2024 Universal Registration Document

INCLUDING THE ANNUAL FINANCIAL REPORT AND MANAGEMENT REPORT
CONTAINING COMPONENTS OF THE SUSTAINABILITY REPORT

The original French-language version of the Universal Registration Document was filed on 14 March 2025 with the Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF) in its capacity as competent authority in respect of Regulation (EU) 2017/1129, without prior approval in accordance with Article 9 of said regulation.

The original French-language version of the Universal Registration Document may be used for the purposes of an offer to the public of financial securities or the admission of financial securities to trading on a regulated market if it is supplemented by a securities note and, if applicable, a summary and any amendments made to the Universal Registration Document. The resulting combined document is approved by the AMF in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2017/1129.

This document is a free translation into English of the original French “Document d’enregistrement universel”, referred to as the “Universal Registration Document”. It is not a binding document. In the event of a conflict of interpretation, reference should be made to the French version, which is the authentic text.

Chairman’s message

“ In the face of global operators, the Group has positioned itself as a trusted, credible European alternative”

 

Pierre Pasquier

Chairman and Founder of Sopra Steria Group

Recent events have confirmed and amplified the profound upheavals that have been taking place for a number of years now: new political realities on the national and international stage, regional conflicts, technological acceleration, the energy transition… The result, in early 2025, is a particularly uncertain environment.

Against this backdrop, Sopra Steria is holding its course and rolling out its strategy. The Group has established itself as a European leader in consulting and digital services. In the face of global operators, it has positioned itself as a trusted, credible European alternative to help transform large organisations through technology and artificial intelligence.

In line with this strategy, in 2024 we decided to dispose of our banking software activities to refocus on consulting and digital services, and to unlock flexibility to invest in our transformation.

This transformation encompasses in particular our offers, our operating model, and our managerial and human resources. In the medium term, our goal is to streamline our business model, reinforce our consulting capacity, and generate more than 60% of the Group’s revenue through digital and cognitive technologies.

We are convinced that, in a rapidly changing environment and an increasingly digital economy, technology is a powerful driver of resilience, performance and organisational transformation.

Artificial intelligence, which is rapidly ramping up, is an additional transformation vector. For Sopra Steria, AI has created a vast range of opportunities that we will seize, while taking an ethical, sovereign approach.

For the past several quarters, our market environment has appeared less buoyant. Despite the wait-and-see attitude that has prevailed in a number of sectors, Sopra Steria showed resilience in 2024. Revenue held relatively steady (down slightly [0.5%]), operating performance was solid (with an operating margin of around 10%, up 0.4 percentage points from 2023), and debt levels were brought down nearly 60% (to around 19% of equity).

Backed by this healthy, robust position, we are determined to step up the pace of the Group’s transformation in 2025 to pursue our ambitious corporate plan.

Key figures

Sopra Steria, a major European digital services group, is a trusted alternative to the global tech giants. The Group harnesses cutting-edge technology to help address the challenges facing industry and society. As innovation gathers pace, solutions are rarely obvious or unique.

Revenue Net profit
attributable to the Group
€5.8bn €251.0m

 

See Chapter 1 for more information

   Gender equality in the Group

 Prioritising gender equality in management and business lines

 

   Climate targets

 Targets (change vs 2019)

   Security and digital sovereignty

 

See Chapter 4 for more information

Breakdown of revenue and the workforce

 

 Group revenue by vertical market

 

 

See Chapter 5 for more information

Financial performance

 

See Chapter 5 for more information

History and corporate plan

 More than 50 years of continuous growth and transformation

IT services to drive and support modernisation Financial performance at the heart of strategy   Driving digital transformation   Sopra Steria: Birth of a European leader in digital transformation A new strategic plan to promote expansion and competitiveness   Refocusing Sopra Steria on digital services and solutions
1968-99   2000-13   2014-2023   2024+
             
             

1968 Sopra founded

1969 Steria founded

1990 Sopra’s IPO on NYSE

Euronext Paris 1999 Steria’s

IPO on NYSE

Euronext Paris

 

2005 Acquisition of Mummert Consulting

2007 Acquisition of Xansa, BPO expert

2011 74Software’s IPO1

2012 Launch of Sopra Banking Software

2013 Joint venture SSCL’s contract with the UK government

 

2014 Sopra Steria founded, launch of Sopra HR Software

2015 Acquisition of CIMPA

2017 Acquisitions of Cassiopae, Kentor, 2MoRO and Galitt

2018 Acquisitions of BLUECARAT and it-economics in Germany, O.R. System and Apak by Sopra Banking Software

2019 Acquisitions of SAB and SFT (JV with Sparda) Launch of the Consulting brand: Sopra Steria Next

2020 Acquisitions of Sodifrance (reporting unit France), cxpartners (UK) and Fidor Solutions for Sopra Banking Software

2021 Acquisitions of EVA Group specialised in cybersecurity (France), EGGS Design and Labs (Norway)

2022 Acquisition of Footprint, specialising in environmental and sustainability consultancy (Norway)

2023 Acquisition of CS Group (France), Tobania (Belgium) and Ordina (Netherlands) Acquisition of the 25% stake in SSCL held by the UK Cabinet Office

  2024 The sale of most of the activities of Sopra Banking Software
             
  • 1_Formerly Axway Software
See Chapter 1 for more information

 Key features of the corporate plan

Independent model

Independent model built on long-term vision and business performance, upholding the Group’s responsibilities to the environment and to its stakeholders as a good corporate citizen. 

 

Entrepreneurial culture

Agility, rapid decision-making and speed of execution are hard-wired into Sopra Steria’s DNA. Our ethos is predicated on an unwavering focus on customer service, autonomous decision-making, collective endeavour and respect for others.

 

The importance of human resources

Rigorous human resources policy focused on talent who offer expertise along with a strong collective mindset, and on employee skills development.

 A core shareholder backing the corporate plan

20,547,701 listed shares
26,552,645 theoretical voting rights

XX.X% = Percentage of share capital held
(XX.X%) = Percentage of voting rights held

See Chapter 7 for more information

European digital services market

 Examples of market recognition for Sopra Steria

1_ Gartner, IT Services Forecast, 2024, Europe, Q4 2024

2_ Gartner, Global Consulting Firm

See Chapter 1 for more information

Our mission and values

 Our mission

Technology serves as a gateway to infinite possibilities. As fascinating as this never-ending stream of innovations is, it also raises questions as to what is actually behind the frantic race for novelty and change.

Solutions are never straightforward or obvious, and there is certainly never just one way of doing things.

At Sopra Steria, our mission is to guide our clients, partners and employees towards bold choices to build a positive future by putting digital technology to work in service of humanity.

Beyond technology, we set great store by collective intelligence, in the firm belief it can help make the world a better place.

Together, we are building a highly promising future by delivering tangible benefits: sustainable solutions with positive impacts that take full account of interactions between digital technology and society. There’s still so much more we can achieve together.

Dare together

At Sopra Steria, we strive to create a stimulating, group-oriented environment inspiring free thinkers to engage in open, frank discussions. Our goal is to foster the development of skills and entrepreneurship in a community driven by a desire for collective success.

 

 Values that bring us together

Business model

 

 Extensive range of high-value-added offers

 End-to-end approach

 Shifting from a service-based approach to high value-added offers

See Chapter 1 for more information

Business model

 The value creation model

 

 Sample value creation performance measures in 2024 for the Group’s main stakeholders

  • 1.AI: Artificial intelligence
  • 2.IoT: Internet of Things
See Chapters 1 and 4 for more information

Governance

 Board of Directors

Members at 26 February 2025

1_ 6/14 women – 8/14 men

2_ 10/14 Board members qualify as independent based on the AFEP-MEDEF Code’s requirements

See Chapter 3 for more information

   Governance

 Executive bodies

See Chapter 1 for more information

Strategy & Ambitionss

 Strategy

Sopra Steria is keen to establish itself as a European leader in digital services and position itself as a trusted, credible European alternative to global operators. The Group is developing and strengthening its foothold in four strategic markets (Public Sector, Financial Services, Defence & Security, Aerospace), where issues relating to sovereignty and responsible digital technology are becoming increasingly critical in Europe. To this end, it focuses on delivering high value-added offers and an industrial and sustainable approach to implementing technology. The Group aims to act and innovate in such a way as to be able to influence how its stakeholders make use of technology.

