Headcount: 84 (+950%)
Specialism: Oracle and ServiceNow
HQ: Newport, Wales
Having sold their previous venture, Certus Solutions, to Accenture in 2018, Mark Sweeny and Tim Warner are now building this Oracle and ServiceNow partner at breakneck pace.
The Newport-based outfit saw average monthly headcount bulk up from eight to 84 between its fiscal 2022 and 2025, enough to place it second in this report.
Factoring in its 40 Indian employees, de Novo Solutions’ total headcount today stands at 138. That rate of growth may slow due to AI, however, Sweeny acknowledges (see below).
It is no stranger to fast-growth lists, having ranked 33rd in the recent FT1000 report.
View the wider Fast-Growth 50 here.
Q&A with de Novo Solutions Founder and CEO Mark Sweeny
How have you been able to increase headcount in a flat market?
A combination of a differentiated proposition for an evolving digital era, driven by our industry cloud solutions – Odyssea built upon Oracle Cloud technology for government, local government and education, all supported by our reinvention of managed services Value as a Service – VaaS focused from the outset on continuous improvement, leveraging platform innovation like AI, maximising our client return on investment.
What mega trend do you think will most shape the year for your company?
Many organisations still haven’t transitioned to the cloud. Consequently the AI era has only fuelled customer demand for our services.
Which competitor or peer do you respect the most, and why?
Whilst they are not a competitor, a company we have utmost respect for is Elixirr International Plc – the Challenger Consultancy. Why? Built by entrepreneurs; challenging the long-standing oligopoly of the Big 4 Management Consultancies and created the modern consultancy business ahead of its time successfully floating on AIM and then moving to the FTSE. A truly impressive blueprint to replicate.
What’s a fact or quirk about your company most people won’t know about?
The core team of de Novo were the original pioneers of Oracle Cloud applications in the UK&I, working with Oracle Product Development directly to help shape and influence the product from an implementation perspective.
A decade ago we established the first Oracle Partner business – Certus Solutions that defined the cloud implementation and support market place, inventing and innovating new ways of implementation, including an industry cloud blueprint for Central Government, that was used to undertake the first Public Sector implementations at the Office for National Statistics, HM Treasury and the Home Office.
Does the rise of AI and automation make it less likely you’ll continue to add headcount at the same rate in the coming years?
Yes, we have already started making early inroads into how we adopt and integrate AI into our everyday working practices as well as our product development. Whilst we will still grow, it will not be at the levels we have seen to date.
Name one thing you have planned for the next 12 months
The launch of our AI-driven business process operation for payroll services using ServiceNow and Oracle Cloud applications.
