Air IT, the leading IT managed services provider, has today announced the appointment of Barney Taylor as Chief Executive Officer. Barney will be responsible for driving the next ambitious phase of business growth for Air IT, building on its 20-year track record of delivering high-quality IT managed services to UK SMEs. Air IT is backed by August Equity and provides IT and cyber security services to almost 3,000 customers, employing over 500 people across 12 office locations.
With an established track record in senior leadership roles within the technology space, Barney has achieved significant and demonstrable growth in private equity-backed businesses, with success and scale built around a focus on people and culture.
During his most recent tenure as CEO at Focus Group, the business achieved exceptional organic and M&A driven growth, securing new investment and unicorn status with a $1bn valuation earlier this year. Barney is now set to bring this experience and begin a new chapter with Air IT, alongside the recent addition of Gordon Hurst as Chairman. This move will also see Barney join the August Equity Technology Panel, made up of leading CEO’s and Chairs who meet to discuss technology trends and drivers that formulate future investment opportunities.
Speaking about his vision for the company, Barney says: ‘It is a fantastic time to be joining Air IT and working with Gordon and the team at August Equity. Air IT has a clear plan to accelerate over the coming years and as we look to realise this ambition, we will build a business that people love to work in, built on high performance, a clear focus on customer service and a great culture.’
Gordon Hurst, Chairman at Air IT said: ‘Barney brings deep expertise of the IT services market, particularly focused on the SME sector. Aside from his considerable organic growth and M&A experience, he also has a proven track record in creating a positive culture and a focus on customer service in the businesses that he has run. We are excited to have him on board to help Air IT to continue to capitalise on the rapidly growing UK SME IT Services market.’
Mehul Patel, Partner at August Equity said: ‘We welcome Barney into Air IT, where we look forward to working with him on the next stage of growth. We are also very pleased he will be working with the wider August Equity team to drive scale and future investment opportunities across both our portfolio and the wider market.’