34. Academia

Revenue: £118.8m

Academia has delivered another year of strong double-digit growth, underpinned by expanding managed services capabilities, a landmark acquisition and continued momentum across public sector, education and commercial markets.

One of the fastest-growing independent IT service providers in the UK (by its own estimates), Academia specialises in Apple and Microsoft solutions, with a customer base spanning education, public sector, not-for-profit, the creative industries and business. In its financial year ending 30 June 2023, the group reported an EBITDA of £4.2m, up 20 per cent year-on-year, with gross margin rising to £16m and cash balances up 21 per cent to £5.2m.

Its acquisition of MSP Smartdesc in October 2024 followed what MD Mark McCormack describes as a long and deliberate search. “At one point we were talking to 20 other businesses,” he told CRN in an interview at the time. “It wasn't all about necessarily buying scale, but buying expertise and adding value to what we've got already.” He says Smartdesc stood out for its cyber and networking capabilities, enhancing Academia’s managed services stack and helping it become a more compelling partner for the likes of Microsoft and Cisco.

Smartdesc also brings a 80-strong team of consultants, architects and helpdesk specialists into the fold, boosting Academia’s Microsoft credentials while complementing its deep Apple heritage. “Apple is still a massive part of what we do and it will stay that way,” McCormack adds. “What we’re doing is giving customers choice. They were going elsewhere for their integration from Windows into Apple – we can now do it at scale.”

Culture was also a key driver. McCormack describes Smartdesc as “very big on staff recognition” and strong on career progression. While both businesses will keep their boards for now, there are plans to learn from each other’s models – one VAR, one MSP – and potentially recreate a wider board structure over time.

Smartdesc’s arrival comes as Academia continues to scale in the public sector following its win of the TePAS 2 framework and the creation of a dedicated mid-market team. McCormack says both units are already exceeding expectations and forecast to grow by more than 10 per cent in the year ahead. The business is also eyeing opportunities around the Windows 11 upgrade programme, which is expected to drive demand across several verticals.

Despite two years of solid growth growth, the MD is more focused on sustainable performance than raw top-line numbers. “Revenue is for vanity,” McCormack said. “We want to make this company as sustainable and profitable as possible, but also have the ability to reinvest and do new and exciting things for the team – and open up opportunities for our customers through acquisition.” More deals are on the cards, he confirms, though no specific names are in the pipeline.