 Sopra Steria’s European plan

 Ambitions for 2028

Sopra Steria has set itself the target of exceeding €7 billion in revenue by 2028, building on five major geographic areas generating revenue of around or above €1 billion (France, United Kingdom, Benelux, Scandinavia and Germany). The consulting business will be built up to at least 12% of Group revenue, as will next-generation technologies, with their share of Group revenue rising to more than 60%.

See Chapter 1 for more information

 
 

Risk management

 Participants in internal control and risk management

 Identification of the Group’s main risks

The most material risks specific to Sopra Steria are set out below by category and in decreasing order of criticality (based on their probability of occurrence combined with the estimated severity of their impact), taking account of the mitigation measures already implemented. This presentation of residual risks is not intended to show all of Sopra Steria’s risks.

The internal control system and risk management policies implemented by the Group aim to lower the probability of occurrence of these main risk factors and their potential impact on the Group.

Each of these risk management policies is described in detail in the “Risk factors and internal control” chapter of this document.

  • 1_For more information, please refer to Chapter 4, “Sustainability Report”
See Chapter 2 for more information

Sustainability reporting

“Sustainability and digital technology are intrinsically linked and must be used to drive responsible, lasting growth.” In 2024, we ramped up our social and environmental commitments and made notable progress in decarbonisation and diversity. The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) marks the next step in ensuring that our commitments are transparent. We will continue to innovate and mobilise our stakeholders to build a more peaceful and sustainable future.”

Cyril Malargé, Chief Executive Officer

 

 13 key issues regarding impact materiality and/or financial materiality.

Sopra Steria conducted a double materiality assessment1, the outcome of which confirmed the Company’s priorities, some of them longstanding, while providing a fresh perspective on the value chain.

These priorities reflect Sopra Steria’s identity, strategy and business model, which are intrinsically linked to the quality of its relationships with its partners and the role of digital technology in society.

  • Climate change adaptation (ESRS E1)
  • Reducing and mitigating the carbon footprint (ESRS E1)
  • Resource and waste management (ESRS E5)
  • Priority placed on training and skills (ESRS S1)
  • Equal opportunities and diversity (ESRS S1)
  • Employee protection and trust (ESRS S1)
  • Social dialogue (ESRS S1)
  • Regional presence (ESRS S3)
  • Contribution to essential public services (ESRS S4)
  • Business conduct and compliance (ESRS G1)
  • Cybersecurity and digital sovereignty
  • Developing responsible digital technology
  • 1_ Analysis conducted in accordance with the requirements of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD)
See Chapter 4 for more information
 

Our direct and indirect contribution to the 17 United Nations SDGs

Sopra Steria is fully committed to managing its corporate responsibility priorities to ensure that it delivers as a responsible corporate citizen and meets its stakeholders’ expectations. The results achieved are testament to the Group’s tangible commitment in relation to social, environmental and societal issues.

Commitments to employee

  • 7,436 new hires 7,436 new hires within the Group
  • 23,096 Group employees (45.3% of the workforce) received AI training for a total of 79,242 hours
  • 21.4% of the 3% most senior positions at the company were held by women
  • GEEIS accreditation renewal (secured in 2022 and renewed in 2024 for two years)

Environmental commitments

  • Strengthened the SBTi Net-Zero strategy, which aims to achieve a 90% reduction in Scope 1+2 and Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions by 2040, through various carbon reduction actions
  • Continued with the responsible purchasing programme by selecting suppliers committed to a more environmentally friendly approach
  • Roll-out of a sustainable transport plan aiming to reduce business travel and promote low-emissions transport options

Commitment to society

  • Implementing the “International Volunteer Days” civic engagement campaign to mobilise employee solidarity in digital inclusion and education projects through the Group.
  • Providing support and guidance to non-profit projects that promote digital inclusion through the Sopra Steria-Institut de France Foundation
  • Pursuing Sopra Steria Foundation’s educational programme in India promoting access to education, digital pedagogic infrastructure, health and hygiene awareness as well as eco-responsible development.
  • Developing charitable efforts in each country with a view to being part of a shared impact that respects local characteristics.

See Chapter 4 for more information

Dialogue with investors and rating agencies

 Recognition of CSR commitments by the leading rating agencies in 2024

 

Non-financial
ratings agencies
  MSCI ESG   Sustainalytics   S&P Global   ISS ESG   ISS QualityScore
Governance
  CDP – Climate
Change
  EcoVadis
                             
Rating scale   AAA to CCC   Negligible risk = 0
to Severe risk = 40+
  Percentile out of 280
companies in sector
  A+ to D-   1 (best) to 10 (worst)   A+ to D-   out of 100
Score   7.5/10   13.3/100   94/100   B   3/10   A List   92/100
Category   AA Leader   Low risk       Prime           Top 1% Platinum

 Meetings with investors in 2024

The Investor Relations Department engages in dialogue with the financial community throughout the year. It endeavours to meet with all shareholders, investors and financial analysts in the world’s main financial marketplaces during roadshows or conferences, as well as on the occasion of annual and interim financial reports and presentations to the General Meeting of Shareholders.  

Transparency Awards3 2024

 

Winner of the Transparency Awards 2024 in the CAC Mid 60 category

 

2nd place in the Transparency Awards for regulated information

           

716

Individuals

met

 

310

Institutions

met

 

15

Conferences

 
           

15

Countries

 

27

Cities

 

37

Roadshows

   

(1) The full-year and half-year results are published in press releases and are presented at meetings, which are also made available as bilingual webcasts in French and English.

(2) Q1 and Q3 revenue is published in press releases and presented on bilingual (French and English) conference calls.

(3) Technical Committee of the Transparency Awards organised by Labrador

   Investor Relations Contacts

Olivier Psaume, Head of Investor Relations

Phone: +33.1.40.67.68.16

Email: investors@soprasteria.com

CSR Investor Relations

Phone: +33.1.40.67.86.88

Email: investors@soprasteria.com

Individual Shareholder Relations

Phone: +33.1.40.67.68.26

Email: investors@soprasteria.com

   Follow us

Group website

https://www.soprasteria.com

 

Investors

https://www.soprasteria.com/fr/investisseurs

 

Sustainable Development & Corporate Responsibility

https://www.soprasteria.com/fr/nous-connaitre/responsabilite-entreprise

1. Business and strategy overview

1. Sopra Steria Group at a glance

Corporate name: Sopra Steria Group

Until 2 September 2014, the name of the Company was “Sopra Group”. As a result of the successful public exchange offer made by Sopra Group for the shares of Groupe Steria SCA (see press release dated 6 August 2014), the Board of Directors met on 3 September 2014, with Pierre Pasquier presiding, and recorded the entry into effect of several resolutions conditionally adopted at the General Meeting of 27 June 2014.

Among the consequences of the implementation of these resolutions was the change in the corporate name from “Sopra Group” to “Sopra Steria Group”.

Registered office: PAE Les Glaisins, Annecy-le-Vieux, 74940 Annecy – France. Phone: +33(0)4 50 33 30 30.

Head office: 6 Avenue Kléber, 75116 Paris – France. Phone: +33(0)1 40 67 29 29.

Legal form: French société anonyme.

Company website: https://www.soprasteria.com

Date of incorporation: 5 January 1968, with a term of fifty years as from 25 January 1968, renewed at the General Meeting of 19 June 2012 for a subsequent term of ninety-nine years.

Country where the entity is incorporated: France

Country where registered office is located: France

Name of the parent company: Sopra Steria Group

Name of the controlling company: Sopra Steria Group

Principal entity: Sopra Steria Group

Corporate purpose: “The Company’s objects shall be:

In France and elsewhere, to provide all advice, expertise, studies and learning related to business organisation and information processing, all computer analyses and programming and to perform all custom work.

The design and creation of automation and management systems, including the purchase and assembly of components and equipment, and appropriate software.

The creation or acquisition of and the operation of other businesses or establishments of a similar type.

And, generally, all commercial or financial transactions, movable or immovable, directly or indirectly related to said corporate purpose or in partnership or in association with other companies or persons” (Article 2 of the Articles of Association).

