{{Short description|Swedish information technology company}} {{Infobox company | name = Advania AB | logo = Advania_Ísland_ehf_-_logo.png | caption = | industry = Information technology | foundation = Rooted in 1939 - established as a unified brand in 2012. | location = Stockholm, Sweden | locations = 53 in 9 countries (2024) | area_served = Northern Europe | key_people = {{ubl|item_style=margin-left:1.5em;text-indent:-1.5em|Gestur Gestsson, COB|Hege Støre, CEO|Henrik Schibler, CFO|Henrik Foyn-Laukvik, Head of M&A|Ægir Þórisson, CPO|Janne Ahonen, CEO Finland|Geoff Kneen, CEO UK|Hildur Einarsdóttir, CEO Iceland|Sigurður Þorsteinsson, CEO Denmark|Siv Hjellegjerde Martinsen, CEO Norway|Tomas Wanselius, CEO Sweden}} | products = | revenue = | operating_income = SEK 18.4 billion (2024, Pro-Forma) | net_income = | owner = Goldman Sachs Asset Management (majority), IK Partners, VIA equity and others. | num_employees = 5,500+ | footnotes = | homepage = {{ubl| {{URL|advania.com}} {{in lang|en}} | {{URL|advania.co.uk}} {{in lang|en}} | {{URL|advania.dk}} {{in lang|da}} | {{URL|advania.fi}} {{in lang|fi}} | {{URL|advania.is}} {{in lang|is}} | {{URL|advania.no}} {{in lang|no}} | {{URL|advania.se}} {{in lang|sv}} }} }} '''Advania''' is a Northern European IT services provider headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden.<ref name="mbl20120120">{{Cite news | date = 20 January 2012 | title = Sameinast undir heitinu Advania | trans-title = Merge under the name Advania | url = http://www.mbl.is/vidskipti/frettir/2012/01/20/sameinast_undir_heitinu_advania/ | newspaper = Morgunblaðið | language = Icelandic | location = Reykjavík, Iceland | publisher = Árvakur }}</ref> The company provides technology products and services to organizations across Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom and Ireland.
==History== {{more citations needed section|date=August 2023}} Advania has roots in three Nordic countries: Iceland, Norway and Sweden. Over a long period of time each country generated a component of what eventually was braided into one company, Advania AB, in 2012.
The company's origins trace back to 1939 with the founding of '''EJS''', an office equipment repair workshop in '''Reykjavík'''. In the following decades, EJS expanded into computing and later merged with '''Skýrr''', an Icelandic IT company established in 1952 by the Icelandic government and the City of Reykjavík to advance computing and record-keeping in Iceland. Skýrr was privatized in 1995.<ref>{{Citation |title=Einkavæðing á Íslandi 1992-2003 |date=April 2003 |trans-title=Privatization in Iceland 1992-2003 |url=https://ioes.hi.is/files/2021-05/Einkavaeding_a_Islandi_1992_2003.pdf |publisher=Hagfræðistofnun Háskóla Íslands |language=Icelandic}}</ref> Eventually, EJS, Skýrr, and several other Icelandic IT companies merged,<ref name="mbl20120120" /> strengthening their presence in Iceland’s IT sector.
In Sweden, Nokia Elektronic AB (later renamed Datapoint Svenska AB) was founded in 1971, eventually evolving into a system integrator called Kerfi AB. In Norway, Merkantildata Applikasjon<ref>{{Cite web |date=1998-05-25 |title=- Merkantildata ikke noe programvarehus |url=https://www.digi.no/artikler/merkantildata-ikke-noe-programvarehus/337625 |access-date=2025-02-26 |website=Digi.no |language=no}}</ref> (later known as Hands) was established in 1991, focusing on ERP solutions{{buzzword-inline|date=June 2025}} and IT consulting.
