Aiman Ezzat is appointed Chief Financial Officer of the Capgemini Group

Regulatory News:

Paul Hermelin, Chairman and CEO of the Capgemini Group (Paris:CAP), has appointed Aiman Ezzat as Group Chief Financial Officer. He succeeds Nicolas Dufourcq. This appointment takes effect immediately.

Having assessed internal and external candidates with several Board members, Paul Hermelin has received unanimous support from the Board of Directors for this nomination during its meeting on Wednesday, December 12 in Paris.

With nearly 20 years’ experience within Capgemini, Aiman Ezzat has a deep knowledge of the Group’s operations. He developed a strong working experience of the Group’s main businesses and has worked in many countries, notably the UK and the US where he lived for more than 15 years.

Following the acquisition of the Indo-American IT services company, Kanbay, in 2006, he became leader of the new global financial services unit. This new unit, with its 20,000 employees of which 60% are based in India, is a precursor of the new industrial and commercial model which is gradually getting extended to a large part of the Group.

During the 2008/2009 financial crisis, Aiman Ezzat has proven, in a very competitive market, his leadership skills by protecting the unit’s profitability. He quickly put it back onto a growth path and led it to a double-digit operating margin. The financial service sector’s share in the Group’s revenues was thus considerably strengthened since 2006 (growing from 14% to its present 21%).

Paul Hermelin says: "Naming as CFO a proven line manager, with a strong experience and a detailed knowledge of the current as well as targeted economic model of the Group is a great asset for Capgemini. Aiman has a proven track record having designed, in 2004 and 2005, major turnaround plans for North America and outsourcing. I am confident that his rigor and his energy will be a valuable asset to strengthen the key role of the finance function in Capgemini and to leverage it to support the ambition of the Group.”

Aiman Ezzat adds: "I am proud to lead a talented finance team that has contributed, under the leadership of Nicolas Dufourcq, to considerably strengthen Capgemini’s ability to withstand economic fluctuations. With the growth of its portfolio of value added offerings and the accelerated development of offshore, the Group holds a strong competitive position. I will be devoting all my energy to lead it to a double-digit operating margin.”

Finally, for the 2012 financial year, the Capgemini Group confirms both its objectives for revenues (organic growth in excess of 1%) and profitability (operating margin over 7.5%, in line with the consensus). For 2013, the Group reiterates its ambition for increased operating margin compared to 2012. A detailed guidance will be provided when the full-year results are published on February 21, 2013.

Biography:

Prior to joining Capgemini, Aiman served as Managing Director of International Operations at Headstrong, a global business and technology consultancy, where he worked with financial services clients in Asia, North America and Europe. Aiman was previously Head of the Oil and Chemicals practice of Gemini Consulting where he spent 10 years (Gemini Consulting was the former brand of the strategic and transformation consulting arm of the Capgemini Group, now Capgemini Consulting).

Aiman served as Capgemini’s Deputy Director of Strategy, where he played an important role in the development of the Group’s offshore strategy, from 2005 to 2007. He was part of the acquisition and integration team of Kanbay, a global IT services firm focused on the financial services industry, acquired by Capgemini in 2006. Aiman also played a key role in the development of the Booster turnaround plan of the Group’s activities in the US. In November 2007, Aiman Ezzat was appointed as COO of the Financial Services Global Business Unit (GBU) and became CEO in December 2008.

Aiman Ezzat, 51, holds a degree in chemical engineering from Ecole Supérieure de Chimie Physique Electronique de Lyon in France and an MBA from the Anderson School of Management at UCLA.