Forté and Vega set their sights on tackling the challenge of being a global strategic partner

• Features

• 26/08/2026

Jeff Stoebner, Chairman and CEO at Forté, explains the rationale behind the acquisition: “Our ambition is to provide customers with expertise that is close to where they do business – with the world’s largest brand and footprint in the industry. With the acquisition of Vega Global, Forté now has professional staff in 22 countries and offers the design and deployment of AV solutions, along with a full suite of managed services and support, in more than 70 major markets worldwide. From our headquarters in Minneapolis, Minnesota, we’ve established 42 office locations in the U.S. And, we are established in Germany, Ireland, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and Mexico.”

A client-first rationale

Steven Medeiros, CEO of Vega, emphasises that this combination prioritises customer value above all else: “Value creation is ultimately based on what we create for our customers. Whatever financial value you put on an organisation is relatively irrelevant to the long-term strategy between Forté and Vega. Forté had a vision and strategy around how to better serve clients through a single pane of glass with full control. We saw a clear opportunity for international expansion. It is deeply client-driven; both companies share a client-first focus, and Forté presented an opportunity we couldn't resist to better serve our clients better.”

On the timing of the deal, Medeiros explains: “We had reached a clear inflection point. Vega has been majority-owned by Baird Capital, who has been a fantastic partner to us since 2020. As private equity models evolve, when an organisation performs well, there comes an opportunity to transition to the next phase of ownership.”

The decision to merge, however, went beyond financial considerations. Medeiros continues: “It is not simply a buyer’s decision; it’s a seller’s decision as well. We were looking for a partner that shared our exact vision, customer focus, and commitment to employees. Forté matched the bill on all fronts. In private equity, there is a distinct timeline with a start and finish line. With Forté, we saw a very long-term strategy that aligns naturally with Vega’s 40-year history. When you look at Forté at 50 years and Vega at 40 years, the corporate DNA is identical; we just happened to operate in different geographies. What initially seemed like a massive undertaking made complete strategic sense once we got into discussions.”

Integration strategy

The immediate focus is on merging the two organisations while maintaining operational continuity. Stoebner outlines the approach: “Our strategy is to further strengthen our capabilities to serve large multinational companies globally and help customers benefit from our depth of technical expertise. There are no immediate organisational changes planned. Effective operations across APAC are critical and we have no plans to disrupt the processes that are in place.”

Regarding branding, Stoebner adds: “Vega will become Vega, A Forté Company. In 2027, we will begin the rebranding effort to Forté at all Vega locations. It’s important to us that every customer and partner is fully aware of the name change, so we will be deliberate about it to ensure the equity in the Vega brand is not lost.”

Unlocking global capabilities

The acquisition opens significant opportunities for serving multinational clients across regions. Medeiros explains the competitive advantage: “First and foremost, the focus is on how we better serve our clients—both ‘global into Asia Pacific’ and ‘global out’. We can now support our Asia-based clients as they expand into Europe and North America directly, rather than relying on disparate systems integrators where we cannot control the end outcome.”

At its core, the aim of the acquisition is to spur growth. Medeiros expands: “This is fundamentally a growth strategy. When I first met Jeff and the team, the conversation was never driven purely by financial metrics; it was about global service delivery. Clients are asking, ‘Who is my single global systems integrator?’.”

A workforce advantage

Medeiros believes that Vega and Forté coming together creates a powerhouse integrator whose capabilities cannot be matched. “The combined organisations bring together approximately 2,300 employees globally, boasting top-tier CTS certification levels. Our workforce is a key differentiator — highly skilled and focused on client outcomes. If you look at other global systems integrators operating across pan-Asia, very few own their operations end-to-end. Most rely on partner ecosystems, which creates inconsistent outcomes depending on the country. When you are two steps removed, controlling quality is difficult. With the combination of Vega and Forté, and their recent global acquisitions, Forté becomes a premier provider for clients who demand a consistent, five-star experience in every single geography.”

Medeiros also believes Vega can contribute positively to Forté’s operation: “There is immense value in bringing our APAC standards into the wider network. The standards we deliver for multinationals in Asia Pacific are often superior to what is being delivered in Europe or North America. This acquisition allows us to export that delivery model globally. Additionally, beyond corporate workplaces, Vega manages extensive projects across large venues, hospitality, house of worship sectors, and other verticals, many offering rich opportunities to cross-pollinate best practices between North America and APAC.” [sub-heading] A Global Integrator?

Forté’s acquisition of Vega, and the wider consolidation we are seeing across the professional AV industry, points to a change in how businesses are looking to solve the puzzle of being a ‘global integrator’.

Stoebner contextualises Forté’s position: “Forté played a lead role in creating a global delivery model as US regional business unit of GPA. As our company evolved and continued to grow internationally, it became clear that multinational customers do prefer a strategic partner to manage their workplace technology deployments with consistency, scale, speed and transparency. This is what Forté brings to large enterprise organizations. And local and regional organisations also benefit from our global expertise and best practices. It’s a win for every customer.”

Medeiros states: “Put simply: if you don’t own it, you can’t control it. That is the fundamental issue with relying solely on partner ecosystems, where different motivating factors fall outside your direct control. When I joined Vega in 2023, my core vision was to build an outgoing global strategy. Why shouldn’t Vega be a primary global player rather than just court the major North American integrators? By owning the entity end-to-end, we maintain strict control over the client relationship and operational standards across the entire customer lifecycle—from initial engagement to managed services.”

Image: Jeff Stoebner, Chairman and CEO at Forté (left) and Steven Medeiros, CEO of Vega (right)