As the foremost digital transformation experts in Wales, the team at Newport’s de Novo Solutions have been successfully realising the vision of Founder and Chief Executive Mark Sweeny since operations commenced in 2021. Just over three years in, the company has already made huge leaps when it comes to the optimisation of critical back-office functions of finance, procurement, HR, and payroll for its clients – and it is immensely proud to today be the UK’s only small-to-medium enterprise to have leveraged the industry-leading capabilities of both Oracle Cloud and ServiceNow technologies.
Headquartered in Langstone, Newport, de Novo Solutions has rapidly expanded beyond its Welsh roots. With a second office in Guildford, Surrey, and a recent expansion into India, the company’s growth trajectory speaks volumes about its success. In just three years, de Novo has gone global with offices across three countries, demonstrating its ability to redefine operational excellence in an increasingly digital world.
The driving force behind de Novo’s growth is the two-decade partnership that exists between Founder and Chief Executive Mark Sweeny and Chairman Tim Warner, a period which has seen them make significant advancements in the Cloud and pioneer a new era of digital transformation across Wales and beyond. Along with a dedicated team of innovators and trendsetters, these two straight-talking disruptors have spent the past three-and-a-half years turning this business into a beacon of innovation and value generation for clients.
At the heart of their success with de Novo are its strategic partnerships with Oracle Corporation and ServiceNow.
Mark and Tim’s journey in the cloud tech world began in 2011 when they co-founded Certus Solutions, the UK’s first dedicated Oracle Cloud applications implementation partner. de Novo is the natural evolution of their expertise, continuing to break boundaries and lead the way in digital transformation now in the era of the experience economy and the hybrid Cloud, something Mark saw coming as early as 2019.
A standout example of de Novo’s innovation is Odyssea™, a groundbreaking cloud-based solution tailored with industry specific functionality. Built on the powerful Oracle Cloud platform and leveraging AI, Odyssea™ is designed to streamline back-office operations in finance, procurement, HR, and payroll. By maximising economies of scale, reducing costs, and boosting productivity, Odyssea™ empowers organisations to digitally transform while addressing their unique sector-specific demands. Its unique implementation model addresses 80% of a client’s requirements through a templated blueprint, leaving the remaining 20% to be customised, ensuring faster deployment and quicker ROI.
de Novo has industry cloud solutions for Central Government, Local Government and what it sees as its biggest growth area – Secondary Education and Multi-Academy Trusts.
In the realm of managed services, de Novo’s Value as a Service™ (VaaS™) redefines traditional cloud management. This next-gen pro-active service delivers tailored, measurable outcomes, simplifying the complexities of Cloud operations with continuous support, seamless updates, and proactive management. VaaS™ helps clients stay on track with their digital transformation journeys, enabling them to leverage cutting-edge technologies like GenAI, all while focusing on core business goals. By rigorously tracking value and assessing performance, VaaS™ ensures clients can confidently demonstrate ROI and make data-driven decisions.
To further accelerate cloud adoption, de Novo offers Testing as a Service™ (TaaS™)—an AI-powered solution for Oracle Cloud applications. TaaS™ provides scalable, flexible testing services that minimise risk, enhance quality, and speed up release cycles. With an integrated five-step management framework and automated testing, TaaS™ enables organisations to innovate confidently, knowing their software will perform reliably and integrate seamlessly.
In addition to these core offerings, de Novo provides a comprehensive suite of services to ensure seamless cloud adoption and operational success. These include Cloud Readiness Assessments to prepare organisations for a smooth transition, Healthchecks to optimise system performance, and Cloud Recovery Services to ensure rapid recovery when necessary. The company also offers extensive training services to ensure teams are equipped to maximise the potential of their cloud investments. Collectively, these services solidify de Novo’s leadership in the digital transformation space, helping clients achieve sustained success.
“While competitors may offer similar services, few can match our niche expertise and holistic approach to digital transformation, which combines cutting-edge technology with a commitment to achieving our clients’ business objectives. Consequently, de Novo is very much a company in demand right now.”
With these best-in-class solutions to boot, de Novo has a carved out a well-deserved reputation for itself as a company with a significant competitive edge when it comes to improving operational efficiency and fostering ongoing innovation for those that choose to partner with it. It is on the back of this that de Novo has secured such high-profile clients as HM Treasury, the Ministry of Justice, the Office for National Statistics, Kent County Council, Swansea City Council, Scottish Legal Aid Board, Historic Environment Scotland and many more.
Clearly then, these cutting-edge cloud technology solutions have proven themselves to be incredibly effective across local and central government sectors, but the uses do not end there. For example, Mark is particularly passionate about getting involved in the education sector, especially with multi-academy trusts. This was seen recently in the case of the Harris Federation and Outwood Grange Academies Trust (OGAT), which the company hopes will be the first of many clients in this area to benefit from its remarkable suite of digital development solutions.
Alongside these solutions, clients of de Novo are also drawn to the company as a result of its core values, which are both the cornerstones of this operation and the foundation its successes are built atop of. These values span pioneering technological innovation, delivery excellence, community engagement, and responsible growth. Striking the balance between remaining client-centred and considering outside elements, this quartet sees de Novo set the standard and provide excellent outcomes, all whilst supporting Wales’ local technology scene and wider communities through sustainable and ethical practices.
