Accenture Acquires Marketing & Sales Consultancy Brand Learning to Help Organizations Drive Growth Through Enhanced Customer ...
August 03 2017 - 10:05AM
Business Wire
Highly skilled Brand Learning team further
strengthens Accenture’s ability to deliver marketing and sales
transformation for clients
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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AccentureAleks Vujanic, + 44 7500 974
814aleks.vujanic@accenture.com
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