The DPO Centre joins Axiom GRC amid global M&A drive

Governance, risk and compliance consultancy Axiom GRC has announced the acquisition of The DPO Centre. The UK provider of outsourced Data Protection Officer (DPO) resources brings 100 staff to the acquiring firm.

Founded in 2017, The DPO Centre’s 100-strong team has delivered expert DPO and related privacy services to over 1,000 clients from its offices in the UK, EU, and North America. With a strong position in the GDPR services market and a growing international footprint, The DPO Centre operates offices in the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands and Canada. The business has grown at an average of 30% per annum for the last three years.

This attracted the attention of Axiom GRC, which has established a global M&A programme since joining forces with private equity firm Inflexion in May 2024. The DPO Centre marks its fourth acquisition since then, and enhances Axiom’s offering of over 50 compliance products, serving more than 40,000 clients and 2 million users worldwide.

Alex Dacre, CEO of Axiom GRC, commented, “Our GRC platform is the first of its kind – used by our clients to protect their workforce and workplace, responsibly. The DPO Centre builds on our successful acquisition track record to date and further strengthens our platform. It supports our global growth ambitions as we continue to bring the highest quality GRC products, services and professional support to international markets.”

Growing capabilities

Axiom clients include large businesses like Bentley, Shell Energy, and Tesco, public sector bodies including NHS England, and thousands of SMEs across all sectors. The deal adds further specialism to Axiom GRC’s high-quality technology and advisory solutions that support businesses of all sizes across every aspect of compliance and risk – including health & safety, employment law, environmental risk, cyber security, ISO certification, enterprise risk, eLearning, and supply chain compliance.

Lenitha Bishop, CEO of The DPO Centre, added, “We are delighted to be joining Axiom GRC as the next chapter in The DPO Centre’s growth. This partnership brings scale, complementary services, and access to broader markets, while preserving the values we have always championed. We see immediate opportunities to co-develop service offerings, combine expertise, and expand our value proposition through joint delivery with other Axiom advisory solutions.”

With origins stretching right back to 1957, Axiom GRC was founded in its modern form in 2019. Its initial merger brought together governance, risk, and compliance software and service capabilities, as clients sought to adapt to an increasingly complex regulatory landscape.

Fuelled by fresh investment from European private equity firm Inflexion, 2024 also saw the £430 million acquisition of Marlowe’s risk software and services division. The move brought the number of compliance products under the Axiom GRC name to more than 50, while it counted 40,000 clients and 2 million users.

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