Aon Hewitt Acquires Largest Dedicated Workday Consultancy Outside the U.S.

Acquisition of Kloud Enhances Aon Hewitt's Ability to Meet Growing Client Demand for Workday HR Platform in Europe and Globally

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Aon plc

Feb 03, 2015, 11:00 ET

LINCOLNSHIRE, Ill., Feb. 3, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Aon Hewitt, the global talent, retirement and health solutions business of Aon plc (NYSE: AON), today announced the acquisition of UK-based Kloud, the largest dedicated Workday consultancy outside the U.S. With this transaction, Aon Hewitt will become the largest provider of Workday services in Europe, and be fully resourced to empower results for multinational clients as one of the world's largest Workday providers.

Kloud, a leading Workday partner specializing in deployment and application management, is the implementation partner for many European companies who have shifted to Workday. As adoption to Workday grows in Europe, this acquisition positions Aon Hewitt to significantly expand and accelerate its Workday services. In 2012, Aon Hewitt acquired the leading U.S. Workday deployment firm and has since provided many Workday clients with end-to-end services. Aon Hewitt's team includes certified experts who have worked with more than 200 clients across 150 countries.

"Software-as-a-Service models like Workday are quickly emerging as attractive platforms for companies because they provide the latest technology, access to upgrades and a flexible pricing model with minimal investment in technology infrastructure," said Jonathan Schembor, president, Cloud Deployment and HR BPO, Aon Hewitt. "A number of large clients are considering Workday, and this acquisition positions Aon Hewitt to rapidly scale our resources to serve multinational clients. No other provider has the combination of global presence, Workday experience and operational expertise to design, build and operate Workday worldwide. We are committed to growing the combined practice with additional investments to meet the strong demand."

Kloud's team of more than 65 Workday-certified professionals brings experience implementing Workday for 60 customers across the UK and Europe. These professionals will join Aon Hewitt's current team of existing Workday-certified colleagues and provide both deployment and ongoing application management services. Matt Lawrence, Ian Maslin, and John Barratt, Kloud's founding partners, will continue to lead Kloud as a business within Aon Hewitt's Global Workday Deployment practice.

"The decision to align with Aon Hewitt through this acquisition will enable us to broaden our capabilities by gaining access to the company's international scale and resources," said Matt Lawrence. "By joining forces, our combined team of talented deployment specialists offers clients, who are exploring Workday as their HR or financial platform, with access to an unmatched team of Workday-certified professionals."

Kloud was founded in 2010 by Lawrence, Maslin and Barratt who ran a successful HR and finance systems integration practice in the UK, and was the first Workday-dedicated consultancy in the region. Kloud has offices in London, Paris and Amsterdam and employees in five countries across Europe.

The transaction closed on February 2. Financial terms were not disclosed.

About Aon Hewitt
Aon Hewitt empowers organizations and individuals to secure a better future through innovative talent, retirement and health solutions. We advise, design and execute a wide range of solutions that enable clients to cultivate talent to drive organizational and personal performance and growth, navigate retirement risk while providing new levels of financial security, and redefine health solutions for greater choice, affordability and wellness. Aon Hewitt is the global leader in human resource solutions, with over 30,000 professionals in 90 countries serving more than 20,000 clients worldwide. For more information on Aon Hewitt, please visit www.aonhewitt.com.

About Aon
Aon plc (NYSE:AON) is the leading global provider of risk management, insurance and reinsurance brokerage, and human resources solutions and outsourcing services. Through its more than 66,000 colleagues worldwide, Aon unites to empower results for clients in over 120 countries via innovative and effective risk and people solutions and through industry-leading global resources and technical expertise. Aon has been named repeatedly as the world's best broker, best insurance intermediary, best reinsurance intermediary, best captives manager, and best employee benefits consulting firm by multiple industry sources. Visit aon.com for more information on Aon and aon.com/manchesterunited to learn about Aon's global partnership with Manchester United.