Posted Sep 29, 2022, 7:30 PM
Twenty years after the creation of Onepoint, David Layani had made a name for himself in French IT services, which over time have become digital services. Among others, he had first seen the major transformations that the Web, data analysis or the cloud would cause in companies.
But at forty-two, his most flamboyant stunt may be within reach. “A new generation of entrepreneurs has a place to take”, he assures, well aware of opening the game on a sensitive issue. Associated with the London investment fund ICG, Onepoint has submitted an offer to the board of directors of the struggling IT group Atos. The boss intends to buy the Evidian entity, which notably includes the strategic cybersecurity and supercomputer activities of the French number two in the sector. By comparison, Evidian employs 59,000 people worldwide for 5 billion euros in annual revenue, compared to 3,000 people worldwide for Onepoint and 400 million in revenue (2021 figure).
Expertise in external growth
“David has an entrepreneurial DNA and his career demonstrates it”, underlines a professional in the sector who has known him for a long time. Described as a self-made-man, David Layani quickly went through the American technology group EMC to prefer to launch Onepoint just after the bursting of the Web bubble in the early 2000s.
The following is a story of accelerated organic growth with a dozen acquisitions and bank debt: Vision IT, in particular, after a takeover bid in 2015, then Weave in 2018 for 120 million euros. Last year, the group had again offered Timwi, JBG Consultants and Nexworld. “These operations gave us expertise in terms of bringing two companies together,” says David Layani.
Before revealing his interest in Atos, the leader intended to multiply Onepoint’s turnover by five by 2025, to 2 billion euros. “Onepoint was growing by 35% in 2021 and will accelerate further this year”, assures those around him.
Company released
Discreet but sometimes presented as a “high roller” by those who met him, David Layani above all takes care of his image as a boss close to his troops. “My driving force is my family, my colleagues and the impact I can have in French society,” he pleads.
Thus, he makes a point of keeping the identity of each of the new entities that join his group. At Onepoint, 20% of employees are shareholders of the company whose boss still owns 80% of the shares. A reader of management professor Isaac Getz, he has also flattened the hierarchy in his company to three levels and praises the virtues of the “liberated company” where management is erased. “We know that some Atos employees expect more freedom, more training and more access to capital,” he defends.