In essence, it is this combination of terrific values and state-of-the-art technology that truly sets de Novo apart and allows the business to remain front and centre when it comes to digital transformation on an international scale, something that starts from its home base in Wales. Of course, it helps that Wales has positioned itself as a frontrunner in the global technology sphere, aided by its dynamic working environment, skilled workforce, and the supportive ecosystem that its valued technology companies are afforded.
For businesses like de Novo, the benefits of such initiatives are endless. From the wealth of meaningful expansion and collaboration opportunities through to the strong sense of community encouraging partnerships and joint ventures, the advantages of being based in Wales permeate throughout this team of Oracle Cloud partners at every level. Some examples include the strong relationships formed with local organisations FinTech Wales and Technology Connected, both of which have enhanced the firm’s local impact.
There are also several government-backed programmes in operation across Wales, and the national emphasis placed on developing technology skills and embracing digital innovation is something that has boosted local talent pools immeasurably. This is something that can be felt especially strongly across the country’s youth, and de Novo’s partnerships with educational institutions, such as the University of South Wales, see degree apprenticeships provided to nurture innovation and cement Wales’ status as a premier digital transformation hub for future generations.
All of this has laid the groundwork for de Novo’s internal culture, an environment which, much like Wales itself, prioritises collaboration, innovation, and growth. Empowering this team to be the very best that they can be is essentially what de Novo’s business environment revolves around, something that mirrors Mark’s own leadership style. Since Mark is a self-proclaimed serial entrepreneur and has founded three start-ups to date, it is the limitless drive embodied by this visionary leader that inspires his team to reach their full potential and deliver nothing short of the very best for the company and its clients alike.
Regardless of their role or position within the company, staff here are always invited to share their ideas, take the initiative in projects, and play as active a role as they can in ensuring the business continues to move in the right direction. These are also the qualities sought out when hiring, as the company prizes the likes of problem-solving abilities, passion, and tenacity alongside the relevant technical skills.
By focusing on these areas, de Novo has grown from an intimate team of ten to a thriving workforce of 100 in less than four years. Such growth highlights the success of the company in bringing top talent into the fold, as well as to finding those individuals whose vision aligns with the company’s own. Together, these immensely talented digital transformation experts are pushing the boundaries of what is thought possible in this space, something that is only set to continue as we move into 2025 and beyond.
Having recently opened the forementioned development centre in Chennai, India, the next 12-18 months for the firm will see it focus on its global growth strategy, something that will enable it to better serve its growing international client base and improve the delivery of its overall service. Across both this site in India and its UK offices, the company is also focusing on talent development, doubling down on both the apprenticeships discussed earlier and graduate hires to close the digital skills gap plaguing industry today.
Moreover, at the other end of the spectrum, de Novo is excited to announce that it will soon be welcoming a new chief financial officer/board member, with this individual expected to start in December this year. This person will push the board of directors back up to double figures, fortifying both its strength and effectiveness in the process and ushering in a great start to the new year for Mark, Tim, and the rest of the team here.
The future is thus incredibly bright for de Novo, which is currently on track to hit its financial goals concerning turnover of £10 million on a healthy EBITDA of £2m being predicted for the 2024-2025 year – as well as expansion with its team soon set to comprise 90 employees in the UK and 20 in India. These figures serve as the backdrop for the company’s inspiration to further enhance its services and streamline its innovative solutions, so that it may continue to meet the changing needs of an increasingly diverse client base for years to come.
On the back of this unwavering commitment and consistent excellence, we have recognised the team at de Novo as the Most Innovative Digital Transformation Experts 2024 in the Welsh Enterprise Awards. This is far from the only recognition that this standout company has received over the past 12 months, as it has also been named as Elite Business’s Exceptional Business Performance of the Year Awards and recognition as a Top 10 SME Business in the UK (2024), the UK StartUp Awards for Digital StartUp of the Year (Wales) (2024), and the Business Consultancy Awards for Industry Leader in UK Business Consultancy – Mark Sweeny (2024). Additionally, Mark was named Technology Entrepreneur of the Year (Wales) at the Great British Entrepreneur of the Year Awards in 2023. These awards underscore de Novo’s continuous innovation, exceptional growth, and leadership in driving digital transformation across industries.
“These accolades validate our efforts in innovation, growth, and community involvement and also reflect our tremendous impact and leadership in the digital transformation space.”
The undisputed focal point of this annual awards programme, de Novo Solutions is a multi-award-winning company with an exceptional culture, a remarkable team, and truly unrivalled knowledge in the fields of digital transformation and the cloud. Its Oracle Cloud capabilities, including the flagship Odyssea™, VaaS™ and TaaS™ offerings, are examples of how this business’ mastery manifests itself in a number of industry-leading solutions that have left a huge mark on this sphere. The most exciting part? All of this as Mark says is just the beginning.
More information about the general company and its services can be found using the website link listed below, or those interested in following this business as it continues to grow and evolve can do so here on LinkedIn. For any specific queries or requests, our readers are invited to fill out this form or contact de Novo Solutions directly on 01633 492042.
For business enquiries, contact de Novo Solutions via their website – https://www.de-novo-solutions.com/
