Ardian and Éric Boulay enter into exclusive negotiations with accenture for the sale of Arismore

The acquisition requires prior consultation with the relevant works councils and would be subject to customary closing conditions. Financial terms of the transaction are not being disclosed.

Founded in 2002, Arismore is a consulting firm which specialises in providing security services, including identity and access management (IAM), as well as enterprise architecture and change management. The company employs more than 300 people. 

Since Ardian became a minority shareholder in 2010, Arismore has significantly accelerated its growth, multiplying its turnover three-fold. This is a result of sustaining strong organic growth, as well as acquiring Kernel Network, an access management expert, in 2014. Ardian has also supported Eric Boulay's ambitious entrepreneurial projects by contributing to the development of Memority, his software business.

Eric Boulay, founder and CEO of Arismore, said: “Accenture’s intention to acquire Arismore is a recognition of our expertise in the IAM space  and of the quality of our teams, who are looking forward to this opportunity. This is a new chapter in the history of Arismore following our partnership with Ardian, who met all of our expectations and fully contributed to the acceleration of our strong growth over the past few years.”

Laurent Foata, head of Ardian Growth, added: “I’m thankful to Eric Boulay for the trust he put in Ardian over the years. This has been a strong partnership. This transaction demonstrates our ability to provide support for European companies with high potential and how we can help accelerate growth to turn these companies into world leaders.”

Geoffroy de La Grandière, Senior Investment Manager at Ardian Growth, added: “Collaborating with Eric and his teams has been a real pleasure. Working closely with Eric, we identified and worked towards external growth targets together, supporting his ambitious vision to grow Arismore.”