With its acquisition by funds managed by affiliates of Apollo Global Management now complete, distributor Tech Data plans to invest approximately $750 million in digital transformation initiatives over the next five years. The investment is part of Tech Data’s strategy to accelerate innovation in ways that it says will deliver improved experiences and greater agility for partners and their customers.
“Tech Data’s acquisition by the Apollo funds is a significant milestone, and their support of our multi-year commitment of resources underscores our collective focus on long-term value creation,” said Rich Hume, chief executive officer, Tech Data. “We continue to execute on our strategy to transform our company into one that defines a new standard of operational and cultural excellence in our industry. We believe Apollo will be an invaluable partner in helping us better enable our channel partners to bring to market the technology products and solutions the world needs to connect, grow and advance.”
The digital transformation initiatives are focused on delivering state-of-the-art automation, platforms and analytics that will allow it to be more agile and responsive to the evolving needs of its channel partners. The program includes building a hyper-scalable digital business platform and a cloud-based digital marketplace that are designed to support Tech Data’s ambitious growth plans and serve emerging technology markets and consumption models.
“Apollo sees Tech Data as a strong platform for meaningful growth and further diversification, and we are committed to supporting investments that build on this vision,” said Robert Kalsow-Ramos, Private Equity Partner at Apollo. “This investment over the next five years helps ensure the company has the resources necessary to launch a bold digital enablement and innovation program that will transform the way it serves channel partners and employees.”