Commercial registration: 326 820 065 RCS Annecy

Place where legal documents may be consulted: Registered office.

ISIN: FR0000050809

Legal Entity Identifier (LEI): 96950020QIOHAAK9V551

Financial year: From 1 January to 31 December of each year.

Explanation of the changes to the name of the entity presenting the financial statements after the end of the previous reporting period: N/A

Appropriation of earnings according to the Articles of Association

An amount of at least five per cent shall be deducted from the profit for the financial year, reduced by prior losses, if any, in order to constitute the statutory reserve fund. Such deduction shall cease to be mandatory when the amount in the statutory reserve fund is equal to one-tenth of the share capital.

Profit available for distribution comprises the profit for the financial year less any losses carried forward and amounts allocated to reserves, pursuant to the law and the Articles of Association, plus retained earnings.

The General Meeting may deduct from this profit all amounts that it deems appropriate for allocation to all discretionary, ordinary or extraordinary reserves, or to retained earnings.

The balance, if any, is apportioned at the General Meeting between all shareholders in proportion to the number of shares that they own.

The General Meeting may also decide to distribute amounts deducted from the reserves at its disposal, expressly indicating the reserve items from which the deductions are made. However, dividends shall first be withdrawn from the profits for the financial year.” (Excerpt from Article 37 of the Articles of Association.)

2. History of Sopra Steria Group

A STORY OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP THAT IS CONSTANTLY EVOLVING

Entrepreneurial spirit, an ever-present characteristic of the Group since its inception, remains the lifeblood of its corporate project. A commitment to collective endeavour, initiative-taking and an emphasis on making a difference are the pillars that allow us to achieve our clients’ objectives. We are the leading partner to businesses and organisations that play a crucial role in helping society to run smoothly. As such, we are constantly striving to ensure that our impact is a positive one, both for society and from a business perspective.

3. Digital services market

3.1. Main markets – Competitive environment of the digital services sector

In 2024, the digital services market in Western Europe was worth an estimated $425.8 billion.(1)

DIGITAL SERVICES MARKET IN WESTERN EUROPE (EXCLUDING HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE)
Country (in billions of dollars)   Estimates for 2024
France   53.4
United Kingdom   123.7
Germany   72.2
Rest of Europe   176.6
TOTAL   425.8

Source: Gartner – IT services 2022-2028, updated Q4 2024, at constant US dollars.

Three countries (the United Kingdom, Germany and France) account for 58.53% of IT services spending.(1)

In Western Europe, Gartner forecasts market growth of more than 7% per year between 2025 and 2028.

DIGITAL SERVICES MARKET IN WESTERN EUROPE (EXCLUDING HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE)
Business (in billions of dollars)   Estimates for 2024
Consulting   108.1
Development and systems integration   142.8
Outsourced IT and cloud infrastructure services   128.7
Business process outsourcing   46.2
TOTAL   425.8

Source: Gartner – IT services 2022-2028, updated Q4 2024, at constant US dollars.

The IT services market remains fragmented despite some consolidation, with the leading player in the European market holding a 5% share.

Against this backdrop, Sopra Steria is one of the 14 largest digital services companies operating in Europe (excluding software) with an average market share of just under 2%.

In France (second in the market) and Norway (fourth in the market), the Group’s market share is over 5%. In the other major European countries, its market share is around 1%.

Sopra Steria’s main competitors in Europe are Accenture, Atos, Capgemini, CGI, DXC and IBM, all of which are present worldwide. It also faces competition from Indian groups, chiefly in the United Kingdom (such as TCS, Cognizant, Wipro and Infosys), and local companies with a strong regional presence (Indra in Spain, Fujitsu in the United Kingdom, Tietoevry in Scandinavia, etc.).

(1)Source: Gartner – IT services 2022-2028, updated Q4 2024, at constant US dollars.

4. Sopra Steria’s activities

4.1. A European digital technology leader

Sopra Steria, a major tech player in Europe, is recognised for its consulting, digital services and solutions. It helps its clients drive their digital transformation and obtain tangible and sustainable benefits thanks to the most comprehensive portfolio of offerings on the market, encompassing consulting and systems integration, solutions, digital platform services, cybersecurity and business process services.

The Group provides end-to-end solutions to make large companies and organisations more competitive by combining in-depth knowledge of a wide range of business sectors and innovative technologies with a fully collaborative approach: from strategic analysis, programme definition and implementation, and IT infrastructure transformation and operation, to designing and implementing solutions and outsourcing business processes.

For Sopra Steria, helping clients succeed in their digital transformation means breaking down their strategic and business challenges into digital initiatives through an end-to-end range of services and solutions. Thanks to very close relationships with its clients and its multi-disciplinary teams, the Group is able to continually innovate to guarantee that its offerings remain relevant to the strategic challenges of each of its vertical markets.

Sopra Steria Group is also the preferred partner of 74Software (formerly Axway Software), whose exchange and digital enablement platforms play an important role in modernising information systems and opening them up to digital technology.

The Group is independent; its founders and managers control 22.2% of share capital and 33.6% of theoretical voting rights. Sopra Steria has nearly 51,000 employees in nearly 30 countries, all working tirelessly to shape Europe’s digital future.

4.1.1. CONSULTING AND SYSTEMS INTEGRATION – 68% OF 2024 REVENUE

a. Consulting – 9% of 2024 revenue

Sopra Steria Next, the Group’s consulting brand, is a leading consulting firm. Sopra Steria Next has over 40 years’ experience in business and technological consultancy for large companies and public bodies, with over 3,500 consultants in France and Europe. Its aim is to accelerate the development and competitiveness of its clients by supporting them in their digital transformation while addressing their sustainability challenges in keeping with our clients’ Corporate Responsibility policies. This support involves understanding clients’ business issues using substantial sector-specific expertise, and then working to design transformation roadmaps (business processes, data architecture, change management, etc.) to make the most of new digital technologies such as data and AI. It involves supporting the IT departments of our clients, grasping their new challenges and assisting them with their overall transformation projects as well as the modernisation of their legacy systems.

b. Systems integration – 59% of 2024 revenue

Systems integration is Sopra Steria’s original core business and covers all aspects of the information system life cycle and major transformation programmes. Sopra Steria is equipped to address the full range of its clients’ software asset needs:

Design and integration

Sopra Steria’s teams help their clients implement agile and industrial-scale projects. The Group undertakes to design and deliver systems in line with business requirements that are flexible and adapted to the new requirements of digital transformation as well as sector-specific regulatory constraints. This is made possible by working closely with the Sopra Steria Next teams.

Performance and transformation

In addition to standard information systems maintenance, Sopra Steria takes a continuous transformation approach to these systems to guarantee optimised operational efficiency for its clients, suited to changes in their business. The transformation approach includes a well-equipped and documented procedure making it possible to combine the issues involved in reducing the time to market with improved competitiveness and continuity of service.

A world of data

Once the systems and technologies are implemented, the information system gives access to reliable, relevant and critical data and services, offering better analysis of user satisfaction and optimisation of business performance.

With the increasing number of diverse data sources relating to fundamental changes in use, data is more valuable to the Company than ever. To increase the value of this data, Sopra Steria has developed specific know-how and expertise to manage the exponential growth in data volumes and associated skills (AI, data science, smart machines, automation, artificial intelligence) by integrating them into a global solution, securing the data regardless of its origin (mobile devices, smart objects, data privacy, the cloud, multimodal and multichannel systems, etc.) and using the data by means of contextualised algorithms, taking into account associated ethics.

The Group’s systems integration offering thus meets the challenges posed by both the obsolescence and modernisation of information systems, ensuring optimal flexibility and value creation.

