Max Schaber Receives M&A Lifetime Achievement Award for Transformative IT Market Consolidation

Max Schaber, founder and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of DATAGROUP, was honored with the M&A Award for Lifetime Achievement, recognizing his exceptional contributions to Germany's mergers and acquisitions landscape. The award presented by the Federal Association for Mergers & Acquisitions (BMA) acknowledges Schaber's pioneering work in transforming the IT services sector through strategic acquisitions and sustainable integration practices.

Since DATAGROUP's initial public offering in 2006, the company has successfully acquired and integrated more than 30 companies into its organization, demonstrating the effectiveness of its consistently pursued "buy and turn around" and "buy and build" strategies. This approach has made a significant contribution to the consolidation of the German IT services market, establishing DATAGROUP as one of the leading IT service providers in the country with approximately 3,700 employees across multiple German locations.

The M&A Award, established in 2023, has become an important platform for companies and consultants in the M&A sector, with the annual ceremony in Berlin designed to highlight successful, innovative, and sustainable transactions while promoting industry best practices. Awards are presented across ten categories that evaluate criteria including strategic relevance, economic success, degree of innovation, and sustainability - all areas where Schaber's work has demonstrated exceptional performance.

DATAGROUP's acquisition strategy emphasizes preserving acquired companies' core strengths, including their customer relationships and service portfolios, while providing employees with long-term secure career perspectives. This approach not only strengthens the corporate group's overall performance but also reflects Schaber's philosophy that "people are at the center of every transformation." The company's CORBOX product enables it to serve as a full-service provider supporting global IT workplaces for medium and large enterprises as well as public authorities.

Schaber emphasized that the award represents recognition for the many dedicated DATAGROUP employees whose commitment, expertise, and entrepreneurial spirit have driven the company's success. He attributed the organization's M&A achievements to partnership thinking, sustainable integration practices, and the fundamental belief in prioritizing human elements during business transformations. The lifetime achievement honor underscores the critical importance of long-term M&A strategies for sustainable business success and serves as a model for responsible acquisition policies that balance economic strength with social responsibility in corporate growth initiatives.