EY acquires Brazilian IT services provider Partners Digital

EY Brazil has acquired Partners Digital – a stalwart IT consultancy based in São Paulo and specialised in SAP offerings – for an undisclosed sum.

Partners Digital was founded as Partners Consulting in 1999, at a time when enterprise resource planning (ERP) technology was rapidly gaining steam. Launched as a SAP-specialised offering, the firm has since diversified into a range of tech solutions – spanning cloud, customer experience, ecommerce & omnichannel and marketing, among others.

For EY, the acquisition brings a boost to its SAP, customer experience, and other digital capabilities; a new team of over 100 digital experts; and access to a vast clientele across Brazil, Latin America and Portugal.

According to EY Brazil president Luis Sérgio Vieira, the move aligns with the Big Four accounting and advisory firm’s wider ambitions in Brazil and worldwide. “We believe that our role is to build together with customers the best solutions for their digital transformation journeys, so that their businesses are re-signified and continue to have purpose and capacity to generate value for the market.”

“Adding Partners Digital's solutions and expertise to our portfolio will bring us an important resource to continue advancing our strategy.” The move forms one part of a $1.5 billion commitment made by EY for the 2021 fiscal year – earmarked to boost technology, innovation, consulting and strategy capabilities globally.

Brazil and Latin America reflect broader trends in the global market, in that customer experience technology has been on the rise for a number of years now – as businesses seek that edge in an increasingly competitive business environment. And this was before the pandemic.

A central outcome of the Covid-19 crisis has been a pivot in the way professionals, consumers and society as a whole sees the role and purpose of business. With new priorities in a new normal, tech-powered, purpose-driven business will likely thrive in the near future.

“Research shows that companies that invest in an economic crisis are ahead and EY has invested in acquisitions that strengthen our culture and bring even more resources to meet the dynamic needs of our customers and help them navigate now, next and beyond,” concluded João Pissuto, lead partner for customer experience at EY Brazil.