ATG Europe has sold a majority stake to Pauwels Consulting

January 2024 — ATG Europe, a pan-European provider of high-end professional consulting, IT and engineering services for the space and nuclear fusion domains, has agreed to sell a majority stake to Pauwels Consulting, a prominent player in science and technology consulting.

The transaction will create immediate synergies for both enterprises, combining ATG Europe’s strong foothold within European public procurement and Pauwels Consulting’s focus in B2B sectors. The combination allows Pauwels Consulting to instantly expand its service offering towards the aerospace and big science sectors, whereas ATG Europe can strongly benefit from Pauwels Consulting’s expertise in civil engineering and project management capabilities. In addition, by combining forces both sides have identified ample opportunities to conduct ground-breaking pharmaceutical research, such as drug development and testing in zero-gravity environments. The combined group will house approximately 2,000 highly skilled consultants.

Established over 50 years ago, ATG Europe has decades of experience and a proven track record of successfully securing contracts from reputable European agencies and commercial high-profile clients in the aerospace and big science sectors. The company provides professional consulting, IT and engineering services mainly for the European space and nuclear fusion domains, with a strong geographical foothold throughout Europe. In addition to its array of services, ATG Europe is actively engaged in the development of cutting-edge technologies, such as its proprietary composite structures tailored for the NewSpace sector, solutions in thermos-elastics, virtual reality experiences and other value-added engineering services. ATG Europe currently employs approximately 450 consultants and is headquartered in the Netherlands.

Founded in 1999 by its CEO Bert Pauwels, Pauwels Consulting has achieved a leading market position as a consulting conglomerate addressing the life sciences, IT and engineering sectors. The Pauwels Consulting group consists of, among others, Science@Work, 4people, Vandycke & Partners, Ormit, Developers.nl and Openweb, boosting a dynamic team of over 1,500 consultants. Backed by Andera Partners, Pauwels Consulting is further consolidating its Belgian leadership and significantly enhancing its footprint in the European market, evidenced by the history of discerning acquisitions and the announced acquisition of ATG Europe.

Our role in the transaction

Oaklins’ team in the Netherlands acted as the exclusive M&A sell-side advisor to the shareholders of ATG Europe. Oaklins’ team in Belgium provided essential intelligence. This transaction emphasizes our strong track record and expertise in the high-end engineering and consulting sectors.