August 03, 2017

Accenture Acquires Marketing and Sales Consultancy Brand Learning to Help Organizations Drive Growth Through Enhanced Customer Experiences

Highly skilled Brand Learning team further strengthens Accenture’s ability to deliver marketing and sales transformation for clients

LONDON; August 3, 2017 – Accenture (NYSE: ACN) has acquired marketing and sales capability consultancy Brand Learning, to help organizations drive sustained customer led growth by enhancing their marketing, sales, HR and leadership capabilities. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Brand Learning has a strong track record in helping more than 160 clients in over 60 countries across a broad range of industries with their customer strategies and vision, new operating models, process development, content, cultural change and learning programs. The acquisition strengthens Accenture’s ability to drive end-to-end marketing and sales transformation for clients by creating a seamless service spanning marketing and sales strategy, organizational design and industry-specific consulting. It will also link with the digital design and engagement capabilities of Accenture Interactive.

Headquartered in London with regional offices in New York and Singapore, Brand Learning employs approximately 120 people globally. Its experienced, high level advisory team will be combined with Accenture’s Customer and Channels management consulting and industry experts.

“More than 90 percent of CMOs say marketing will undergo fundamental change in the next five years, driven by analytics, digital and mobile technologies,” said Laura Gurski, senior managing director and head of Accenture’s Customer & Channels practice for consumer goods and services, retail, travel, life sciences, automotive and industrial industries. “With increasing digital innovation and personalized customer engagement, the marketing and sales functions are now seen as the key driver of top-line growth. Accenture’s acquisition of Brand Learning, with its impressive track record in building client capabilities in marketing and sales strategy and organization change will further enable us to help clients deliver more integrated customer experiences across the organization – to drive and manage that business growth.”

“Accenture is a leading global force in digital transformation and it is very exciting that we are coming together and that our talented team will also help contribute to the development of deeper consulting capabilities within Accenture,” said Mhairi McEwan, executive president and co-founder of Brand Learning. “Being part of Accenture will allow our clients to benefit from a seamless service, building their marketing and sales capabilities to create the outstanding and connected customer experiences needed to drive growth.”

Brand Learning has served leading organizations across consumer goods, retail, life sciences, automotive, resources and financial services industries and has capability experts in 16 countries.

Brand Learning helped one retailer build its marketing capabilities and establish a common way of marketing in its Foods division, increasing its customer experience Net Promoter Score (NPS) by 14 percent in recent years. Work with a large consumer products company’s program for sales and commercial leaders focused on enhancing the capabilities of teams on the ground and building sales, commercial and leadership skills.

Brand Learning brings a diverse workforce with a significant proportion of women in senior leadership positions, including its executive president and co-founder Mhairi McEwan and over 60 percent of its operating board. It has been awarded numerous industry excellence awards for both its client work and its pioneering family-friendly culture in servicing multinational brands.

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 more than 411,000 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: 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 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; the markets in which Accenture competes are highly competitive, and Accenture might not be able to compete effectively; 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; 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 Network is increasingly 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; Accenture’s services or solutions could infringe upon the intellectual property rights of others or the company might lose its ability to utilize the intellectual property of others; if Accenture is unable to protect its intellectual property rights from unauthorized use or infringement by third parties, 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 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:
Aleks Vujanic
Accenture
+ 44 7500 974 814
aleks.vujanic@accenture.com