Novosco founder McAliskey joins Outsource Group to spearhead 'game-changing' growth plans

Patrick McAliskey joins Northern Irish MSP as chairman to lead acquisitions and expansion plans

Novosco's founder Patrick McAliskey has joined Outsource Group as chairman to lead its "game-changing" growth plans.

McAliskey will head up the company's board starting this month and will be responsible for leading a series of acquisitions for the MSP and spearhead its growth strategy.

These include growing Outsource Group's current headcount of 70 staff to 100 by the end of the year and expanding the business "at home and abroad" through an expansion plan.

Founded in 2000 and based in Antrim, Ireland, Outsource Group bills itself as an IT security and managed services provider.

Earlier this year, Outsource Group merged with another Northern Irish security firm called ANSEC IA to create a "powerhouse" across the UK and Ireland.

McAliskey founded Northern Irish managed services firm Novosco in 2007. The business grew to a headcount of around 350 staff before it was sold to German reseller Cancom in 2019 for around €70m.

Cancom's UK and Ireland operations, which include Novosco, were then sold to the tech division of Spanish telco Telefonica last summer for almost €400m.

Outsource Group's CEO Terry Moore said that McAliskey's skills and experience will be "game-changing" for the firm.

"Our plan is for Outsource Group to be the number one security-focused IT managed services business on these islands. We are delighted that Patrick has agreed to take on this leadership role as chairman, which both validates our existing development plans but also provides us with the sector's most experienced and proven leader to support us over the longer term. The next stage is to fast-track our growth by acquiring more brilliant businesses that complement what we do, and to ramp up our recruitment by creating a workplace that is a magnet for the very best talent."

"We feel really privileged to have Patrick join us and can't wait to get started on delivering on our plans under his leadership," he said.

McAliskey added: "I see Outsource Group as a company that is set to achieve really rapid growth, win big contracts and attract the best talent. The company is incredibly well led by Terry Moore and his management team, and they have the vision, the ambition and the plan to do really big things, both in the short term but also over the longer term. I'm incredibly excited about working with the team and helping them shape and deliver on their plans."