Accenture to Acquire ALBERT After Completing Tender Offer

Acquisition will strengthen Accenture’s ability to help clients reinvent the enterprise with data and artificial intelligence (AI) and contribute to Japanese companies’ growth and competitiveness

Accenture (NSE: ACN) is to acquire Japanese data science company ALBERT Inc. (President and CEO: Tokyo Stock Exchange Growth Market, Securities Code: 3906), after completing a tender offer. The acquisition will add a large team of data scientists to Accenture to further strengthen its data and AI capabilities for clients.

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Japanese data science company ALBERT Inc. will become part of Accenture. (Photo: Business Wire)

The tender offer was launched on September 29 and closed on November 14. The number of ALBERT's common shares and stock acquisition rights tendered to Accenture significantly exceeds the threshold required for ALBERT to become part of Accenture, equal to two thirds of the ALBERT stock. Upon completion of the transaction, ALBERT will be part of Accenture. Accenture expects to purchase all remaining shares and stock acquisition rights in the coming months, after which ALBERT will be delisted from the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

ALBERT offers AI and big data analytics services, AI-based algorithm development, AI implementation consulting, and data science training support, primarily to major corporations in Japan. The company was founded in 2005 and was listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in 2015. Its data science team of 250 permanent employees and contractors will join Accenture’s Applied Intelligence practice, which provides AI and data-led transformation solutions and services.

ALBERT will strengthen Accenture’s ability globally to help its clients manage the total reinvention of their enterprises, which most successful companies will undergo in the next decade. Technology, data and AI will transform every part of their business, enabling new ways of working and engaging with customers, business models and growth opportunities.

The acquisition will be Accenture’s latest step to further strengthen its services in Japan that use data to digitally replicate the entire enterprise and to help Japanese companies grow and become more competitive with deep data analytics and AI expertise. Accenture has launched several solutions for data-driven management in Japan recently, for example, to forecast various business scenarios and propose actions to improve the forecasts, and to support clients’ ESG (environment, society, and corporate governance) practices.

Atsushi Egawa, who leads Accenture’s business in Japan, said, “Companies today need a 360-degree view on their business to make better and faster decisions. They must look beyond the financials and include, for example, sustainability initiatives, customer experiences, and people development and retraining. Gaining this holistic perspective and being able to simulate every aspect of the business requires deep data science expertise and AI capabilities. Accenture and ALBERT’s team will bring these to clients to help them succeed in their total enterprise reinvention.”

Takeshi Matsumoto, President, and CEO of ALBERT, said, “ALBERT’s philosophy is to connect the world with data science and co-create new value for a better future. As leading companies across industries are investing heavily in AI, we’re seeing growing demand for the technologies and skills that are the core of our business. By joining Accenture, which excels at addressing its clients' most complex opportunities and issues, our team can drive even more value for clients and accelerate the implementation of AI in society.”

ALBERT will follow other acquisitions Accenture has made to strengthen its data and AI capabilities for clients globally. These include Analytics8 in Australia; Sentelis in France; Bridgei2i and Byte Prophecy in India; Pragsis Bidoop in Spain; Mudano in the UK; and Clarity Insights, End-to-End Analytics and Core Compete in the US.

About Accenture

Accenture is a global professional services company with leading capabilities in digital, cloud and security. Combining unmatched experience and specialized skills across more than 40 industries, we offer Strategy and Consulting, Technology and Operations services and Accenture Song — all powered by the world’s largest network of Advanced Technology and Intelligent Operations centers. Our 721,000 people deliver on the promise of technology and human ingenuity every day, serving clients in more than 120 countries. We embrace the power of change to create value and shared success for our clients, people, shareholders, partners and communities. Visit us at 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 risks include, without limitation, risks that: Accenture and ALBERT 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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