The Information Lab – A Cross-Border Case Study

The Information Lab is a market-leading supplier of software licences and provider of consultancy and support services for its software. The company had grown organically and by acquisition over five years and established a presence in the UK, Germany, Australia and the USA. In addition, the company had strategic partnerships and licenses to provide support to other software providers in Europe. As the company continued its growth journey, it became clear that they needed a partner to support them with their growth ambitions in the UK and overseas, particularly to help navigate the complexities of international expansion, multi-country operations, and cross-border transactions.

ECOVIS has supported The Information Lab in a comprehensive range of areas since becoming their client in 2017:

- Helping the company to prepare for and go through statutory financial audits which were performed by ECOVIS
- Providing the company with due diligence, tax, legal and structuring support for its acquisition of a German company operating in the same sector. This support was provided by a team of experts from ECOVIS' corporate finance, tax and legal departments in the UK and Germany
- Helping the company to establish a subsidiary in the USA with advice provided by ECOVIS' UK and US tax and legal teams
- Helping the company to structure a strategic partnership and 20% interest in a newly formed Australian company. Tax and legal advice were provided by ECOVIS' tax and legal teams in the UK and Australia
- Reorganising the group to align the operating and legal structures and manage risk with the requisite tax efficiency
- Supporting the company to implement a global share incentives scheme
- Advising the company and its shareholders on efficient cash extraction from the company
- Acting as a sounding board on a range of strategic, operational and business matters

The company has grown five times in the UK and replicated its business into ten other countries with ECOVIS support at every step of the way. ECOVIS has successfully restructured the businesses, provided advice as the company moved internationally, and introduced them to their global partner network to provide tailored, local support. The company is now on a journey to conquer America with ECOVIS continuing to facilitate appropriate introductions and provide umbrella advice for the whole group.