Company: Datatec
Country: South Africa
Sector: Information Tech. Services
CEO: Jens Montanana
Website: https://www.datatec.com
Careers Page: Not publicly listed
LinkedIn: Not publicly listed
Email: Not publicly listed
Headquarters: London, United Kingdom (JSE primary listing; South African-founded group)
Founded: 1986
Valuation/Revenue: $5.46bn revenue (African Business Top 250, 2025 ranking); FY2026 (year ended Feb 2026) gross invoiced income of $8.5bn (up 9.3%), gross profit of $997.8m (up 9.6%), profit after tax of $108.7m, per company results reported by Billionaires.Africa, May 2026
Datatec Limited is a South African-founded, JSE-listed international technology group that distributes and integrates networking, cybersecurity, and IT infrastructure products through its two main operating divisions, Logicalis and Westcon. Founded in 1986 by Jens Montanana, who still runs the company today, Datatec has grown from a single South African reseller into a global ICT group operating in more than 50 countries.
What Does Datatec Do?
Datatec operates through two principal businesses. Logicalis (comprising Logicalis International and Logicalis Latin America) is a technology solutions and managed services integrator that helps enterprise and public-sector clients design, deploy and manage IT and communications infrastructure, with a growing emphasis on cybersecurity, cloud, and AI-driven services. Westcon International is a technology distribution and financial-services business that moves networking and security hardware and software from vendors like Cisco to resellers worldwide. A third, smaller unit, Datatec Financial Services, provides financing to customers and suppliers across the group. Datatec previously owned the telecoms consultancy Analysys Mason, which it divested in 2022.
Is Datatec Legit?
Yes. Datatec has been listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange since December 1994 (share code DTC) and was also listed on London’s AIM market from 2006 until its 2017 delisting from that exchange. It is a long-established, audited public company with billions of dollars in annual invoiced income and operations spanning North America, Latin America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific.
How Big Is Datatec?
Datatec ranked 28th on African Business magazine’s Top 250 Companies in Africa for 2025 with revenue of approximately $5.46bn (gross profit basis differs from gross invoiced income, which is far larger given the group’s distribution business). More recent company reporting shows Datatec had one of its strongest years on record in the fiscal year ended February 2026, with gross invoiced income rising 9.3% to $8.5bn, gross profit up 9.6% to $997.8m, and headline earnings per share surging 56.5% to 39.9 US cents, driven largely by AI-related demand for cybersecurity and IT infrastructure spending among its enterprise customers.
Who Is the CEO of Datatec?
Jens Montanana is Datatec’s founder and Chief Executive Officer. He has led the company for more than 30 years, since founding it in 1986, and remains its largest individual shareholder with an 18.33% stake, giving him significant influence over strategic direction alongside his operational role.
Is Datatec Publicly Traded?
Yes. Datatec’s primary listing is on the JSE, where it has traded since 1994. It previously carried a secondary AIM listing in London between 2006 and 2017.
How Old Is Datatec?
Datatec was founded in 1986, making it roughly 40 years old, with the bulk of its growth coming through strategic acquisitions of Logicalis (1997), Westcon-Comstor (1998), and various regional consultancies and specialist integrators over the following decades.
How Does Datatec Compare to Its Competitors?
In distribution, Datatec’s Westcon business competes with global technology distributors such as TD Synnex and Ingram Micro. In managed IT services and systems integration, Logicalis competes with global integrators and consultancies serving enterprise networking, security, and cloud transformation projects. Datatec’s African origins and JSE listing distinguish it from most of its larger US- and Europe-headquartered rivals, even though the bulk of its revenue today is generated outside Africa.
What Has Datatec Been in the News For Recently?
Datatec’s most notable recent news is its strong FY2026 performance, attributed to a surge in enterprise demand for AI-related infrastructure, cybersecurity upgrades, and network modernisation — trends that lifted both Westcon’s distribution volumes and Logicalis’s services revenue. The 56.5% jump in headline earnings per share and record profitability were widely covered in South African business media as a standout result in a year when many JSE-listed industrials faced tougher trading conditions.
What Is Datatec’s Geographic Footprint?
Although Datatec retains its primary stock listing and founding roots in South Africa, the overwhelming majority of its revenue is generated outside the continent, through Westcon’s distribution operations across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific, and Logicalis’s integration and managed-services business serving enterprise clients internationally, particularly in the UK, US, and Latin America. This geographic mix means Datatec behaves more like a global technology distributor with an African corporate heritage than a Pan-African operating business, which is an important distinction for anyone comparing it against purely domestic South African industrials on this list.
Links
Website: https://www.datatec.com
Careers Page: Not found
LinkedIn: Not found
Email: Not publicly listed
FAQ
What does Datatec do?
Datatec is a technology distribution and IT services group operating through its Logicalis (integration/managed services) and Westcon (distribution) divisions in more than 50 countries.
Who owns Datatec?
Datatec is publicly traded on the JSE; founder and CEO Jens Montanana is the largest individual shareholder with about 18.33% of the company.
Who is the CEO of Datatec?
Jens Montanana, the company’s founder, has served as CEO since 1994 when it listed on the JSE.
Is Datatec a South African company?
Datatec was founded in South Africa in 1986 and retains its primary JSE listing, but it now operates as a global group with most revenue generated outside Africa.
How much revenue does Datatec make?
Datatec reported gross invoiced income of $8.5bn for the fiscal year ended February 2026, with gross profit of nearly $1bn.
Is Datatec stock a good investment?
Datatec posted record profitability in FY2026 driven by AI-related IT demand, but as with any stock, performance depends on future market conditions; this profile is informational, not investment advice.