In 2012, these entities merged to form Advania AB.<ref name="mbl20120120" />
== New markets == Since then, Advania has significantly grown its operations and geographical footprint through strategic acquisitions. When entering new markets, acquired companies have typically been rebranded under the Advania name, formalizing and consolidating operations locally. For instance, in Finland, Advania integrated several IT providers, including Vintor in 2019,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Vintor acquired by Advania |url=https://www.bryangarnier.com/portfolio/vintor-acquired-by-advania/ |access-date=2025-02-26 |website=Bryan, Garnier & Co |language=en-US}}</ref> Accountor ICT in 2020,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-01-08 |title=Advania is growing in Finland – acquires Accountor ICT – VIA equity |url=https://viaequity.com/2020/01/08/advania-is-growing-in-finland-acquires-accountor-ict/ |access-date=2025-02-26 |language=en-GB}}</ref> Beveric in 2021, and Valtti in 2022,<ref>{{Cite web |last=|first= |date=2022-02-16 |title=Advania to acquire Valtti from Adelis Equity Partners |url=https://www.valu8group.com/index.php/advania-to-acquire-valtti-from-adelis-equity-partners/ |access-date=2025-02-26 |website=Valu8 Group |language=en-US}}</ref> establishing Advania Finland as a key regional entity. The same approach was taken in '''Denmark in 2020''' and the '''United Kingdom in 2021''', further strengthening Advania’s presence across Northern Europe.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.advania.com/pressreleases/advania-acquires-the-uk-based-cloud-specialist-content-cloud |title=Advania acquires the UK based cloud specialist Content+Cloud |first=Eva-Lotta |last=Jonsvik |website=advania.com |date=9 Dec 2021 |access-date=5 Sep 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.advania.co.uk/insights/news/advania-the-new-name-for-contentcloud/ |title=Rebranded Advania helps Microsoft's goal of reaching 1 million UK AI workers |publisher=Advania UK |date=14 November 2023 |access-date=5 Sep 2024}}</ref>
== Business structure == Advania operates with a decentralized business structure, where local teams maintain autonomy in decision-making. The company describes itself as vendor-neutral, selecting technology solutions{{buzzword-inline|date=June 2025}} based on client needs rather than specific vendor partnerships.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Advania vex á ógnarhraða |trans-title=Advania grows rapidly |url=https://vb.is/frettir/advania-vex-ognarhratt/ |access-date=2025-02-26 |website=www.vb.is}}</ref>
== Sustainability initiatives == In 2023, Advania announced the Dreamhouse, a 10,000 square meter IT equipment recycling facility in Enköping, Sweden.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-10-24 |title=Advania unveils IT equipment recycling centre - addressing industry-wide waste challenge |url=https://news.cision.com/advania-ab/r/advania-unveils-it-equipment-recycling-centre---addressing-industry-wide-waste-challenge,c3859046 |access-date=2025-02-26 |website=News Powered by Cision |language=en}}</ref> The facility, which opened in January 2025, has capacity to refurbish up to one million IT devices annually, helping reduce carbon footprints by up to 70% compared to new equipment. The Dreamhouse operates with solar energy and geothermal heating to minimize environmental impact.
== Financial profile == As of 2024, Advania's pro-forma net sales reached SEK 18.6 billion. The company has demonstrated a compound annual growth rate of 25% over the past 15 years. Advania has been rated by international credit rating agencies, with S&P Global Ratings,<ref>{{Cite web |title=S&P Global Ratings |url=https://disclosure.spglobal.com/ratings/en/regulatory/article/-/view/type/HTML/id/3166801 |access-date=2025-02-26 |website=disclosure.spglobal.com}}</ref> Fitch Ratings,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.fitchratings.com/research/corporate-finance/fitch-assigns-ainavda-parentco-ab-first-time-idr-b-exp-outlook-stable-09-05-2024 |access-date=2025-02-26 |title=Fitch Assigns Ainavda Parentco AB First Time IDR 'B(EXP)'; Outlook Stable|date=May 9, 2024 |website=www.fitchratings.com}}</ref> and Moody’s assigning the company a 'B' rating with a stable outlook, confirming its financial stability and growth potential.
In March 2025, Advania completed a €375 million loan repricing, upsized to €425 million, which reduced interest rates by 75 basis points.<ref>{{Cite web |title=News {{!}} Advania secures €425M loan, cutting interest by 75bps {{!}} Advania |url=https://www.advania.com/news/advania-secures-425m-loan-cuts-interest-saves-millions |access-date=2025-03-12 |website=www.advania.com |language=en}}</ref>
== Ownership == In February 2021, it was announced a Goldman Sachs merchant banking division had acquired a majority share of Advania. The new owners committed to further accelerate Advania's growth both organically and through acquisitions.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://news.cision.com/se/advania-sweden/r/goldman-sachs-funds-to-acquire-a-majority-stake-in-advania,c3286680|title=Goldman Sachs funds to acquire a majority stake in Advania|date=15 February 2021 }}</ref>
On August 10, 2021, Advania acquired Visolit<ref>{{Cite web |last=Brombach |first=Harald |date=2021-08-10 |title=Visolit kjøpes opp for å danne en nordisk kjempe |url=https://www.digi.no/artikler/visolit-kjopes-opp-for-a-danne-en-nordisk-kjempe/512450 |access-date=2022-06-15 |website=Digi.no}}</ref> from IK Partners,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Advania {{!}} Private Equity Investment I Mid Cap |url=https://ikpartners.com/investments/advania/ |access-date=2024-08-15 |website=IK Partners |language=en-GB}}</ref> who reinvested in the combined group through the IK IX Fund as a minority shareholder.
==References== {{Reflist}}
Category:Advania Category:2012 establishments in Iceland Category:Swedish companies established in 2012 Category:Privatised companies in Iceland Category:Cloud computing providers