Product Lifecycle Management (PLM)

CIMPA provides comprehensive expertise via its PLM offering, which covers all the various facets of PLM services:

  • PLM strategy creation or optimisation;
  • deployment of strategy-related tools, processes or methods;
  • user training and support.
4.1.2. DIGITAL PLATFORM SERVICES

With over 30 years’ experience and a team of over 6,500 infrastructure and cloud experts around the world, Sopra Steria is a partner of choice for a controlled, secure and responsible information system transformation. As a leader in the hybridisation of information systems and a major player in digital transformation, we offer solutions tailored to our clients’ needs and backed by our service centres in Europe and India. Our expertise includes managing hybrid cloud environments, transforming infrastructure and operating models and implementing upgradeable working solutions. We provide end-to-end services from consulting through to transformation projects and managed IT services, incorporating AI solutions as a foundational element at every level of our portfolio of offerings. We are committed to simplifying operations, strengthening the performance and resilience of information systems and promoting cost efficiency, agility and risk transparency for businesses.

Our portfolio of services spans five areas:

  • Infrastructure: Modernising infrastructure and operating models and harnessing automation and generative AI to provide the next-generation capacity businesses need.
  • Cloud: Accelerating the digital transformation by implementing and running native and hybrid cloud platforms that meet requirements in terms of security and regulations.
  • Modern working: Designing and managing the working environments of the future, integrating application and business support to boost employee productivity.
  • Application operations: Running business applications to ensure availability and performance.
  • Connectivity: Implementing and managing secure network connectivity to facilitate internal and external interaction.

We support our clients in our three main areas of business:

  • Consulting: Advising clients on technological and organisational transformation and defining cutting-edge architecture to address their priorities
  • Expertise and solutions: Providing personalised high-level technological expertise and turnkey solutions to accelerate clients’ transformation.
  • Managed services: Offering a range of fully automated and scalable managed services based on standardisation through an overarching operating model.
4.1.3. CYBERSECURITY SERVICES

With over 2,200 experts and several state-of-the-art cybersecurity centres in Europe and worldwide, Sopra Steria has an international reach as a European leader in protecting critical systems and sensitive information assets for major institutional and private clients.

We have developed a portfolio of services that enable our clients to address their strategic challenges as they face the threat of increasingly frequent and sophisticated attacks.

This range of services covers the entire cybersecurity value chain, from risk prevention and the safeguarding of sensitive information to attack detection, response and remediation:

  • Prevention: drawing up a cybersecurity strategy that is adapted to the risks of the business and complies with the regulations in force, and spreading a culture of security within the organisation;
  • Protection: implementing strategies and solutions to protect IT systems, using secure environments in accordance with best practice, to strengthen cyber resilience as both a preventive and a responsive posture;
  • Detection and response: Continuously adapting the defence strategy based on actual threats, mobilising all stakeholders to work together (detection, response, cyber threat intelligence, investigation, vulnerability management, etc.) towards a shared goal – recognising attackers and countering cyberattacks.

With the acquisition of CS Group in 2023, Sopra Steria further enhanced its portfolio of sovereign solutions, including hardened operating systems, digital trust services and event correlation tools.

Lastly, we have developed specific offerings designed to address our clients’ current priority concerns: Crisis management and cyber resilience, cloud security and industrial security.

Sopra Steria’s business model based around value centres (prevention–protection–detection–response) and products is designed to maximise the cyber value of the services delivered by the Group. It can be rolled out locally, through service centres (in France, nearshore in Poland and offshore in India) or in hybrid form, with a “follow-the-sun” capability to help our clients at all times.

4.1.4. DEVELOPMENT OF BUSINESS SOLUTIONS – 6% OF 2024 REVENUE

Sopra Steria offers its business expertise to clients via packaged solutions in three areas: banks and other financial institutions via Sopra Steria Financing Solutions, human resources via Sopra HR Software, and real estate owners and agents with its property management solutions. The Group offers its clients the most powerful solutions, in line with their objectives and representing the state of the art in terms of technology, know-how and expertise in each of these three areas.

Sopra Steria Financing Solutions: Solutions for the specialised finance market

The role of Sopra Steria Financing Solutions is to provide specialised finance management solutions to participants in this market – major financial institutions, subsidiaries of the major banking groups dedicated to this activity and also certain industrial groups’ financial captives.

This offering caters for four priority market segments:

  • Real Estate Finance with a special focus on the French market;
  • Development Finance including multilateral international institutions (World Bank, development banks in Asia) and also regional institutions (South America, etc.) or a specific development driver (education, green finance, etc.);
  • Equipment Finance principally in Europe and the United States to serve the B2B financing needs in a high-growth market;
  • Auto & Consumer Finance with a strategy of supporting its existing clients in their various geographical territories.

Sopra Steria Financing Solutions’ activities are concentrated in two core geographical regions:

  • Europe with a focus on France, Spain and Benelux, while handling operations for existing clients in other countries (Germany, Portugal, etc.)
  • The United States with a goal of expanding in the region, including Canada and also Mexico in the major development bank and equipment finance segment.

Sopra Steria Financing Solutions maintains a presence in Asia and North Africa to support its existing clients.

In addition to its business solutions, Sopra Steria Financing Solutions offers consulting, implementation, maintenance and training services.

Solutions for human resource management

Sopra Steria Group also provides human resource management solutions via Sopra HR Software (a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sopra Steria). Sopra HR Software is present in 10 countries, providing comprehensive HR solutions perfectly suited to the needs of human resources departments.Sopra HR Software currently has a workforce of 2,000 people and manages the payrolls of 900 clients with over 12 million employees.

Sopra HR Software is a partner for successful digital transformation of companies and anticipates new generations of HR solutions.

Solutions

The solutions offered by Sopra HR Software are based on the most innovative business practices and cover a wide range of functions, including core HR, payroll, time and activity tracking, talent management, employee experience and HR analytics. The offering is based on two product lines, HR Access® and Pléiades®, aimed at large and medium-sized public or private organisations in any sector and of varying organisational complexity, irrespective of their location. In response to new hybrid working patterns, the new generation of Sopra HR 4YOU solutions offers a fully digital HR space that helps businesses stay closely connected with their employees and optimise HR performance and the quality of HR services.

Within Sopra HR Lab, Sopra HR anticipates the emergence of innovative HR solutions.

Services

Sopra HR Software, a comprehensive service provider, offers a number of services linked to its solution offering and its HR ecosystem. Sopra HR Software supports its clients throughout their projects, from consulting through to implementation, including staff training, maintenance and business process services (BPS).

Sopra HR Software implements its own solutions either on-premise or in the cloud and also offers a wide range of managed services.

Digital transformation solutions in the real estate market

Sopra Real Estate Software is the leading developer, distributor, integrator, and service manager of property management solutions in France.Sopra Steria offers major public- and private-sector real estate players (institutional investors, social housing operators, property management firms, property managers and major users) comprehensive digital solutions and services providing a huge range of functionality.

Sopra Real Estate Software’s more than 600 real estate experts help our 400 clients realise their digital transformation so as to boost their return on assets, optimise practices and strengthen relationships with tenants and service providers.

Sopra Real Estate Software also offers a technical real estate asset management and maintenance solution that is particularly well suited to helping our clients better manage their energy performance.

Solutions

From property management to building information management, we offer a range of solutions built around providing digital real estate services to tenants and partners.

Services

Sopra Real Estate Software supports its clients with an end-to-end service offering based on its solutions, from consulting to integration and managed services.

In 2024, Sopra Real Estate Software launched a major programme to transform its offering to include a SaaS element geared towards serving clients’ business needs while delivering sustainable performance.

4.1.5. BUSINESS PROCESS SERVICES – 15% OF 2024 REVENUE

Sopra Steria offers a full range of business services and business process services (BPS) solutions. These include consulting based on technological and business expertise, target operating model design, transformation through the development of transition and transformation strategies, and delivery of managed services. Its vast experience in BPS is underpinned by its end-to-end digital and technological expertise incorporating next-generation technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), hyperautomation, robotics and natural language processing (NLP), all powered by data to drive targeted innovation.

Sopra Steria manages two of Europe’s largest shared services organisations: Shared Services Connected Limited (SSCL) and NHS Shared Business Services (NHS SBS). Originally formed in 2013 as a joint venture between Sopra Steria and the UK Cabinet Office, SSCL became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sopra Steria in Q4 2023. NHS SBS – a joint venture with the UK Department of Health and Social Care – provides essential support services to NHS trusts and other UK health organisations. These leaders in shared services enable Sopra Steria to offer key UK government departments, agencies and police forces a wide range of business support solutions.

