Distie Pax8 acquires Canberra office, APAC business of MSP training firm Sea-Level Operations

Distributor Pax8 has acquired the Asia-Pacific business of IT services training provider Sea-Level Operations as part of its expansion in the region.

Sea-Level Operations is an education services provider for IT services providers covering operations, finance, value creation and back office. The company is headquartered in the US, with its APAC operations based in Canberra.

Pax8 currently owns Sea-Level’s US operations, but the APAC business remained independent through an ownership affiliation and an IP licensing agreement.

“We are excited that Sea-Level Operations will now be available to Pax8 partners in the Asia-Pacific market, offering world-class education and enablement,” Pax8 chief revenue officer Nick Heddy said.

“We put education and enablement first because we see the return it brings our partners who are seeking to streamline their operations, scale, and grow.”

Also joining the Pax8 Asia team is Sea Level Operations APAC’s leadership, with managing director James Davis joining the distributor as director of academy, David Harrop and David Jackson joining as executive coaches and Danah Olisa coming over as operations coordinator.

Speaking on the acquisition, Davis said, “Our mission is to unlock the potential of technology service providers in APAC.”

“In 2020, we partnered with Sea-Level Operations in the US to help fulfill our mission. This acquisition by Pax8 will enable us with more resources to help businesses grow, find successful exits, and build up the next generation of IT leaders.”

Pax8 Asia senior vice president Chris Sharp said, “Pax8 offers a unique value to the APAC market and is committed to investing in partner growth through strategic planning and methods offered by Sea-Level Operations.”

“We are thrilled to welcome the Sea-Level APAC team to Pax8 Asia and look forward to modernising and elevating our partners’ businesses together.”

Pax8 last week launched its expansion into Asia with a new leadership with Sharp at the helm, and flanked by vice president of business development James Bergl and vice president of sales Tracy Lacewell.

The expansion will initially focus on Australia and New Zealand and will gradually expand further into the region. Pax8 said it has onboarded some 100 MSPs from the region to its partner enablement platform, while also looking to grow its local headcount.