CEIS

Crédit Mutuel Equity has bought into CEIS, a strategy and risk management consultancy, to help it grow and allow its founder Olivier Darrason to start transferring ownership to the management team. CEIS is based in Paris and Brussels, has 80 employees and generates annual revenue of €13 million.

Olivier Darrason is accompanying the handover by retaining an operational role with the company. He is in charge of regional business development, public affairs and large international projects. He is also chairman of CEIS (Compagnie Européenne d’Intelligence Stratégique)’, Strategic Steering Committee, which consists of leading public-sector figures as well as economics and finance specialists from France and other countries.

CEIS is now majority-owned by its management team. The transaction has strengthened the company’s independence by creating a governance structure overseen by its main managers.

Guillaume Tissier, partner, is now Chairman of the company and is head of the management committee. He is also responsible for developing cross-functional synergies, the economic security business and the International Cybersecurity Forum (FIC), the leading event of its kind in Europe.

Axel Dyèvre, partner, is in charge of the strategic industries business. One of the key components of CEIS’ strategy consulting activities in the defence and internal security field is CEIS Lab, which focuses on innovation and boosting the development of start-ups in the sector.

Vincent Riou, partner, is in charge of CEIS Cyberdefence. He will develop the company’s consultancy and cybersecurity services, partly by building up its operations centre in Brest.

CEIS has been involved in projects covering almost 100 countries, and it has put together a team of associated experts including General Jean-Paul Palomeros, former chief of staff in the French Air Force and former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, Hugo Sada, specialist in African affairs, General Didier Castres, former Inspector-General of the French Armed Forces, Admiral Michel Benedittini, former Deputy Director-General of French national information systems security agency ANSSI, and Michel de Gliniasty, former Chief Scientific Officer at the French National Office of Aerospace Studies and Research (ONERA).

"Investing in a strategy and risk management consultancy involves assessing the team’s expertise and vision and measuring the influence of the flagship events it organises: in CEIS’ case, these include the Summer Defence Conference and the International Cybersecurity Forum. Finally, it involves evaluating the company’s skills in the cyber-risks field. As investors, we were obviously impressed by CEIS’ managers. But the gradual handover of ownership to management is just the first step. We are all driven by a shared vision, which will help us meet upcoming challenges", explained Franck Thouroude, Senior Principal at Crédit Mutuel Equity.

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