The Group’s BPS offerings are closely connected with digital transformation and the integration of cutting-edge technologies. Sopra Steria leverages AI to transform business operations and improve the user experience. In 2023, the Group won two major contracts with NS&I Bank to implement AI solutions, revolutionising how businesses interact with citizens to meet growing customer expectations. SSCL won a recruitment management contract with the UK’s Home Office Border Force, which will see it implementing AI to improve the candidate experience and recruitment outcomes. Sopra Steria uses AI, robotics, chatbots and natural language processing to improve process execution, empower the workforce and encourage innovative approaches to address clients’ challenges.

As an integrator of choice, Sopra Steria combines its own proprietary platforms with solutions offered by a dynamic global network of BPS partners. Thanks to its open innovation expertise, the Group also harnesses the niche capabilities of startups and SMEs, guaranteeing best-in-class solutions for its customers.

Sustainable development and people-centred transformation are at the heart of Sopra Steria’s approach. The Group prioritises people over processes and tools, and its change management experts work closely with clients to involve their employees in the transformation process. Thanks to this end-to-end approach that takes into account both people and business needs, Sopra Steria is able to support its clients at every stage of their digital journey by foregrounding the importance of people and creating business impact.

5. Strategy and objectives

5.1. Strong, original positioning in Europe

Sopra Steria’s ambition is to be a European leader in digital services.Its high value-added solutions, delivered by applying an end-to-end(1)

The Group’s aim is to be the benchmark partner for large public authorities, financial and industrial operators and strategic companies in Europe, particularly for projects involving digital sovereignty.

To achieve this aim, Sopra Steria continues to strengthen its key competitive advantages:

  • leading positions in priority verticals (Financial Services, Aerospace, Defence & Security, Public Sector);
  • an approach based on the value it provides to its clients through a comprehensive range of technological solutions and its ability to effectively meet their core business needs. This approach combines an in-depth understanding of clients’ technical, operational and sector-specific challenges with cutting-edge expertise across the full spectrum of digital (consulting, integration, infrastructure management, cybersecurity, Business Process Services) and emerging technologies;
  • a strong European footprint with numerous locations in many of the region’s countries, which raises its profile among large public authorities and strategic companies throughout Europe as a trusted and preferred partner for all projects involving digital sovereignty;
  • control over its independence and a business philosophy that goes beyond financial performance to recognise the social importance of being a responsible employer and corporate citizen;
  • an ambition of influencing the design, development and use of digital technology (as a catalyst and aggregator);
  • a special drive to roll out responsible digital technology for projects that is more sustainable and more accessible ;
  • close relationships with employees, with people and the management approach at the heart of the Company’s strategy (promoting protection and trust; supporting human development; encouraging accountability by valuing high standards and critical thinking).

Lastly, the Group’s mission statement – formally adopted in 2019 – reflects both its values and its desire to help meet the Sustainable Development Goals of the Company and its stakeholders: “Together, building a positive future by putting digital to work for people.”

6. 2024 Full-year results

6.1. Comments on 2024 performance

Cyril Malargé, Chief Executive Officer of Sopra Steria Group, commented:

Sopra Steria proved resilient in 2024 even as market conditions deteriorated, particularly in the fourth quarter. Group revenue held up well thanks to our business strategy focused on our top 100 strategic clients, which enabled us to renew a significant number of major contracts and extend some of our positions.

Against this backdrop, we delivered robust operating performance. We achieved the target we set three years ago of delivering an operating margin on business activity of around 10%, free cash flow exceeded 7% of revenue and the return on capital employed before tax rose to 21.5%.

We also reaffirmed our strategy over the course of the year. Sopra Steria is keen to establish itself as a European leader in consulting and digital services and position itself as a trusted, credible European alternative to global operators. This positioning is aimed at harnessing technology and artificial intelligence to help major public and private sector organisations navigate transformation.

The company’s transformation in support of this goal is already underway. It encompasses our offerings, our operating model, human resources and industrialisation and includes an external growth component. In 2024, the shift from a service-based approach to high value-added offers translated in particular into the creation of two cross-functional service lines: Digital Platform Services, representing revenue of over €600 million, and Cybersecurity, representing revenue of over €200 million. A Group Chief Operating Officer was appointed to accelerate the evolution of our operating model. In human resources, we increased our experts’ technology certifications by 32% and trained all our employees in artificial intelligence. Lastly, all the Group’s developers now have access to development platforms augmented by generative AI agents.

Faced with an uncertain environment in this early part of 2025, we are determined to drive the Group’s transformation to generate more value for our clients, more opportunities for our employees and more performance for our shareholders..

DETAILED BREAKDOWN OF OPERATING PERFORMANCE IN 2024

Consolidated revenue totalled €5,776.8 million, down a modest 0.5% compared with the reported 2023 figure. Changes in scope had a €15.7 million negative impact. Acquisitions added €320.6 million of revenue (CS Group, Tobania, and Ordina after adjusting to exclude “agent” revenue totalling -€82 million over 12 months(1)). The sale of the Sopra Banking Software business reduced revenue by €336.3 million. Currency fluctuations had a positive impact of €18.1 million. At constant scope and exchange rates, revenue growth was -0.5%.

Operating profit on business activity came to €564.7 million, up 3.0% relative to 2023. This gives an operating margin on business activity of 9.8%, up 0.4 percentage points, thus achieving the target set three years ago (target for 2024 set in 2022: “Operating margin on business activity of around 10%”).

In France (42% of the Group total), revenue came in at €2,437.9 million, equating to negative organic growth of 1.6%. Revenue declined 2.0% in the fourth quarter. It was hit by a sharp slowdown in the aeronautics sector, where quarterly volumes are thought to have reached a low point. Excluding aeronautics, the reporting unit’s revenue held more or less steady in the fourth quarter (up 0.5%). Over the full year, sector trends were positive in defence and the public sector. Other sectors lost ground. The reporting unit’s operating margin on business activity came out at 9.0% (9.6% in 2023), mainly as a result of the decline in activity in the aeronautics sector. Meanwhile, CS Group confirmed a 1.9-point uplift in its profitability compared with 2023.

Revenue for the United Kingdom (17% of the Group total) was €962.1 million, down 0.5%. Revenue was down 9.4% in the fourth quarter. This change mainly arose from a particularly high basis of comparison for the SSCL platform (which saw 25.2% growth in Q4 2023). It also reflects the completion of a major contract, while another major contract, originally scheduled for the fourth quarter, was pushed back to the beginning of the second quarter of 2025. Overall, across the full year, the public sector contracted while the private sector posted strong growth. The reporting unit’s operating margin on business activity improved by 1.1 points to 12.1%.

In Europe (35% of the Group total), revenue grew 0.5% on an organic basis to €2,049.0 million. The most buoyant growth was in Scandinavia, Spain and Italy, where revenue grew by between 8% and 10%. Other countries saw revenue decline by between 3% and 5%. The reporting unit’s operating margin on business activity was 9.1%, up 0.4 points from 2023.

The Solutions reporting unit (6% of the Group total) posted revenue of €327.8 million, representing organic growth of 1.1%. Human Resources Solutions posted growth of 3.6%. Property Management Solutions contracted by 1.7%. Excluding the impact of changes in scope (reallocation of business previously within the scope of SBS following its disposal), the reporting unit’s operating margin on business activity improved by 1.6 percentage points compared with 2023.

(1)Recognition of revenue generated by Ordina through the sale of external expertise was harmonised with effect from 1 January 2024. This revenue is recognised on a net basis where it meets the IFRS 15 definition of revenue generated by an agent.

7. Subsequent events

No subsequent events occurred after the end of financial year 2024.

8. Simplified Group structure at 31 December 2024

9. Group organisation

Sopra Steria Group’s governance consists of a Board of Directors, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

The organisation is supported by a permanent operational and functional structure as well as temporary structures for the management of particular deals and projects.

Sopra GMT, the holding company that takes an active role in managing the Group, takes part in conducting Group operations through:

  • its presence on the Board of Directors and the three Board committees;
  • a tripartite assistance agreement entered into with Sopra Steria and 74Software, (formerly Axway Software), concerning services relating to strategic decision-making, coordination of general policy between Sopra Steria and 74Software, and the development of synergies between these two companies, as well as consulting and assistance services, particularly with respect to finance and control.

