March 17, 2023

Accenture Announces Intent to Acquire Optimind, a Consulting Firm Specializing in Financial Services, Insurance and Compliance Risk Management

Acquisition would strengthen Accenture’s capabilities in providing clients with quantitative and qualitative risk management and compliance services

PARIS; March 17, 2023 – Accenture (NYSE: ACN) has announced its intent to acquire Optimind, a Paris-based independent consulting firm that provides advisory services and solutions to help insurance firms, banks and large corporate clients to meet major challenges of competitiveness, transformation and regulation. Financial terms of the transaction are not being disclosed.

Founded in 2000, Optimind has more than 350 highly skilled professionals, including more than 110 actuaries, serving clients in France and Luxembourg.

Optimind, recipient of the 2022 EcoVadis Gold Medal for its corporate social responsibility policy, has built over the past two decades strong service offerings that cover the full spectrum of the risk management value chain: from strategy to finance, from quantitative modeling to compliance, from mapping to continuity plans.

Olivier Girard, market unit lead for Accenture France & Benelux, said “The acquisition would complement Accenture’s existing finance and risk management capabilities and further strengthen our ability to help clients successfully navigate disruption and drive enterprise value. We would be able to address the entire value chain and help our clients accelerate and scale their financial and compliance transformation projects. “

Khalid Lahraoui, Financial Services Lead for Accenture France & Benelux, said: “The acquisition of Optimind would enhance our ability to help clients embrace change, accelerate transformation, unlock value, and build new and disruptive risk models. This acquisition would enhance Accenture’s standing as one of the leading Strategy & Consulting firm for Financial Services clients, taking our innovative end-to-end solutions to new levels of speed and scale across Europe.”

Christophe Eberle, CEO and founder of Optimind, added, “Our people will provide expertise in qualitative, quantitative and administrative risk management services and solutions. Joining Accenture would allow us to expand our global footprint and create new business opportunities for our company and our people. Together, we could support our clients on a broader base at a time when business, financial and regulatory changes are about to change the historical balance and mean our clients need our support more than ever.”

The acquisition requires prior consultation with the relevant works councils and regulatory approval and would be subject to customary closing conditions.

About Accenture
Accenture is a leading global professional services company that helps the world’s leading businesses, governments and other organizations build their digital core, optimize their operations, accelerate revenue growth and enhance citizen services—creating tangible value at speed and scale. We are a talent and innovation led company with 738,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries. Technology is at the core of change today, and we are one of the world’s leaders in helping drive that change, with strong ecosystem relationships. We combine our strength in technology with unmatched industry experience, functional expertise and global delivery capability. We are uniquely able to deliver tangible outcomes because of our broad range of services, solutions and assets across Strategy & Consulting, Technology, Operations, Industry X and Accenture Song. These capabilities, together with our culture of shared success and commitment to creating 360° value, enable us to help our clients succeed and build trusted, lasting relationships. We measure our success by the 360° value we create for our clients, each other, our shareholders, partners and communities. 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,” “aspires,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “projects,” “believes,” “estimates,” “positioned,” “outlook,” “goal,” “target” and similar expressions are used to identify these forward-looking statements. These statements are not guarantees of future performance nor promises that goals or targets will be met, and involve a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that are difficult to predict and could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied. These risks include, without limitation, risks that: Accenture and Optimind 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 have been, and may in the future 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 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 evolving technological environment could materially affect the company’s results of operations; if Accenture is unable to match people and their skills 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 faces legal, reputational and financial risks from any failure to protect client and/or company data from security incidents or cyberattacks; the markets in which Accenture operates are highly competitive, and Accenture might not be able to compete effectively; Accenture’s ability to attract and retain business and employees may depend on its reputation in the marketplace; Accenture’s environmental, social and governance (ESG) commitments and disclosures may expose it to reputational risks and legal liability; if Accenture does not successfully manage and develop its relationships with key ecosystem partners or fails to anticipate and establish new alliances in new technologies, the company’s results of operations could be adversely affected; 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 or fail to satisfy certain agreed-upon targets or specific service levels; 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; changes to accounting standards or in the estimates and assumptions Accenture makes in connection with the preparation of its consolidated financial statements could adversely affect its financial results; as a result of Accenture’s geographically diverse operations and strategy to continue to grow in key markets around the world, the company is more susceptible to certain risks; if Accenture is unable to manage the organizational challenges associated with its size, the company might be unable to achieve its business objectives; Accenture might not be successful at acquiring, investing in or integrating businesses, entering into joint ventures or divesting businesses; Accenture’s business could be materially adversely affected if the company incurs legal liability; Accenture’s global operations expose the company to numerous and sometimes conflicting legal and regulatory requirements; Accenture’s work with government clients exposes the company to additional risks inherent in the government contracting environment; if Accenture is unable to protect or enforce 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 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:

Velislava Le Fevre
Accenture France
+33 1 53 23 46 18
velislava.lefevre@accenture.com