CGI (TSX: GIB.A) (NYSE: GIB) executives today marked the information technology firm’s 40th anniversary by ringing the New York Stock Exchange Closing Bell® and acknowledging the company’s 65,000 professionals worldwide, whose expertise and innovation drive transformation for clients across industry sectors that continue to evolve for the digital age.
“I am proud to mark this historic milestone on behalf of CGI’s professionals and clients around the world,” said CGI Chief Executive Officer Michael E. Roach. “It is an achievement reached through a deep commitment to listening to our clients, providing innovative services and solutions, and consistently delivering operational excellence.”
Started in 1976 by two entrepreneurs, Serge Godin and André Imbeau, the company in its first year generated revenue of $138,000. Since then, the company has profitably doubled in size, on average, every 4 years and today is the fifth-largest independent IT and business process services company in the world, with annual revenue exceeding $10 billion and a backlog of more than $20 billion. CGI employs 65,000 professionals across 400 worldwide locations.
CGI serves 5,000 clients in 10 focused industries that represent 90 percent of the global IT spend. Over the years, CGI has developed a combination of business and technology expertise in these industries, which include financial services, government, health, utilities, retail and consumer services, manufacturing, communications, oil and gas, transportation, and post and logistics.
To continually refine approaches, inform investments and evolve strategies, CGI conducts 1,000 in-depth interviews with clients each year as part of its “Voice of Our Clients” program. In 2016, the insights from these conversations revealed a continued focus among clients on becoming digital organisations, with greater emphasis on technology’s role as driver—not just enabler—of business change and 71% planning to increase or maintain total IT budgets. Client priorities expressed included the need to improve the customer experience, collaborate internally and partner/acquire support externally, generate customer and business insights for improved decision making, protect organisations from cyber and other emerging threats, and optimise and modernise their IT environments to reduce costs.
In line with these customer imperatives, CGI makes ongoing investments in high-end systems integration and consulting, IP-based digital solutions, and transformational outsourcing – all designed to help clients reduce operating costs in order to invest in their own digital transformation.
“CGI’s continuous growth is achieved by listening to our clients, innovating with them, and delivering operational excellence through the disciplined policies, processes and principles we bring to our client engagements,” said Mr. Roach. “We combine this management discipline with deep industry and technology expertise to help our clients become digital organisations. We help them transform how they operate, and our solutions allow them to effectively engage with customers and citizens on a global scale.”
About CGI
Founded in 1976, CGI Group Inc. is the fifth largest independent information technology and business process services firm in the world. Approximately 65,000 professionals serve thousands of global clients from offices and delivery centers across the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific, leveraging a comprehensive portfolio of services including high-end business and IT consulting, systems integration, application development and maintenance, infrastructure management as well as 150 IP-based services and solutions. With annual revenue in excess of C$10 billion and an order backlog exceeding C$20 billion, CGI shares are listed on the TSX (GIB.A) and the NYSE (GIB). Website: www.cgi.com.
