DLA Piper advises Keensight and aconso on the acquisition of AI-powered HR systems provider Centric Germany

DLA Piper has advised Keensight Capital and its portfolio company aconso, a leading provider of AI‑powered HR document management systems, on the acquisition of Centric Germany. Backed by Keensight Capital, a leading pan‑European growth buyout private equity firm, the acquisition brings together Centric’s deep expertise in SAP-based document management and compliance with aconso’s vendor‑independent platform.

Centric Germany is an established specialist in SAP HCM and SAP SuccessFactors. The company has been offering SAP-based HR extensions, compliance tools and consultancy services for over ten years and supports more than 850 clients worldwide from its offices in Essen and Hamburg.

By combining Centric’s SAP-native HR extensions with aconso’s secure document management platform, this transaction strengthens aconso’s position as a leading provider within the SAP ecosystem in the DACH region. HR teams will benefit from an expanded service portfolio, ranging from document management and payroll compliance to audit and master data verification, as well as the existing range of functions offered by aconso. Companies will be supported in managing the increasing volume of sensitive data and in meeting growing regulatory requirements more efficiently and reliably, such as data protection and GDPR compliance.

The acquisition is part of aconso’s growth strategy to drive its international expansion and further strengthen its technological leadership in HR document management. DLA Piper had previously advised Keensight on its investment in aconso in 2023.

Keensight Capital is one of the leading European Growth Buyout firms and supports entrepreneurs in the implementation of their growth strategies. With over 25 years’ experience and assets under management of EUR8 billion, Keensight invests in profitable, growing companies with turnover ranging from EUR10 million to EUR400 million.

A multidisciplinary DLA Piper team from its Germany offices worked on the transaction and was co-led by Corporate partner Lars Jessen and counsel Daniel Osmanovic. They were supported by senior associate Vida Malakooti-Dehkordy and associate Martin Zimmermann as part of the core team.

The wider team working on the transaction comprised of partners Dr. Nico Brunotte, Verena Grentzenberg (both IPT), Dr. Henriette Norda (Employment), Semin O (Lit&Reg), counsel Dr Enno Ahlenstiel (Lit&Reg), Sven Bischoff (Tax), Nils Grunicke (Employment), Georg Haberkorn (Employment), Patrick Reuter (Finance), Dr Thilo Streit (Lit&Reg), of counsel Stefanie Tapella (IPT), senior associates Ilgin Ayhan (Finance), Florian Engels (Corporate), Nina Oldehaver (Employment), David Schele (IPT), and associates Jannik Becker (Tax), Lennart Buchholz, Franziska Golombek, Cora Sprengart (Employment). (all Employment), Damian Merks (Corporate), Jonas Riesenkampff, and Philipp Schmechel (both IPT).