Simplyai makes board appointments following private equity deal
Automation and artificial intelligence consultancy Simplyai has made three top-level appointments following its recent partnership with investor Liverpool Partners, welcoming James Scott, John Valastro, and Gladwin Mendez.
“We have seen first-hand the value that Simplyai brings within our own existing portfolio companies and believe they will drive material benefits for enterprise clients and the customers they serve,” Liverpool Partners managing partner Brad Lancken told the AFR of the acquisition, with recently appointed partner Craig Tozer adding, “Artificial intelligence is one of the most disruptive and transformative developments in value creation.”
Simplyai isn’t Liverpool Partners’ first dip into the IT consulting market, with digital infrastructure provider Orro and cloud advisory Seisma also part of its portfolio.
The latter has made several acquisitions since, including that of Perth-based advisory Braestone – an approach Simplyai may now replicate following its capital injection.
Simplyai’s new incoming chair, James Scott, brings vast experience with growth and also knows a thing or two about inorganic deals, having previously headed acquisition-hungry Accenture Digital.
In addition to his two leadership stints across a decade at Accenture, Scott was also a partner at KPMG and served for five years as chief operating officer at Seven Group. An operational advisor at Liverpool Partners since 2020, Scott is already the chair of Seisma, along with full service brand agency the Merchantwise Group, while further current director roles include the boards of Orbx, Boom Logistics, and tech management solutions firm IR.
Simplyai is also ringing in further changes, with the appointments of John Valastro and Gladwin Mendez to its executive leadership team. Valastro crosses from intelligent automation consultancy Reveal Group, where he spent the past five years, before which he served as a transformation delivery executive manager at Qantas.
Mendez meanwhile joins after a period in independent consulting, with stints at Deloitte, KPMG and PwC on his earlier career resume.
Headquartered in Sydney with further outlets in Melbourne and Perth, Simplyai serves clients on intelligent automation in the areas of robotic process automation, artificial intelligence and machine learning along with lines in data analytics and modernisation.
Headed by CEO Anthony Scott, who remains a material shareholder post-acquisition, the company has a headcount of around 100 professionals spread across the country, with reported annual revenues in the ballpark of $30 million.
