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Capgemini’s Board of Directors decides to co-opt Laura Desmond as Director

05 Dec 2018

Paris, December 5th, 2018The Board of Directors of Capgemini SE, meeting on December 5th, 2018, decided to appoint by co-optation[1] a new director, Laura Desmond, following a proposal by the Ethics and Governance committee chaired by the Lead Independent Director.

Laura Desmond is Founder and CEO of Eagle Vista Partners, a strategic advisory and investment firm focused on marketing and digital technology and has been a member of Adobe’s Board of Directors since 2012. She will bring to the Board of Directors of Capgemini SE her wealth of experience in digital strategy, data analytics and content, developed as a seasoned executive and Director at key industry players servicing leading clients. Laura is an American citizen and lives in Chicago.

Paul Hermelin, Chairman and CEO, Capgemini Group, declares “My fellow directors and I are delighted to welcome Laura to our board. As a true industry game changer, she brings us a unique combination of technology, digital and content market expertise as well as a managerial and governance experience honed at prestigious firms. I am eager to have Laura contribute to our digital journey and global expansion.

I am looking forward to sharing, as a director, Capgemini’s challenges and opportunities. Its success in pivoting its business toward Cloud and Digital have impressed me, as well as its management ability to build and steer a truly multicultural firm and make it one of the key leaders of an everchanging industry,” said Laura Desmond.

Laura Desmond’s nomination will be effective from January 1st, 2019. Her appointment reflects the Board’s ambition to further the internationalisation of its composition, deepen industry expertise and enrich the diversity of its profiles. As of January 1st, 2019, Capgemini SE’s Board of Directors will comprise 13 directors, including two directors representing employees. 80% of the directors will be independent[2], 23% with an international profile and 45% women[3].

Biography:

Laura Desmond, Founder & CEO of Eagle Vista Partners

Laura Desmond has been a member of Adobe’s Board of Directors since 2012; Syniverse Technologies (2016) and is Lead Director of Double Verify (2017). She is Founder and CEO of Eagle Vista Partners, a strategic advisory and investment firm focused on marketing and digital technology. Prior to this, she was the Chief Revenue Officer of Publicis Groupe, from December 2016 to December 2017. From 2008 to December 2016, she was the Global Chief Executive Officer of Starcom MediaVest Group (SMG), a global marketing and media services company which is part of Publicis Groupe. Prior to her appointment as Global Chief Executive Officer in 2008, Desmond was Chief Executive Officer of SMG — The Americas from 2007 to 2008, where she managed a network spanning the United States, Canada and Latin America. Laura was Chief Executive Officer of MediaVest, based in New York, from 2003 to 2007, and from 2000 to 2002 she was Chief Executive Officer of SMG’s Latin America group. Laura previously served as director of Tremor Video, Inc. from January 2012 to September 2013. She holds a B.B.A. in Marketing from the University of Iowa.

Laura and Eagle Vista Partners are both based in Chicago.

About Capgemini

A global leader in consulting, technology services and digital transformation, Capgemini is at the forefront of innovation to address the entire breadth of clients’ opportunities in the evolving world of cloud, digital and platforms. Building on its strong 50-year heritage and deep industry-specific expertise, Capgemini enables organisations to realise their business ambitions through an array of services from strategy to operations. Capgemini is driven by the conviction that the business value of technology comes from and through people. It is a multicultural company of 200,000 team members in over 40 countries. The Group reported 2017 global revenues of EUR 12.8 billion.

Visit us at www.capgemini.com. People matter, results count.

 DISCLAIMER

This press release may contain forward-looking statements. Such statements may include projections, estimates, assumptions, statements regarding plans, objectives, intentions and/or expectations with respect to future financial results, events, operations and services and product development, as well as statements, regarding future performance or events. Forward-looking statements are generally identified by the words “expects”, “anticipates”, “believes”, “intends”, “estimates”, “plans”, “projects”, “may”, “would” “should” or the negatives of these terms and similar expressions. Although Capgemini’s management currently believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, investors are cautioned that forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties (including, without limitation, risks identified in Capgemini’s Registration Document available on Capgemini’s website), because they relate to future events and depend on future circumstances that may or may not occur and may be different from those anticipated, many of which are difficult to predict and generally beyond the control of Capgemini. Actual results and developments may differ materially from those expressed in, implied by or projected by forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not intended to and do not give any assurances or comfort as to future events or results. Other than as required by applicable law, Capgemini does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement.

This press release does not contain or constitute an offer of securities for sale or an invitation or inducement to invest in securities in France, the United States or any other jurisdiction.

[1] Laura Desmond will serve the remainder of Carole Ferrand’s mandate until 2020 at the AGM convened to approve the 2019 statutory accounts. As a reminder Carole Ferrand stepped down from the Board on May 28th.

[2] The directors representing employees and employee shareholders are not taken into account in calculating this percentage, in accordance with the provisions of the AFEP-MEDEF Code.

[3] The two directors representing employees are not taken into account in calculating this percentage, in accordance with Article L.225-27 of the French Commercial Code (Code de Commerce).