Hogan Lovells Cadwalader Advises IBM on Acquisition of UK Cyber Security Consultancy Logiq Consulting
IBM has acquired Logiq Consulting, a UK cyber security consultancy specialising in secure digital transformation for the defence, Critical National Infrastructure and public sectors. Hogan Lovells Cadwalader advised IBM on the deal, with partner John Livesey leading. Additional support was provided by counsel Christopher Peacock and senior associate Juliette Parkinson on NSIA, regulatory and procurement matters; partner Tom Eyre-Brook and senior associate James Hotchkiss on tax; and partner Fiona Bantock and counsel Callum Fowers on ESI. Logiq Consulting's capabilities span cyber security assurance, Secure by Design, secure systems engineering, digital transformation and secure managed services. The acquisition strengthens IBM Consulting's cyber security and sovereign technology offering, complementing its existing hybrid cloud and AI capabilities.
Why this matters
The deal signals continued consolidation in the UK sovereign technology and defence cyber security market as major US technology primes seek to deepen their credentialled presence with government and CNI clients. NSIA involvement confirms the transaction crossed the national security screening threshold, reflecting tightening UK scrutiny of foreign acquisitions in sensitive sectors. IBM's stated rationale, bolstering Secure by Design and sovereign technology capabilities, tracks the UK government's push to embed security-by-design requirements across public sector digital programmes.
On the Ground
The transaction activated corporate M&A, NSIA/national security regulatory, tax structuring and ESI workstreams simultaneously, illustrating the multi-practice complexity of defence-adjacent tech acquisitions. A trainee would likely support due diligence on government contract novation, assist with the NSIA filing and monitor statutory timelines, and review ESI obligations arising from the target's public sector data handling. Named advisers, Livesey, Peacock, Parkinson, Eyre-Brook, Hotchkiss, Bantock and Fowers, are all at Hogan Lovells Cadwalader; no sell-side counsel is named in the source.
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