Page 29 - SAMENA Trends - February 2020

REGIONAL & MEMBERS UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

Accenture to Expand Workday Practice to Help
Higher Education and Public Sector Organizations

Transform Core Operations

Accenture has signed an agreement to acquire the Workday, with and significantly boost our offerings to higher education and
Salesforce and U.S. MuleSoft practices from Sierra-Cedar. government.” In its 2019 fiscal year, Accenture invested nearly
The acquisition will fortify Accenture’s leading position in the US$1.2 billion globally on 33 acquisitions to acquire critical
Workday ecosystem and broaden Accenture services to higher skills and capabilities in strategic, high-growth areas of the
education and government organizations seeking to transform market. Accenture was recently named a leader in The Forrester
core software systems for human resources, finance, accounting New Wave™: Workday Implementation Partners, Q3 2019 report.
and student services. “We are focused on our clients’ priorities Accenture received a differentiated rating, the highest score
for more efficient, secure, transparent and customer service- possible, in seven out of 10 criteria. The transaction is expected
oriented operations, and the practitioners joining Accenture have to close in early 2020. Terms of the transaction are not being
the industry and platform skills that are at the center of many disclosed.
such efforts,” said Ryan Gaetz, managing director of Accenture’s
education and government-focused Workday practices. “By
bolstering our practice focused on Workday Student, Financial
Management and Human Capital Management, Accenture can
help our clients achieve a greater set of outcomes.” Sierra-Cedar’s
Workday practice brings deep industry experience and expertise in
the small and medium-sized education and government markets.
Once finalized, approximately 275 professionals across the United
States will join Accenture’s Workday, Salesforce and MuleSoft
practices, focused on modernizing complex core operational
systems and processes for higher education and government
clients. “Accenture is committed to investing in innovation that
helps advance our ability to meet and exceed client demands and
builds our talent base,” said Jonathan Fry, managing director of
Accenture’s global education practice. “This team brings deep
client-centric skills and an array of expert capabilities that align

United Nations Global Compact Launches ‘SDG Ambition’ Impact Initiative
Aiming to Scale Up Business Action at the National Level

The United Nations Global Compact
today launched SDG Ambition — a global
impact initiative aimed at challenging and
supporting companies to integrate the
Sustainable Development Goals into their
core business. “The business community
is not moving at the speed or scale needed
to deliver the Sustainable Development
Goals. The Goals will not become a reality
without greater ambition as well as deeper
integration within companies everywhere.
We hope that SDG Ambition will establish
a new normal for the global business
community that is both bolder and more
strategic in efforts to achieve the world we
want,” said Lise Kingo, CEO and Executive
Director of the UN Global Compact. “SAP
shares a joint vision with the UN Global
Compact and Accenture to mobilize
industry around SDG Ambition and scale

29 FEBRUARY 2020