Sopra Steria Next on verge of buying management consulting firm Aurexia

Sopra Steria is on the verge of boosting its Sopra Steria Next business through the acquisition of Aurexia, a management consulting firm with 5 offices in Europe and Asia.

In a statement released to the market this morning, Sopra Steria said the intention to acquire Aurexia is in line with its ambition to double the size of its consulting business (Sopra Steria Next) by 2028. The proposed deal will also provide a major boost to its teams in France, Luxembourg, Singapore, Hong Kong, as well as its Financial Services practice.

Founded in 2006, Aurexia advises and supports financial institutions with topics such as strategy, operations, finance, risk and compliance. The consulting firm focuses mainly on the retail banking and investment banking segments, but also serves insurance companies, asset & wealth management groups, and regulators.

Paris-headquartered Aurexia generates around 80% of its revenue (around €20 million) in France, with the remainder earned in its international markets.

Commenting on the news, Fabrice Asvazadourian, CEO of Sopra Steria Next, said: “Our plan to acquire Aurexia is in line with the Sopra Steria’s strategy of ramping up growth in consulting so as to be able to offer financial institutions the expertise and capacity needed to support major transformations in their various business areas.”

“This acquisition would make Sopra Steria Next one of the leading management consultancies in France’s financial services sector, with over 400 consultants dedicated to the industry, and would enable us to offer an even greater combination of business expertise and cutting-edge technologies.”

Sopra Steria stated that the proposed acquisition is subject to consultation with employee representative bodies and is expected to be finalised in the second quarter of 2025.

The leaders of Aurexia, Eric Vernhes (Chairman) and Dominique Herrou (Chief Executive), both welcomed the news, pointing at the opportunities that would unfold through the joining of forces with the pan-European player. Sopra Steria has over 52,000 employees in nearly 30 countries.

“We are delighted about the opportunity to join Sopra Steria Next, which would further strengthen our momentum. Connecting our teams in Paris, elsewhere in France and abroad with Sopra Steria Next would also offer plenty of development opportunities. With our shared entrepreneurial culture and values, we hope to be able to join forces in 2025.”

In 2024, Sopra Steria Next bought a boutique innovation consultancy in France, and expanded into several new markets. The firm has around 4,000 consultants according to its website.