Capgemini, one of the world's foremost providers of Consulting, Technology and Outsourcing services, announced today that it has signed an agreement with Unilever, one of the world’s leading suppliers of fast moving consumer goods, to manage the Company’s financial shared service centers and provide BPO services in Latin America. In early May, Capgemini will integrate and manage Unilever’s financial shared service centers in Santiago, Chile, and Sao Paulo, Brazil. In addition, Capgemini and Unilever will enter into a seven-year agreement to deliver a full range of BPO financial shared services to Unilever’s businesses in Latin America, including specific transactional tax services for Unilever Brazil.
“This decision is consistent with Unilever's strategy to seek efficiencies in its ways of working to reduce complexity and gain competitive advantage by leveraging the scale and best practices of outsourcing providers,” said John Bird, SVP Finance & IT, Unilever Americas.
This agreement is built upon an existing relationship between Unilever and Capgemini. In October 2006, a similar agreement to provide BPO financial shared services in Asia, Africa and the Middle East was signed in which Capgemini acquired a majority stake of Unilever’s shared service centers in Bangalore and Chennai in India.
Following the integration of Unilever’s financial shared service centers located in Santiago and Sao Paulo into Capgemini’s Rightshore® global delivery network, approximately 400 professionals from Unilever will join the Capgemini Group workforce, further strengthening its presence in South America, which was established at the end of 2007, and adding a BPO capability.
In total more than 1,100 Capgemini BPO professionals will be delivering financial shared services for Unilever in Asia, Middle East and South America.
"This agreement is an important milestone for Capgemini BPO, as we continue to expand our global excellence delivery footprint and strengthen our leadership position in BPO financial shared services,” said Hubert Giraud, Head of Capgemini BPO. “We look forward to leveraging our South American centers as a major asset in our network of global delivery centers.”
About Unilever
Unilever’s mission is to add vitality to life. We meet everyday needs for nutrition, hygiene and personal care with brands that help people feel good, look good and get more out of life.
Unilever is one of the world’s leading suppliers of fast moving consumer goods with strong local roots in more than 100 countries across the globe. Its portfolio includes some of the world’s best known and most loved brands including twelve €1 billion brands and global leadership in many categories in which the company operates. The portfolio features brand icons such as Knorr, Hellmann’s, AdeS, Axe, Seda/Sedal, Omo/Ala and Holanda/Kibon.
Unilever has around 174,000 employees in approaching 100 countries and generated annual sales of over €40 billion in 2007. For more information about Unilever and its brands, please visit www.unilever.com.
About Capgemini
Capgemini, one of the world's foremost providers of consulting, technology and outsourcing services, enables its clients to transform and perform through technologies. Capgemini provides its clients with insights and capabilities that boost their freedom to achieve superior results through a unique way of working - the Collaborative Business Experience - and through a global delivery model called Rightshore®, which aims to offer the right resources in the right location at competitive cost. Present in 36 countries, Capgemini reported 2007 global revenues of EUR 8.7 billion and employs over 83,000 people worldwide.
More information is available at www.capgemini.com.
Providing services to clients worldwide in 33 languages, Capgemini’s expertise is recognized in Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) with a solution portfolio that spans Finance & Accounting, Customer Care & Intelligence, Procurement, Assurance Management and Knowledge Process Outsourcing services. As part of Capgemini’s Rightshore® delivery network, more than 6,000 BPO professionals provide the best service in the best place 24/7, according to each customer’s needs, from onshore, nearshore and offshore centers located in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, India, Poland, and the United States.
For more information please visit: http://www.capgemini.com/services/outsourcing/bpo/
SAFE HARBOUR STATEMENT: This announcement may contain forward-looking statements, including 'forward-looking statements' within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as 'expects', 'anticipates', 'intends' or the negative of these terms and other similar expressions of future performance or results, including financial objectives to 2010, and their negatives are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based upon current expectations and assumptions regarding anticipated developments and other factors affecting the Group. They are not historical facts, nor are they guarantees of future performance. Because these forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, there are important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements, including, among others, competitive pricing and activities, consumption levels, costs, the ability to maintain and manage key customer relationships and supply chain sources, currency values, interest rates, the ability to integrate acquisitions and complete planned divestitures, physical risks, environmental risks, the ability to manage regulatory, tax and legal matters and resolve pending matters within current estimates, legislative, fiscal and regulatory developments, political, economic and social conditions in the geographic markets where the Group operates and new or changed priorities of the Boards. Further details of potential risks and uncertainties affecting the Group are described in the Group's filings with the London Stock Exchange, Euronext Amsterdam and the US Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Annual Report & Accounts on Form 20-F. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this announcement. Except as required by any applicable law or regulation, the Group expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect any change in the Group's expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based.
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Capgemini Press Contacts:
Christel Lerouge
Tel.:+33 (0)1 47 54 50 76
E-mail: christel.lerouge@capgemini.com
Vanessa McDonald
Tel.:+44 (0)870 238 2856
E-mail: vanessa.mcdonald@capgemini.com
Unilever Press Contact:
Dean Mastrojohn
Tel: 201-894-2721
E-mail: Dean.Mastrojohn@unilever.com