April 30, 2018

Accenture Expands Oracle Capabilities in the UK with Acquisition of Certus Solutions

Adding leading Oracle Cloud implementation partner will strengthen Accenture’s ability to help clients become intelligent enterprises

LONDON; April 30, 2018 – Accenture (NYSE: ACN) has entered into an agreement to acquire Certus Solutions, one of the UK’s top Oracle Cloud implementation service providers. Certus Solutions will become part of Accenture’s Oracle practice, further strengthening its capabilities in delivering digital transformation on Oracle Cloud. The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Accenture and Certus Solutions have a track record of working together, including on one of the largest Oracle Cloud implementations for a UK government department to-date. As the number of organisations looking to move to the cloud grows, the acquisition of Certus Solutions will enable Accenture to broaden its Oracle Cloud services and support for clients.

Certus Solutions has extensive experience in the government and health and public services industries, in addition to clients in the financial services, logistics and telecommunications sectors. Together, Accenture and Certus Solutions will combine deep cloud experience, transformational expertise and industry knowledge to better serve clients on their journey to Oracle cloud.

“Accenture is focused on delivering the latest innovations in cloud, analytics, and intelligent automation and artificial intelligence to help clients become intelligent enterprises,” said Bhaskar Ghosh, group chief executive, Accenture Technology Services. “With the addition of Certus Solutions, we’re further expanding our Oracle Cloud services and capabilities that help organizations accelerate their digital transformation and achieve better business outcomes.”

Mark Sweeny, founder and CEO of Certus Solutions said: “Accenture is at the forefront of positive transformational change, but what’s truly exciting is what Certus Solutions can add that will benefit our clients. There is a tremendous opportunity to do some great work and we’re looking forward to taking that on together. We have gone from being one of the first Oracle Cloud Partners to become one of the most successful, and a big reason for that is the quality of our people. This is a market that needs specialists with broad experience, which is rare in this highly demanding and competitive market.”

Zahra Bahrololoumi, head of Accenture Technology for UK & Ireland, added: “This acquisition brings a team with highly respected Oracle Cloud expertise and extends the capabilities of our market leading Oracle practice. By joining together we can add scale to provide excellent solutions to our joint clients and expand Certus Solutions into more areas of the Oracle ecosystem.”

Accenture was recently awarded the 2018 Partner of the Year for Oracle ERP Cloud in the UK & Ireland by Oracle. Accenture has been one of Oracle’s leading systems integration partners globally for 12 years in a row, with more than 54,000 Oracle-skilled consultants around the world who help accelerate digital transformation by implementing Oracle-based business solutions and new business processes that develop and evolve as their digital business grows. Accenture has teamed with Oracle for more than two decades and is a Global Cloud Elite and Platinum level member of the Oracle Partner Network. Accenture is also certified as an Oracle Cloud Excellence Implementer. For more information on the Accenture and Oracle relationship, please visit www.accenture.com/oracle.

About Accenture
Accenture is a leading global professional services company, providing a broad range of services and solutions in strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations. Combining unmatched experience and specialized skills across more than 40 industries and all business functions – underpinned by the world’s largest delivery network – Accenture works at the intersection of business and technology to help clients improve their performance and create sustainable value for their stakeholders. With approximately 442,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries, Accenture drives innovation to improve the way the world works and lives. Visit us at www.accenture.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
Except for the historical information and discussions contained herein, statements in this news release may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “likely,” “anticipates,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “projects,” “believes,” “estimates,” “positioned,” “outlook” and similar expressions are used to identify these forward-looking statements. These statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied. These include, without limitation, risks that: Accenture and Certus Solutions will not be able to close the transaction in the time period anticipated, or at all, which is dependent on the parties’ ability to satisfy certain closing conditions; the transaction might not achieve the anticipated benefits for Accenture; Accenture’s results of operations could be adversely affected by volatile, negative or uncertain economic and political conditions and the effects of these conditions on the company’s clients’ businesses and levels of business activity; Accenture’s business depends on generating and maintaining ongoing, profitable client demand for the company’s services and solutions including through the adaptation and expansion of its services and solutions in response to ongoing changes in technology and offerings, and a significant reduction in such demand or an inability to respond to the changing technological environment could materially affect the company’s results of operations; if Accenture is unable to keep its supply of skills and resources in balance with client demand around the world and attract and retain professionals with strong leadership skills, the company’s business, the utilization rate of the company’s professionals and the company’s results of operations may be materially adversely affected; Accenture could have liability or Accenture’s reputation could be damaged if the company fails to protect client and/or company data from security breaches or cyberattacks; the markets in which Accenture operates are highly competitive, and Accenture might not be able to compete effectively; Accenture’s profitability could materially suffer if the company is unable to obtain favorable pricing for its services and solutions, if the company is unable to remain competitive, if its cost-management strategies are unsuccessful or if it experiences delivery inefficiencies; changes in Accenture’s level of taxes, as well as audits, investigations and tax proceedings, or changes in tax laws or in their interpretation or enforcement, could have a material adverse effect on the company’s effective tax rate, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition; Accenture’s results of operations could be materially adversely affected by fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; Accenture’s business could be materially adversely affected if the company incurs legal liability; Accenture’s work with government clients exposes the company to additional risks inherent in the government contracting environment; Accenture might not be successful at identifying, acquiring, investing in or integrating businesses, entering into joint ventures or divesting businesses; Accenture’s global delivery capability is concentrated in India and the Philippines, which may expose it to operational risks; as a result of Accenture’s geographically diverse operations and its growth strategy to continue geographic expansion, the company is more susceptible to certain risks; adverse changes to Accenture’s relationships with key alliance partners or in the business of its key alliance partners could adversely affect the company’s results of operations; if Accenture is unable to protect its intellectual property rights or if Accenture’s services or solutions infringe upon the intellectual property rights of others or the company loses its ability to utilize the intellectual property of others, its business could be adversely affected; Accenture’s ability to attract and retain business and employees may depend on its reputation in the marketplace; if Accenture is unable to manage the organizational challenges associated with its size, the company might be unable to achieve its business objectives; any changes to the estimates and assumptions that Accenture makes in connection with the preparation of its consolidated financial statements could adversely affect its financial results; many of Accenture’s contracts include payments that link some of its fees to the attainment of performance or business targets and/or require the company to meet specific service levels, which could increase the variability of the company’s revenues and impact its margins; Accenture’s results of operations and share price could be adversely affected if it is unable to maintain effective internal controls; Accenture might be unable to access additional capital on favorable terms or at all and if the company raises equity capital, it may dilute its shareholders’ ownership interest in the company; Accenture may be subject to criticism and negative publicity related to its incorporation in Ireland; as well as the risks, uncertainties and other factors discussed under the “Risk Factors” heading in Accenture plc’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K and other documents filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission. Statements in this news release speak only as of the date they were made, and Accenture undertakes no duty to update any forward-looking statements made in this news release or to conform such statements to actual results or changes in Accenture’s expectations.

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Contact:

Duncan Burford
Accenture
+44 208 6114826
duncan.burford@accenture.com