9.1. Permanent structure

The Group’s permanent structure is composed of four operational levels and their associated functional structures.

9.1.1. LEVEL 1: EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT AND THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Cyril Malargé has served as Chief Executive Officer since 1 March 2022.

The Executive Committee is led by the Chief Executive Officer. It consists of the heads of the main operating and functional entities.

The 16 members of Sopra Steria Group’s Executive Committee supervise the Group’s organisation, management system, major contracts and support functions and entities. The Executive Committee is involved in the Group’s strategic planning and implementation. Three of its members are women.

Members of the Sopra Steria Executive Committee:

  • Cyril Malargé, Chief Executive Officer
  • Dominique Lapère, Operations
  • Éric Pasquier, Strategy
  • Fabrice Asvazadourian, Sopra Steria Next
  • Yvane Bernard-Hulin, Legal
  • Hervé Forestier, France
  • Axelle Lemaire, Corporate Responsibility
  • Jo Maes, Benelux
  • Béatrice Mandine, Communications
  • Étienne Merveilleux du Vignaux, Finance
  • Louis-Maxime Nègre, Human Resources
  • John Neilson, United Kingdom
  • Xavier Pecquet, Key Accounts & Partnerships
  • Kjell Rusti, Scandinavia
  • Mohammed Sijelmassi, Technology
  • Grégory Wintrebert, Financial Services

The Group Management Committee consists of the members of the Group Executive Committee, together with 40 operational directors and functional directors. Nine of the Group Management Committee’s members are women.

9.1.2. LEVEL 2: SUBSIDIARIES OR COUNTRIES

These are the main operating entities. Their scope corresponds to one of the following:

  • a specific line of business (consulting and systems integration, development of business solutions, infrastructure management and cloud services, cybersecurity services and business process services);
  • geographic area (country).

These entities are managed by their own Management Committee, comprising in particular the Director and management of Level 3 entities.

9.1.3. LEVEL 3: DIVISIONS

Each country or subsidiary is made up of divisions based on two criteria:

  • vertical market;
  • geographic area (region).
9.1.4. LEVEL 4: BUSINESS UNITS

Each division is made up of business units, which are the organisation’s primary building blocks. They operate as profit centres and enjoy genuine autonomy. They have responsibility for their human resources, budget and profit and loss account. Management meetings focusing on sales and marketing strategy and human resources are held weekly, and the operating accounts and budget are reviewed on a monthly basis.

The diagram below illustrates the four main levels of the permanent structure:)

9.1.5. OPERATIONAL SUPPORT FUNCTIONS

The operational organisation is strengthened by operational support entities responsible for managing major transformations:

  • the Key Accounts & Partnerships Department (DGCP), responsible for promoting the Key Accounts policy and developing relations with partners. The role of this department is to coordinate the commercial and production approaches for our major clients, particularly when different entities are involved;
  • the Digital Transformation Office (DTO), responsible for designing and managing the Group’s digital transformation. It also manages the Group’s innovation approach;
  • the Industrial Department, responsible for industrialising working methods and organising subcontracting on X-shore platforms. It also checks that projects are properly executed.
9.1.6. FUNCTIONAL STRUCTURES

The Group’s functional divisions are the Human Resources Department, the Communications & Marketing Department, the Corporate Responsibility & Sustainable Development Department, the Internal Control Department, the Finance Department, the Legal Department, the Real Estate Department, the Purchasing Department and the IT Department.

These centralised functions ensure Group-wide consistency. Functional managers transmit and ensure commitment to the Group’s core values, serve operating entities and report directly to Executive Management.

The Group’s functional structures standardise management rules (information system resources, IT systems, financial reporting, etc.) and monitor the application of strategies and rules. In this manner, they contribute to overall supervision and enable the operating entities to focus on business operations.

9.1.7. SOLID, EFFICIENT INDUSTRIAL ORGANISATION

Sopra Steria manages complex and large-scale programmes and projects in a market where delivery commitments are increasing and becoming globalised. The Group has an increasingly wide range of skills to support multi-site projects that generate strong gains in productivity with delivery models that guarantee clients an optimal cost structure.

Sopra Steria applies an industrial production approach, supported by five levers:  

  • production culture: passing on know-how and expertise in the field;
  • choice of personnel: human resources are central to the approach, providing training, support and skills development for each employee;
  • organisation: the Industrial Department and its representatives in the business units control production quality and performance, identify and manage risks, support project managers and roll out industrialised production processes;
  • state-of-the-art industrial-scale foundation: the Delivery Rule Book (DRB), the Digital Enablement Platform (DEP) and the Quality System across the Group’s various entities;
  • global delivery model: rationalising production by pooling resources and expertise within service centres, with services located based on the needs of each client (local services and skill centres in various entities, shared service centres nearshore in Spain and Poland, and offshore shared service centres in India).

2. Risk factors and internal control

1. Risk factors

1.1. Risk identification and assessment

Within the Group, risk management plays an integral part in business management processes at all levels, from project units to the corporate level. Risks are first managed at a local level, where they are likely to occur, before being considered on a global basis, in cases where they are managed at Group level, depending on the Group’s ability to take corrective action or to accept them. In any event, the level of risk must remain consistent with the Group’s plans, support its position and help it to achieve its medium-term growth objectives. Taking risks that potentially extend beyond the control of the entity concerned requires approval from a higher level. For example, in the case of business opportunities, local management must seek the Group’s opinion and support if the amounts involved, the lack of sufficient resources, the scale of the investment, the maturity and organisational framework of the client and/or changes to the business model are likely to have repercussions on the Group’s performance and/or reputation. The engineering methodologies used by the Group’s business lines are predicated on the risk-based approach, helping disseminate this culture of risk management.

Risks are therefore identified and the implementation of associated mitigation plans assessed and monitored on an ongoing basis by the various operational and functional units via the risk management system. This system, a pillar of the Group’s risk management approach, is based on regular weekly, monthly and annual steering meetings held at every level of the organisation, corresponding to monthly, annual and multi-year planning horizons (see description in Section 3.3.2 of this chapter, P. 53 to 54). These meetings help the Group maintain an overall view that takes into account and mobilises the necessary expertise for processing opportunities and risks at every level (strategy, market, operations, social, compliance, etc.). They are synchronised so as to facilitate higher-level consolidation.

Every year, when annual steering meetings are held, information gathered at Group level is used to update the general mapping of risks. This exercise, coordinated by the Internal Control Department, consists of identifying the risks that could limit Sopra Steria’s ability to achieve its objectives and fulfil its corporate plan, as well as assessing their likelihood of occurrence and their negative effect.

Risks are assessed on a scale of four levels: low, medium, high or very high, in terms of likelihood; and minor, moderate, major or severe for severity. In terms of severity, several aspects are taken into account: the financial effect on operating profit, the level of operational disruption and the extent of reputational repercussions. The time frame used is three years.

This analysis is based on contributors’ expertise, analysis of historical and forecast data and monitoring of changes in the external environment. The Group’s main operational and functional managers are involved through individual interviews and group validation workshops. The results are discussed in detail by the Group Executive Committee and then presented by the Internal Control Department to the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors.

The risk mapping covers all internal and external risks and includes both financial and non-financial issues that could limit the Group’s ability to achieve its strategic objectives. Non-financial risks are handled in the same way as other risks. Specific mapping for corruption and influence-peddling risks, risks relating to duty of vigilance and the double materiality assessment of sustainability issues are therefore used in this general risk mapping. Special attention is paid to ensuring consistency in results despite the fact that there may be minor variations in the methodological approaches used depending on regulatory frameworks.

The most significant risks specific to Sopra Steria are set out below by category and in decreasing order of criticality (based on the crossover between likelihood of occurrence and the estimated extent of their severity), taking account of implemented mitigation measures. This presentation of residual risks is not intended to show all of Sopra Steria’s risks. The assessment of this order of materiality may be changed at any time, in particular due to the emergence of new external factors, changes in operations or a change in the effects of risk management measures.

For each risk, a description is provided explaining in what ways it could affect Sopra Steria as well as the key risk management measures put in place, such as specific governance, policies, procedures, checks and action plans.

