The consultancy firm escent, based in Belgium and Luxembourg, is joining SOFTEAM GROUP which employs over 1 000 staff. This strategic partnership will enable escent to introduce more innovative offers in the Digital Transformation and SOFTEAM Group to boost its growth in Benelux, a strategic area for the digital services company.

Since it was founded in 2006, the consultancy firm escent has offered its expertise to some of the biggest names in banking, finance and insurance in Belgium. escent has close to 80 consultants and achieved a turnover in 2017 of more than €10 million, with 60% earned in Belgium and 40% earned in Luxembourg. The company offers business consulting, contracting, requirements management and project management.

Benoit Cardinael et Olivier Duyckaerts, its two founders, are joining SOFTEAM Group as Associate Directors and will be responsible for continuing to develop the consultancy firm to be known as escent – SOFTEAM Consulting in Belgium and Luxembourg, with the support of SOFTEAM Group’s operational management.

SOFTEAM Group’s ambition for Belgium, Luxembourg and Europe is to replicate the success of its leading position in France: combining significant business expertise in finance, banking and insurance with real know-how in the disruptive technologies of digital, data and artificial intelligence.

With its acquisition of the consultancy firm escent, SOFTEAM Group forecasts a turnover in 2018 of more than €130 million: €70m from finance, €20m from business consulting, €20m from data and big data and €20m from digital and social networks.

François Salaun, CEO of SOFTEAM Group: “We’re very pleased to welcome Benoit Cardinael and Olivier Duyckaerts, two entrepreneurs who share our group’s vision, plans and values. escent’s arrival will help SOFTEAM Group to develop a growth strategy in Europe, beginning with Belgium and Luxembourg. We’re going to accelerate escent’s growth, providing it with the network which SOFTEAM Group has developed as an approved service provider to some of the biggest European companies in the banking, finance and insurance sectors.”

Olivier Duyckaerts and Benoit Cardinael, founders of escent “We’re thrilled to join SOFTEAM Group, which will provide escent with the critical size, visibility and complementary services we were looking for to strengthen our presence in Belgium and Luxembourg. We’re keen to offer our clients SOFTEAM Group’s innovative services, particularly in artificial intelligence within the banking, finance and insurance sectors, to offer them even more added value and to support them in their transformation projects.”