UAE-based VAD Starlink Announces Merger With Infinigate

UAE-based-VAD-Starlink-announces-merger-with-Infinigate
(From L-R) Mahmoud Nimer, President at StarLink; Klaus Schlichtherle, CEO at Infinigate CEO and Nidal Othman, CEO at StarLink

Swiss-based value-added distributor of cybersecurity solutions has merged with UAE-based StarLink to create a new entity with revenues of $2.18 billion.

Under the deal, Starlink will operate under the Infinigate Group post-merger. The move follows Infinigate’s August takeover of cloud distributor Vuzion and announcement in July that it intended to buy “large parts” of UK-based IT services and consulting company Nuvias.

Infinigate firm stated, “The move will extend Infinigate Group’s reach to more than 50 countries, with offices in more than 30 countries. The joint enterprise will consolidate its position as a full EMEA (European, Middle East and Africa) powerhouse with more than 1,100 dedicated personnel, taking all completed and projected acquisitions into account.”

Infinigate, founded in 1996, currently has about 500 employees and operates in 11 European countries, including the UK, France, Germany and Switzerland.

Founded in 2005, Starlink has a presence in 11 countries, more than 300 employees and $500 million in annual revenues.  It has a 20 per cent market share in the six Gulf Cooperation Council countries.

Starlink’s founders, Mahmoud Nimer and Nidal Othman will remain invested in the merged entity. Nimer and Othman will become Infinigate’s president and CEO for the Middle East and Africa region.

“We are excited to be joining forces with Infinigate,” said Nidal Othman, CEO of Starlink. “There are strong synergies between what Infinigate has built in Europe and what Starlink has created in the Middle East – both in terms of our strategic growth patterns and our business strategies. Starlink is a specialist in the enterprise market and Infinigate is a master in the commercial market – so our combined portfolio and expertise grow even bigger. And we are a strong cultural fit too – which will underpin our future growth and success. Together we can reach further, and provide greater value as we work towards becoming a global player.”

Infinigate and Starlink have several non-shared vendors, so the merger is also an opportunity for Infinigate’s SMB vendors and Starlink’s enterprise vendors to augment their footprint.