2. Insurance

The Group’s insurance policy is closely linked to its risk prevention and management practices, in order to ensure coverage for its major risks. The Group’s Legal Department is responsible for the centralised management of its insurance programme.

The aim of Sopra Steria Group’s international insurance programmes is to provide, in compliance with local regulations, uniform and adapted coverage of the risks facing the Company and its employees for all Group entities at reasonable, optimised terms. With this in mind, the Company set up its own captive reinsurance company in late 2021.

The scope and coverage limits of these various insurance programmes are reassessed annually in light of changes in the size of Sopra Steria Group, developments in its business activities as well as changes in the insurance market and based on the results of the most recent risk mapping exercise. The insurance programmes provide sufficient coverage for risks with high financial stakes.

All Group companies are insured with leading insurance companies for all major risks that could have a material impact on its operations, business results or financial position.

The most significant insurance programmes are:

  • premises and operations liability and professional indemnity insurance:
    • This programme covers all of the Group’s companies for monetary consequences arising as a result of their civil and professional liability in connection with their activities, due to bodily injury, material or non-material damage caused to its clients and third parties.
  • property damage and business interruption insurance:
    • This programme covers all of the Group’s sites for the direct material damage to property they may suffer as well as any consequential losses in the event of reduced business activity or business interruption occasioned by the occurrence of an insured event.

Other insurance programmes have also been put in place to cover, among other things, cyber risks, fraud, employer liability and civil liability of senior executives, company officers and employees on business trips.

3. Internal control and risk management

This section of the report outlines Sopra Steria’s internal control and risk management systems. These systems are based on the reference framework issued by the AMF. A specific subsection addresses the preparation of accounting and financial information.

The management control system is one of the fundamental components of internal control at Sopra Steria Group. It supports risk management and the internal dissemination of information as well as the various reporting procedures and the implementation of controls.

3.1. Objectives and framework for the internal control and risk management system

3.1.1. OBJECTIVES OF THE INTERNAL CONTROL AND RISK MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

In order to address the identified risks presented in the previous section, Sopra Steria Group has adopted a governance structure as well as a set of rules, policies, procedures and checks together constituting its internal control and risk management system.

In accordance with the AMF reference framework, the internal control and risk management system, which is under the responsibility of the Group’s Chief Executive Officer, is designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the achievement of objectives in the following categories:

  • compliance with laws and regulations;
  • implementation of instructions, guidelines and rules set forth by Executive Management;
  • proper functioning of the Company’s internal processes, particularly those intended to safeguard its assets;
  • quality and reliability of financial and accounting information.

The risk management system is designed to identify, analyse and manage the Company’s main risks.

More generally, the Group’s internal control and risk management system contributes to the control of its business activities, the effectiveness of its operations and the efficient use of its resources.

This system is updated on a regular basis, in application of a continuous improvement process, in order to best measure the level of risk to which the Group is exposed as well as the effectiveness of the action plans put in place to mitigate risks.

Nevertheless, the internal control and risk management system cannot provide an absolute guarantee that the Company’s objectives will be achieved and that all risks will be eliminated.

3.1.2. REFERENCE FRAMEWORK AND REGULATORY CONTEXT

Sopra Steria Group refers to the reference framework issued by the Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF, the French securities regulator).

4. Procedures relating to the preparation and processing of accounting and financial information

4.1. Coordination of the accounting and finance function

4.1.1. ORGANISATION OF THE ACCOUNTING AND FINANCE FUNCTION

Limited number of accounting entities

By keeping the number of legal entities, and therefore accounting entities, relatively low, the Group can drive reductions in operating costs and minimise risks.

Centralised coordination of the accounting and finance function

The activities of Sopra Steria’s accounting and finance function are overseen by the Group’s Finance Department, which reports directly to Executive Management.

The responsibilities of the Group Finance Department mainly include the production of the accounts, financial controlling, tax issues, financing and cash management, and participation in financial communications. Each subsidiary has its own finance team that reports functionally to the Group’s Finance Department.

Supervision of the accounting and finance function by Executive Management and the Board of Directors

The Finance Department reports to the Group’s Executive Management. As with all other Group entities, it follows the management reporting and controlling cycle described above: weekly meetings to address current business activities, and monthly and quarterly meetings to conduct a detailed review of figures (actual and forecast), the organisation of the function and the monitoring of major projects.

Executive Management is involved in the planning and supervision process as well as in preparing to approve the financial statements.

The Board of Directors is responsible for the oversight of accounting and financial information. It reviews and approves for publication the interim and annual financial statements. It is supported by the Audit Committee, as described in Section 1.3.3, “Committees of the Board of Directors” of Chapter 3, “Corporate governance” of this Universal Registration Document (pages 90 to 93).

4.1.2. ORGANISATION OF THE ACCOUNTING INFORMATION SYSTEM

Accounting

The configuration and maintenance of the accounting and financial information system are centralised at Group level. Central teams manage access permissions, and update them at least once a year. The granting of these permissions is validated by finance teams at the subsidiaries.

All Group companies prepare, at a minimum, complete quarterly financial statements on which the Group bases its published quarterly revenue figures and interim financial statements.

Monthly cash flow forecasts for the entire year are regularly prepared for all companies and consolidated at Group level.

Accounting policies and presentation

The accounting policies applied within the Group are presented in the notes to the consolidated financial statements in this document. When the interim and annual financial statements are approved, the Audit Committee ensures that these policies and presentation have been applied by the Finance Department and the Statutory Auditors.

The proper use of the percentage-of-completion method to value projects underway is monitored on an ongoing basis jointly by the Industrial Department and by the Finance Department (Financial Controllers).

3. Corporate governance

This chapter describes the organisation and operation of governance as well as the compensation policy for company officers and its application during financial year 2024. It lists and explains any points of divergence from or partial compliance with the recommendations of the AFEP-MEDEF Code. (1)

1. Organisation and operation of governance

1.1. Executive company officers

1.1.1. SEPARATION OF THE ROLES OF CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

On 19 June 2012, the Board of Directors decided to separate the roles of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. It confirmed this decision in 2018, 2021 and again in 2024. It believes that this separation of roles remains the best way of addressing the Group’s strategic and operational priorities. Given the close relationship between the Chairman of the Board of Directors and the Chief Executive Officer, there is close collaboration and an ongoing dialogue between them. The current governance structure therefore helps streamline management of the Company. It means that the Group is able to act as quickly as needed and ensures decisions are taken with due care, while taking into account strategic priorities.

1.1.2. ROLE OF EXECUTIVE COMPANY OFFICERS

The Chairman is tasked with managing strategy, while the Chief Executive Officer is responsible for operations.

The Chairman:

  • guides the implementation of the Group’s strategy and all related matters, including mergers and acquisitions;
  • assists Executive Management with the transformation of the Group;
  • oversees investor relations and manages the Board’s relations with shareholders.

The Chief Executive Officer:

  • works with the Chairman to formulate strategy;
  • supervises the implementation of decisions adopted;
  • ensures the operational management of all Group entities.
1.1.3. SUCCESSION PLAN FOR EXECUTIVE COMPANY OFFICERS

The Nomination, Governance & Corporate Responsibility Committee conducts an annual review of the succession plan for the Chairman of the Board of Directors and the Chief Executive Officer so any unforeseen vacancies can be dealt with appropriately. As part of this process, it meets with the Chairman of the Board of Directors. It makes sure the plan covers existing requirements and the Group’s culture. It assesses the relevance of any proposed changes. It debates action to be taken in the short and medium term in view of reappointments and expiring terms of office.

1.1.4. OVERVIEW OF THE ACTIVITIES OF THE CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS IN 2024

Pierre Pasquier currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors.

The Chairman of the Board of Directors carried out activities on a full-time basis throughout the year. This included overseeing the work of the Board and other assignments entrusted to him.

The Chairman’s assignments include the governance of strategy, acquisitions and the Board of Directors’ relations with shareholders. He is involved in several areas that are key to the Group’s future and transformation (HR, digital and industrial transformation; key organisational and operating principles; employee share ownership; promotion of Group values and compliance). This list of key matters is approved at the beginning of each year together with the Chief Executive Officer.

