Re Agreement
Parity Group PLC
12 July 2001
12 July 2001
Parity forms strategic alliance with Personic Inc.
Parity Group plc ('Parity'), the IT consultancy group, today announces a
strategic alliance with Personic Inc, the global provider of software for
Human Capital Management ('HCM') and e-Recruiting.
Under the agreement, Parity gains the right to sell and install Personic HCM
software products throughout the European Union and Switzerland and also
become Personic's only authorised training partner in the region. It is
intended that Parity will invest up to $1 million in Personic preferred stock
as part of the agreement.
Personic is a privately owned company founded in 1994 and based in California,
USA. To date, the majority of its business has been focused on the US market
and the strategic alliance with Parity is designed to accelerate the joint
penetration of the two companies in European HCM markets. According to
industry analysts Aberdeen Group, the global HCM market is valued at
approximately $120 million this year, and is expected to reach nearly $10
billion by 2003.
The alliance is evidence of Parity delivering on its stated strategic
objective of moving into the higher margin HCM market.
Ian Miller, Chief Executive of Parity, said: 'It has been our intention to
move into HCM consultancy, helping us to reduce the cyclical nature of revenue
streams associated with traditional staffing while also offering higher
margins.
'This alliance involves all of Parity's core business activities: our
Solutions business will help clients define and implement an HCM package to
meet their needs; our Staffing business will provide on-going management of
their staffing requirements and our Training business will meet clients'
training needs both for their own staff and contractors. We look forward to
developing a highly productive relationship with Personic.'
In addition to the Parity agreement, Personic has recently signed strategic
global alliances with both Accenture and Microsoft.
- Ends -
Further information
Ian Miller, Chief Executive, Parity Group plc 020 7776 0800
Michael Harrington, Communications Director, Parity Group 020 7776 0800
Harriet Keen, Financial Dynamics 020 7831 3113
Notes to Editors:
About Parity Group plc
Parity Group is a leading international IT services company. Founded in 1993,
the Group now operates from over 50 offices across Europe and the USA, and is
listed on the London Stock Exchange. For the year to 31 December 2000, Parity
reported profit before tax of £13.9 million and turnover of £269 million.
The Group has two operating divisions:
Parity Solutions is a systems integration company specialising in e-business.
The combination of web, systems integration and training services in one
company provides a strong competitive offering to customers migrating their
business processes to capitalise on the new economy.
Parity Software Services brings together Parity's IT staff augmentation
businesses in the UK, Continental Europe and the USA. A one-stop-shop for IT
directors, providing tailored solutions encompassing temporary staff,
permanent recruitment, outplacement and a full HCM service to manage
customers' IT staff resources.
About Personic, Inc.
Personic, Inc. is the premier global provider of recruiting software and
services. Its solutions are currently helping more than 50,000 professionals
at more than 600 organisations worldwide to fill their human capital
requirements faster, more productively and more cost effectively.
Personic, a privately held company founded in 1994, is headquartered in
Brisbane, California, with regional offices in Atlanta, Chicago, London, and
Sydney. More information about Personic, Inc. can be found at
www.Personic.com
Personic's global customers include Worldcom, eQuant, Nortel Networks, Novell,
Wal-Mart, Fujitsu, Walt Disney Pictures and Television, Enron, and Citibank.