Accenture (NYSE: ACN) has entered into an agreement to acquire maihiro,
a provider of customer experience and customer relationship management
consulting, optimization and ongoing enhancement services. The
acquisition will help Accenture create solutions for clients that drive
innovation and transformation in marketing, sales and customer service.
Founded in 2000 and an SAP® Gold Partner, maihiro is a leading provider
of SAP-based customer experience (CX), customer relationship management
(CRM), and commerce services. The acquisition aims to strengthen
Accenture’s world-class SAP capabilities that help organizations elevate
customer experiences beyond expectations. With headquarters in Munich,
maihiro has approximately 160 skilled professionals in offices across
Germany and Austria.
“Today’s brands compete in the experience economy. Only those capable of
delivering the most engaging and differentiated experiences will
continue to win and retain customers’ loyalty,” said Bhaskar Ghosh,
group chief executive, Accenture Technology Services. “With this
acquisition, we will amplify our experience and knowledge to help
clients drive growth by developing and deploying superior experience
management. This will enable clients to better understand their
customers, evolve business processes to align with customer needs, and
enjoy higher customer retention and purchase frequency.”
“Together with maihiro, we will have more expertise and capacity to
serve clients in Austria, Switzerland, Germany and across Europe, and
guide them in their journey to transform customer experiences. Combined
with Accenture’s end-to-end capabilities, client relationships and
global delivery capabilities, we can provide scale and global reach for
multinational clients,” added Dirk Appelhoff, Accenture SAP Business
Group lead in Europe.
“Like Accenture, we are committed to guiding clients in marketing, sales
and customer service, and developing and implementing competitive
strategies that increase their performance,” said Uwe May, CEO, Sales &
Marketing, maihiro.
Bernd Hesse, CEO, Consulting & Human Resources, maihiro, added: “Our
collective, comprehensive capabilities will help clients design and
operate CX and CRM solutions that enable maximum benefits from the SAP
Customer Experience portfolio, including integration with SAP S/4HANA®
and SAP intelligent technologies to enable seamless, end-to-end
processes and drive innovation.”
As part of Accenture’s strategy to enable clients to gain the most value
from SAP solutions, in May 2019, Accenture and SAP announced
that they are co-developing and co-innovating to accelerate development
of the SAP® C/4HANA platform and build industry-specific solutions that
elevate digital customer experiences. In November 2018, Accenture also acquired
U.S.-based Intrigo Systems, a leading provider of advisory and systems
integration services for SAP enterprise and cloud solutions in
e-commerce, supply chain and procurement. In its 2019 fiscal year,
Accenture invested nearly US$1.2 billion on 33 acquisitions globally to
acquire critical skills and capabilities in strategic, high-growth areas
of the market.
Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The transaction is subject
to customary closing conditions and is expected to close in early 2020.
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 505,000 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 maihiro 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 evolving 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 face legal, reputational and
financial risks 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; 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
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; Accenture’s
results of operations could be materially adversely affected by
fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; as a result of
Accenture’s geographically diverse operations and its growth strategy to
continue to expand in its key markets around the world, the company is
more susceptible to certain risks; 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; if
Accenture is unable to manage the organizational challenges associated
with its size, the company might be unable to achieve its business
objectives; Accenture’s ability to attract and retain business and
employees may depend on its reputation in the marketplace; if Accenture
does not successfully manage and develop its relationships with key
alliance partners or fails to anticipate and establish new alliances in
new technologies, the company’s results of operations could be adversely
affected; Accenture might not be successful at acquiring, investing in
or integrating businesses, entering into joint ventures or divesting
businesses; 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’s results of operations
and share price could be adversely affected if it is unable to maintain
effective internal controls; 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; many of Accenture’s contracts include fees
subject to the attainment of targets or specific service levels, which
could increase the variability of the company’s revenues and impact its
margins; 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.
Copyright © 2020 Accenture. All rights reserved. Accenture and its logo
are trademarks of Accenture.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200107005480/en/