LKS Next is committed to the digitisation of Public Administrations

By acquiring a majority stake in Afi Servicios Tecnológicos Avanzados S.L., LKS Next continues to strengthen its position in the development of 21st century administration in 2023. The operation is part of the Basque group’s strategy to become one of the major references in the digital transformation of administrations and public sector organisations, as well as strengthening its position in Madrid.

With this acquisition, the LKS Next group strengthens its position in Madrid with two companies and nearly 100 professionals.

The acquisition of a majority stake in Afi STA also means the expansion of the collaboration with Afi.

The technology group LKS Next -a Basque consultancy firm with a workforce of over 700 people- which, under the brand LKS Next GobTech, develops its activity aimed at the technological transformation of Public Administrations, incorporates Afi STA, a Madrid-based company focused on the provision of technological services with a significant presence in the public sector, into its group.

Afi STA is a company specialising in the provision of development and maintenance services for ICT systems. It was founded 10 years ago by Afi and its current director, Juan Brea, who will maintain their status as partners. Afi STA currently has relevant clients in the public sector such as the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation; the State Attorney General’s Office; the Ministry of the Presidency, as well as other relevant clients in the private sector in areas of the Circular Economy.

The acquisition is part of LKS Next’s strategy, initiated in January 2023 with the creation of the LKS Next Gobtech brand and the incorporation of Ricardo del Corte to the group to lead this business unit. Likewise, the incorporation of Afi STA also means the consolidation of the presence of the LKS Next group in Madrid, which in 2019 integrated the global security company SecureIT into the group. This new operation brings the total number of professionals working in the Spanish capital to almost 100.

5 incorporations of technology companies into the group in 6 years

The incorporation is a confirmation of the strategic positioning of LKS Next in the northern half of Spain as a technological reference, as this is the fifth integration of a technology company in the LKS Next group in the last 6 years MCC TELECOM (2017), SECUREIT (2019), ZAMUNDI (2021), I3S (2022) and Afi STA (2023).

With Afi STA, the Gobtech business unit will reach a turnover of close to 10 million euros in technological solutions and services by the end of 2023, thus exceeding 15% of the group’s turnover. LKS Next, which has important clients in this field in the Basque Country (EJiE, Lanbide, IZFE, Osakidetza, ETS, Metaposta, …) will add new clients to those it already has in Madrid in this area, where it has been working for years, for example for Canal de Isabel II.

“The participation in Afi STA – explains Elena Zarraga, general manager of the LKS Next group – shows our clear intention to develop in Spain and our consolidation in Madrid, where around 15% of our professionals are already based in the capital. In any case, it is our intention to grow the acquired company and, hand in hand with it, our entire Gobtech area”.

Collaboration with Afi

The promoters of Afi STA, Analistas Financieros Internacionales, S.A. and Juan Brea, its current director, will continue to be present in the shareholding of Afi STA, although in a minority position. Juan Brea will continue to lead the company, in order to give orderly continuity to the project and its growth plan. This composition means, de facto, a common space between two leading consultancy firms, one in the financial and economic field, such as Afi, and the other in the technological field, such as LKS Next.

The purpose of the transaction is none other than to strengthen and develop the Afi STA project by incorporating the capabilities and positioning of LKS Next as a technology consultancy firm, taking advantage of all the work done to date by Afi STA’s current shareholders and teams, who have contributed and will continue to contribute their talent to the development and growth of the activity.

“LKS Next’s majority stake in Afi STA is a guarantee for the sustainable growth of the company and its professionals, both in terms of its position as a technology consultancy and its culture in relation to people,” said Afi’s chairman.

With this operation, LKS Next Gobtech’s CEO, Ricardo del Corte, who is in charge of services and technological support for public administrations and their institutional administration, also fulfils his expectations. In February, he declared that he aspired to a permanent presence in Madrid in order to be close to the different areas of the central administration and the rest of the state’s public sector.