CGI adds 3,000 staff to European team with acquisition of Umanis

Global IT consulting and services company CGI has made a major acquisition in France, acquiring Umanis for a reported fee of around €310 million.

Founded in 1990, Umanis is a Paris-listed IT consultancy with around 3,000 professionals working from offices in France, Spain, Luxembourg, Morocco and Switzerland.

Over three decades since its inception, the company has now joined CGI’s French operations, a move which will “greatly benefit Umanis’ employees and clients,” said Laurent Piepszownik, Founder and Executive Chairman of Umanis.

“I founded Umanis in 1990, went public in 1998, and I am particularly proud of the company’s track record. We share common vision and values with CGI, and look forward to the next chapter of our story,” said Piepszownik.

Olivier Pouligny, the CEO of Umanis, said that both firms are highly complementary, both in terms of services offerings as well as in their internal culture.

Umanis specialises in digital transformation and IT services, with a particular focus on five areas: big data & artificial intelligence, infrastructure & cloud, digital experience, integration of business solutions and business process outsourcing.

Commenting on the deal, George Schindler, President and CEO of CGI, said: “The combination of CGI’s operations and those of Umanis will further deepen our presence and positioning across Western and Southern Europe.”

Per the purchase agreement, CGI is acquiring all of the shares of Umanis for €17.15 per share, representing a premium of 46% to the last closing price of Umanis’ shares (March 10, 2022).

Headquartered in Canada, CGI has around 82,000 employees worldwide. The group was founded in 1976.