Move to enhance Fjord’s presence and leadership
across Latin America
Accenture (NYSE:ACN) has entered into an agreement to acquire
INSITUM, a service design and strategic research firm focused on
innovation through a human-centered approach. The acquisition will
strengthen Accenture Interactive’s position as a leading Experience
Agency in the region by expanding the world-class services of its
design and innovation unit, Fjord, in Latin America and beyond.
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INSITUM CEO Luis Arnal (far left) and his
team will join Fjord upon close of the acquisition (Photo: Business
Wire)
The combination of Fjord and INSITUM will create leading design
and innovation capabilities to bolster Accenture Interactive’s
ability to design, build and run experiences that transform
businesses and improve people’s lives. The move will expand
Accenture Interactive’s presence in the rapidly growing Latin
American market, especially in Mexico, where INSITUM is
headquartered. It will give Fjord a footprint in Argentina,
Colombia, Mexico and Peru, while strengthening its existing
operations in Brazil by adding strong talent and forward-thinking
capabilities to accelerate the value it drives for clients.
“Having INSITUM join the Accenture Interactive family in Latin
America represents an exciting new chapter in our journey to be the
leading Experience Agency in the region,” said Eduardo Bicudo,
LatAm lead, Accenture Interactive. “With INSITUM, we will boost
Accenture Interactive’s reach in the region and improve our Fjord
design capability, which is a crucial component of our mission to
deliver the best, most meaningful experiences to people. We’re
thrilled about the possibilities of what we can achieve
together.”
“Today’s problems can no longer be solved with yesterday’s
solutions,” said Baiju Shah, chief strategy officer, Accenture
Interactive and global co-lead, Fjord. “To tackle these challenges,
clients must be agile and focus on blending a human-centered design
approach with an analytics-led strategy to keep ahead of the
unprecedented pace of change and ambiguity we live in. By adding
the INSITUM team to the family, we will continue to grow our
mission in Latin America by putting design at the heart of
innovation.”
For 16 years, INSITUM has been solving key innovation challenges
for multinational organizations by combining design thinking
methods with behavioral science, ethnographic research and business
strategy. As a leading global strategic innovation consultancy,
INSITUM has an extensive track record helping large organizations
implement user-centered innovation capabilities, envision new
products and services, design more relevant experiences and
understand human behavior and trends affecting organizations.
INSITUM was founded in 2003 and has more than 200 designers,
researchers and strategists across Latin America, Europe and U.S.
with headquarters in Mexico City and additional studios in
Barcelona, Bogota, Buenos Aires, Chicago, Lima and São Paulo. Its
multidisciplinary teams include thought leaders in research,
strategy and design who create positive impact for people and
organizations, including Bancolombia, BBVA, CEMEX, Grupo Bimbo,
Roche and Uber. INSITUM also maintains a network of trusted
partners in other parts of the world, giving it the ability to
service clients in Africa, Asia-Pacific and Middle East.
Luis Arnal, partner and CEO of INSITUM, said: “We are convinced
that design is a key ingredient of innovation and a powerful tool
to make the world a better place — truly successful companies know
how to incorporate design thinking in everything they do. Being
part of Accenture Interactive will allow us to integrate our
strategic innovation expertise with new technologies and
capabilities in order to amplify the value we deliver to our
clients.”
The agreement with INSITUM is a part of a series of actions that
Accenture Interactive has taken to strengthen its commitment to
Latin America, including the acquisitions of Brazil-based marketing
agencies AD.Dialeto and New Content. Other global acquisitions have
added to Accenture Interactive’s footprint in the region, such as
the recent addition of Spanish advertising agency, Shackleton,
which brought a presence in Chile. In addition, organic growth has
been driven by increased demand from pan-regional clients in Latin
America who require local flavor and regional scale when it comes
to communications and creativity.
Today’s news follows other strategic moves for Fjord, including
the addition of industrial design capabilities that strengthened
its ability to bring to life products and services for the
connected world. Under Accenture Interactive, Fjord’s footprint has
quadrupled, with 28 design studios globally, making it one of the
preeminent design firms in the world.
Completion of the INSITUM acquisition is subject to customary
closing conditions, including antitrust clearance. Financial terms
of the agreement have not been disclosed.
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 482,000 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.
Accenture Interactive helps the world’s leading brands transform
their customer experiences across the entire customer journey.
Through our connected offerings in design, marketing, content and
commerce, we create new ways to win in today’s experience-led
economy. Accenture Interactive is ranked the world’s largest
digital agency in the latest Ad Age Agency Report for the third
year in a row. Fjord, Accenture Interactive’s design and innovation
unit, reimagines people’s relationships with the digital and
physical world around them, using the power of design to create
services people love. To learn more follow us @AccentureACTIVE or
@fjord and visit www.accentureinteractive.com or
www.fjordnet.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,”
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David LaBar Accenture +1 646 456 4505
david.labar@accenture.com
Fernando de Moraes Accenture +11 5188 0974
fernando.de.m.silva@accenture.com
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