Taylor Wessing advises Q_PERIOR on takeover by Wavestone

Taylor Wessing has advised Munich-based Q_PERIOR AG on its acquisition by French company Wavestone S.A.. The acquisition creates a leading European management and IT consulting company with global reach.

Q_PERIOR is a German consulting company that emerged from the merger of three management and IT consultancies in 2011. The owners and founders of the company are still its managing directors today. Q_PERIOR advises its clients on transformation processes by deploying teams of experts in the areas of business and technology. Q_PERIOR is one of the leading consulting companies in the German-speaking market (Germany, Switzerland, Austria).

Founded in 1990, Wavestone is a French consulting firm that supports large companies and organisations in their transformation with business, technology and sustainability expertise. With teams in nine countries, mainly in France, the UK, the US and Asia, Wavestone generated a turnover of 532.3 million euros in the period 2022-2023.

Following the announcement of the merger plans in July 2023, Wavestone announced the acquisition of 100 percent of the shares in Q_PERIOR on 5 December 2023. The common goal is to further drive the development of the new company, which employs more than 5,500 people worldwide. The new consulting company is aiming to achieve a turnover of EUR 1 billion by 2025 (excluding new acquisitions).

Q_PERIOR's key executives will join the Wavestone management team. Q_PERIOR CEO Karsten Höppner will assume the role of Chief Operating Officer of Wavestone.

Legal Advisor Q_PERIOR

Taylor Wessing Germany: Dr Peter Hellich (Partner, co-lead with Anne-Juliette de Zaluski and Nicolas de Witt, TW France), Inken Brandt (Associate), Nora Safa (Associate), Fritz Krings (Associate), Dr Daniel Schrembs (Salary Partner), Henrik Grawe (Associate), Aodhfinn Broderick (Paralegal), all Corporate / M&A, Marc André Gimmy (Partner), Dr Klara Pototzky (Senior Associate) both Employment, Pensions & Mobility, Dr Oliver Rothley (Partner, Capital Markets), Dr Christian Frank (Partner, Technology, Media & Telecoms) all Munich, Stephan Manuel Nagel LL.M. (Partner), Mareen Coenen (Associate) both Competition, EU & Trade, both Düsseldorf, Niklas Melzer (Associate, Competition, EU & Trade, Hamburg), Tim Hendricks (Associate, Competition, EU & Trade, Düsseldorf), Dr Sebastian Beyer (Salary Partner), Dr Fabian Lewin von Rabenau (Associate) both Capital Markets, both Frankfurt am Main, Dr Carsten Müller (Partner, Disputes & Investigations), Dr Cornelia Maetschke-Biersack (Partner), Johanna Beermann (Associate) both Private Client, all Düsseldorf, Rudi Hasenberg (Salary Partner), Christine Hertel (Associate), both Tax, both Frankfurt am Main.

Taylor Wessing France: Anne-Juliette de Zaluski (Partner), Nicolas de Witt (Partner) (co-lead with Dr. Peter Hellich, TW Germany), Charlène Fofana (Associate), Sarah Erena (Associate), all Corporate / M&A, Guillaume Monnier (Associate, Banking), Markus Asshoff (Partner), Laura Berdugo-Donnersberg (Associate), Anais Edet (Associate), all Employment, Constance de Garidel-Thoron (Counsel, Litigation), Christophe Flaicher (Partner), Nicolas Darde (Associate), Gwendal Chatain (Associate) all Tax, Evelyne Friedel (Partner), Axel Ferly (Associate), both Commercial, all Paris.

Further advice: Q_PERIOR was also advised by Rotschild & Co and Wavestone by DC Advisory, BNP Paribas, Dentons, Grant Thornton, Hoche Avocats, Arsene and Willis Tower Watson.