Arq

Arq Group is a digital technology solutions company that provides advisory, design, engineering, and managed services. The firm’s client base includes government entities and more than half of Australia's top 20 ASX-listed companies across sectors like financial services, utilities, retail, healthcare, and travel.

The company has a long history involving several name changes and strategic shifts. It was founded in 1996 as Melbourne IT, a subsidiary of the University of Melbourne. It floated on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) in 1999. Over the years, it grew through acquisitions, including NetRegistry Group in 2014, WME Group in 2017, and InfoReady in 2016. In May 2018, Melbourne IT rebranded to Arq Group to reflect its expanded services beyond domain hosting.

By late 2019, the company faced financial difficulties, leading to a significant turnaround effort led by Tristan Sternson, who became CEO in December 2019. This restructuring involved divesting its Enterprise Services Division, which was sold along with the Arq Group name to a private equity firm in early 2020. The remaining SMB-focused business rebranded to Webcentral Group. The acquired Enterprise business, continuing as Arq Group, was led by CEO Tristan Sternson. Under his leadership, the revitalized Arq Group underwent a significant transformation, growing its team and revenue. This success culminated in its acquisition by NCS, a subsidiary of Singtel, for $290 million in March 2022, positioning it as part of a regional IT and digital services powerhouse.

Keywords: digital transformation, technology consulting, managed IT services, cloud solutions, data and analytics, enterprise software, government technology, digital advisory, IT engineering, application development, customer experience design, cybersecurity services, digital solutions, Australian tech, ASX listed clients, systems integration