EY, a leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services, has signed a conditional agreement to acquire Integrc, a privately owned, leading provider of governance, risk and compliance (GRC) services to companies that run SAP.

The acquisition, expected to complete in August, will help cement EY’s position as an industry leader in SAP GRC services by further enhancing its end-to-end offering — from strategy to technology implementation, said a statement.

Integrc’s team of consultants, based in the Netherlands, UK, India and the UAE, specialise in the full lifecycle of GRC consultancy and support services, including SAP GRC operations, audit, strategy and planning, implementation, operational control and fully managed services, it said.

Upon closing, the deal will help provide EY clients with new propositions in the field of GRC and help them address big, complex issues in this area.

Jonathan Blackmore, EY advisory risk leader, Europe, Middle East, India and Africa (EMEIA), said: “Integrc has unique and differentiating technology and industry insight, and we look forward to welcoming their highly skilled people into EY when we complete.

“Through our global alliance with SAP, we already co-create fit-for-purpose GRC technology solutions and advanced risk analytics capabilities. With this acquisition, we will be able to provide a world-class set of solutions to help our clients’ GRC operations work better.”

Gerard Gallagher, EY Mena advisory leader, said: “We are really excited about the opportunity this transaction gives us to offer truly transformational and innovative risk services to our clients.

“SAP GRC is one of the main focus areas we have chosen to drive growth in our risk solutions. This acquisition will also enhance our ability to integrate many of our existing risk services onto a digital platform and create lasting value for our clients.”       

Michael Green, EY Mena risk leader, said: “With this acquisition, EY will have the largest Mena-based SAP GRC specialised team among the other consultancy organisations, gaining immediate access to the largest resource pool in SAP GRC in EMEIA and strengthening our alliance with SAP.”

This deal brings EY valuable GRC intellectual property assets and complementary advisory sector experience, enabling EY to offer an enhanced GRC client offering in terms of both business strategy and technology implementation, said the statement.

Martyn Proctor and Werner van Haelst, Integrc’s joint managing directors, said: “We’ve inspired some of the world’s leading and most responsible companies to break new ground with GRC. With EY we now have the opportunity to do this on a much bigger stage. Our SAP expertise and innovative approach is a perfect fit with EY’s trusted brand, so this announcement is exciting news for customers.” - TradeArabia News Service