusted leader in data centre design and engineering, completing over 100 projects across 20 countries. Headquartered in Dubai, with offices in India, Saudi Arabia, and South Africa, it has thrived in some of the fastest-growing regions in the world. This success has been built on the hard work, expertise, and dedication of its exceptional team, and today’s announcement reflects the enormous potential it sees for the future.
By joining Kent’s global platform, it gains access to an extensive network, financial resources, and support that will accelerate its ability to deliver innovative, sustainable solutions for its clients. This acquisition provides Sudlows Consulting with the foundation to scale its business, broaden its global reach, and reinforce its leadership position in a sector experiencing sustained growth driven by data demand, cloud adoption, and Artificial Intelligence.
A Shared Vision for the Future
The decision to join forces with Kent was based on a shared vision and cultural alignment. Kent’s commitment to innovation, sustainability, and pushing boundaries mirrors Sudlows Consulting’s ethos. With Kent’s backing, it is poised to deliver transformative solutions to meet the growing demand for secure, efficient, and lower-carbon data centres.
“This is a defining moment for Sudlows Consulting,” said John Rippingale, CEO of Sudlows Consulting. “Over the past decade, we’ve built a reputation as leaders in data centre engineering, and joining Kent provides us with the platform we need to reach our full potential. This partnership validates the work we’ve done and amplifies what we can achieve together. We’re excited about the opportunities ahead and look forward to continuing to deliver exceptional value to our clients.”
John Gilley, CEO of Kent, added: “We are delighted to welcome Sudlows Consulting into the Kent family. Their expertise in the data centre sector is second to none, and their entrepreneurial spirit aligns perfectly with our culture and vision. This acquisition is a significant step in our strategy to diversify into adjacent markets while maintaining our focus on excellence and innovation. Together, we can deliver game-changing solutions for clients around the world and unlock the full potential of this rapidly growing sector.”
Exiting shareholders, led by John Collins, gave praise to the Kent team and echoed the words of John Gilley reinforcing that “the strategic fit between Kent and Sudlows Consulting will bring new waves of sustainable engineering excellence for many years to come. Sudlows Consulting’s strong and extremely talented team of professional data centre engineers have the experience and expertise it takes to operate at the highest levels within the industry. This acquisition will allow Sudlows Group to continue to focus on its global design and build activities as a specialist MEP contractor for hyperscale customers".
A Booming Market and a Bright Future
The data centre sector continues to experience remarkable growth, with an 11% CAGR projected between 2024 and 2028. The increasing need for localised data storage, cloud infrastructure, and AI technologies offers a long-term, non-cyclical growth opportunity that Sudlows Consulting and Kent are now uniquely positioned to meet.
***
Frequently Asked Questions
What will happen to contracts signed under Sudlows Consulting legal entities following the transaction?
All of Sudlows Consulting legal entities will remain, and existing contracts and clients will
not be impacted by this acquisition.
Will there be any interruption to services or project delays due to the transaction?
No, there is no reason for there to be an interruption in service. Sudlows Consulting will continue to operate under its existing brand and legal entities so there will be no assimilation or integration required as part of this acquisition.
What new services will you be offering me following the acquisition that you were not offering before?
Sudlows Consulting will continue to offer its best-in-class design, consultancy and engineering services. Through this acquisition, we will be able to develop our existing services and invest in new innovations.
Will there be any changes to the costs of my service as a result of the acquisition?
There will be no additional fees related to existing contracts.
Will the same teams be managing existing projects?
Absolutely. Our teams will not be changing on existing projects.
Who is Kent?
Kent was founded over a century ago as a small electrical and instrumentation business in Clonmel, Ireland. Today, it has grown into a global leader in engineering and project delivery for the energy sector, excelling in both traditional energy and pioneering low-carbon and renewable solutions. The company was renamed as Kent in 2021 after acquiring a major oil and gas business, a move which more than quadrupled its size in terms of revenue. Since then, the business has almost doubled again through organic growth. This remarkable success garnered the attention of potential buyers, and in early 2024, Kent was sold to Nesma & Partners, a Saudi-based contracting company backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF). Following this transition, Kent launched a bold five-year strategy aimed at diversification beyond energy into adjacent sectors. The acquisition of Sudlows Consulting is a pivotal step in this strategy, marking Kent’s entry into the rapidly growing data centre engineering market. While Kent is pursuing rapid expansion, the company remains privately owned, ensuring stability and continuity as it navigates its exciting future.
Who is Nesma & Partners?
Nesma & Partners is a leading contracting company and service provider in the energy, building, and infrastructure sectors across the GCC. Headquartered in Saudi Arabia, Nesma & Partners employs and celebrates its diverse workforce of over 34,000 employees from more than 56 different nationalities and provides all of them a platform to pursue their passion in a fast-paced, innovative environment.
Inspired by the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, it is focused on its responsibility to deliver sustainable mega-projects that shape a brighter future, both for its people and the communities it serves.
Founded in 1981, today it has four shareholders: Nesma Contracting Limited, Alturki Holding, Rawabi Holding, and one of the largest sovereign wealth funds in the world, the Public Investment Fund (PIF).
You had a great business model before, why change something that resulted in great
customer service?
Our business model will not change. The strategy we have in place will be bolstered and accelerated through this acquisition. Simply put, this investment will kick-start Sudlow Consulting’s next cycle of growth.
We chose to work with Sudlows Consulting because they proved to be a nimble and agile organisation, I am worried that the bigger you get, the less personalised your service will become.
Our competitive edge comes from a commitment to hiring and retaining top talent and nurturing an agile and entrepreneurial client-facing culture unencumbered by bureaucratic structures. Our people will continue to be empowered by a robust governance framework to make decisions close to the client interface so that we can respond quickly and effectively to client requirements. Furthermore, with new ambitious and progressive owners giving us a greater platform for ambition and growth, we can continue to invest in the people and
technologies which will advance the sector.