The Chairman is responsible for maintaining balance between the Group’s various stakeholders: shareholders, employees and the community. He ensures that the Group’s social and environmental priorities are properly taken into account.

In crisis situations, the ability to prioritise issues, uphold the Group’s values, and consider its options from a longer-term perspective thanks to the commitment provided by the core shareholder is absolutely critical.

The various matters placed under the Chairman’s responsibility require thorough knowledge of operational realities. Close relations with the Chief Executive Officer and the members of the Executive Committee facilitate information-sharing. It facilitates effective coordination on:

  • decisions required for the implementation of the medium-term strategic plan and the Group’s transformation;
  • monitoring of the implementation of such decisions over the long term.

The separation of the roles of Chairman and CEO is based on:

  • the roles defined in the internal rules and regulations of the Board of Directors;
  • compliance with the respective prerogative powers of the Chairman of the Board of Directors and the Chief Executive Officer;
  • a trust-based relationship established over the long term;
  • a very good fit between the holders of the two positions.
(1) The AFEP-MEDEF Code is the code to which the Company refers pursuant to Article L. 22-10-10 of the French Commercial Code. It is available on the website of France’s Haut Comité de Gouvernement d’Entreprise (www.hcge.fr).
1.1.5. AGREEMENT WITH SOPRA GMT, THE HOLDING COMPANY THAT MANAGES AND CONTROLS SOPRA STERIA GROUP

In carrying out all of his assignments, the Chairman seeks out advice from former executives and may draw on certain resources across the Group. He is supported by a permanent team at Sopra GMT, the holding company that manages and controls the Group.

a. The Sopra GMT team

Of the five Sopra GMT employees, four of them have spent much of their careers with Sopra Steria Group. This team therefore has knowledge of the Group, its main managers and its organisational structure that an external service provider could not have. Its position within Sopra GMT means this team has an outside perspective and greater independence. These resources enhance the Board of Directors’ ability to oversee the smooth running of the Company.

The team was initially formed when 74Software(1) was spun off. It performs duties for Sopra Steria Group and 74Software, in which Sopra Steria Group still retains an ownership interest of approximately 11%. Sopra GMT provides both companies with its support and ensures synergies and best practices are implemented.

The members of this team carry out duties not undertaken by Sopra Steria Group: oversight of acquisitions, corporate secretarial affairs for the Board of Directors and its Committees. They may also assist Sopra Steria Group’s functional divisions. They are also active participants in various steering committees (acquisitions, corporate responsibility and sustainable development, internal control, internal audit, employee share ownership). They may join working groups tackling key issues for the Company. They provide the benefit of their technical expertise and an independent opinion.

b. Invoicing principles

The costs rebilled by Sopra GMT comprise the portion of payroll and related operational personnel costs allocated to the assignments performed for Sopra Steria Group. They also comprise, under the same conditions, any external expenses incurred by Sopra GMT (such as specialised advisors’ fees). As such, this organisational method does not increase the expenses borne by Sopra Steria Group. If the assignments handled by Sopra GMT’s employees were not entrusted to them, they would need to be reallocated within Sopra Steria Group.

Pierre Pasquier’s compensation at Sopra GMT reflects his oversight of the assignments performed by the Sopra GMT team for Sopra Steria Group and 74Software(1). His compensation is not rebilled to these two companies.

Sopra Steria Group charges Sopra GMT fees for providing premises, IT resources, and assistance from the Group’s functional divisions as well as providing appropriate expertise for Sopra GMT’s assignments.

The work performed by this team and the principle for the rebilling to the Company of the costs incurred are covered in a framework agreement for assistance. The General Meeting approved the implementation of this related-party agreement. The Board of Directors reviews it annually.

Around 85% of Sopra GMT’s total operating expenses are rebilled. The remaining 15% comprises the expenses arising from Sopra GMT’s own internal operations. Expenses are rebilled on a cost-plus basis including a 7% margin. By definition, Sopra GMT generally records a small operating loss. The annual breakdown varies according to the respective needs of Sopra Steria Group and 74Software(1). On average, since 2011, two thirds of the amounts rebilled have concerned Sopra Steria Group. With the sale of most of the activities of Sopra Banking Software to 74Software in 2024(1), the portion of the rebilling allocated to Sopra Steria Group was reduced to half of the total.

c. Implementation of the agreement in 2024

Sopra Steria Group recorded the following income and expenses under this agreement in 2024:

  • expenses: €1,581.3 thousand;
  • income: €174.2 thousand.

The Board of Directors reviewed the implementation of this agreement at its meeting on 30 January 2025. It unanimously agreed to maintain the previously granted authorisation for the current financial year. The members of the Board of Directors associated with Sopra GMT (Pierre Pasquier, Éric Pasquier, Kathleen Clark) did not take part in the discussion or vote on this decision and all other Directors were present.

1.1.6. EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT

Cyril Malargé has served as Chief Executive Officer since 1 March 2022.

Cyril Malargé has been with the Company for over 20 years. He first served as Managing Director of the France reporting unit. For the 18 months prior to his appointment as Chief Executive Officer, Cyril Malargé also served as the Group’s Chief Operating Officer. He has been a member of the Executive Committee since 2015.

The Chief Executive Officer has authority over the entire Group. He directs, administers and coordinates all of its activities. To this end, he is supported by the Group’s Executive Committee and its Management Committee. These Committees comprise key operational and functional managers from Sopra Steria Group and its subsidiaries as well as the Chief Executive Officer.

The Chief Executive Officer has the broadest possible powers to act in all circumstances in the name of Sopra Steria Group SA, the parent company of Sopra Steria Group. They represents the Company in its dealings with third parties.

Certain decisions relating to strategy implementation and internal organisation require prior approval by the Board of Directors or its Chairman. Decisions “that are highly strategic in nature or that are likely to have a significant impact on the financial position or commitments of the Company or any of its subsidiaries” are defined in the internal rules and regulations of the Board of Directors (see Chapter 8, “Additional information” of this Universal Registration Document, page 384).

1.1.7. AGREEMENT WITH ÉRIC HAYAT CONSEIL

Éric Hayat Conseil is a company controlled by Éric Hayat, a Director of Sopra Steria Group.

This agreement related to the provision to Executive Management of consulting and assistance services. These services were provided in connection with strategic deals connected with business development among other areas. They were charged at a per diem rate of €2,500 (excluding taxes). The duties performed under this agreement were distinct from those performed by virtue of Éric Hayat’s directorship. For example, this involved but was not limited to the following, in consultation with the Group’s operational managers:

  • taking part in top-level market meetings;
  • maintaining contacts with civil society;
  • taking part in high-level meetings with certain key clients in France and abroad;
  • preparing for and participating in delegations of corporate executives to priority countries for the Group.
(1) Following the acquisition of Sopra Banking Software, the shareholders of Axway Software decided on 6 December 2024 to change the company’s name to 74Software (with the latter continuing to use Axway Software as one of its trademarks).

This enabled the Company to benefit from the experience and knowledge of the Group gained by Éric Hayat throughout his career. This knowledge extends to its environment and some of its major clients. Éric Hayat was a co-founder of Steria. He also previously chaired France’s digital sector employers’ organisation and subsequently the broader “Fédération Syntec”, and is a former member of MEDEF’s Executive Committee. His skills and experience were thus particularly well suited to the responsibilities entrusted to him, which mainly related to major business opportunities.

This also meant that the number of Directors on the Board that were directly involved in addressing the Group’s priorities in terms of strategic and commercial positioning increased, thus enriching the Board’s debates. Éric Hayat, in his capacity as a member of the Compensation Committee and the Nomination, Governance & Corporate Responsibility Committee, provided these committees with the benefit of the knowledge of the Group’s operational managers accumulated and maintained in the course of these assignments. Lastly, he had access to information channels within the Company that were helpful for feeding information back to the Board of Directors and its committees.

Sopra Steria Group recorded expenses under this agreement in 2024:

  • expenses: €255 thousand.

This agreement ended on 31 December 2024.

2. Compensation of company officers

2.1. General principles

While paying particular attention to the stability of the principles used to determine and structure compensation for executive company officers, the Board of Directors re-examines their compensation packages on an annual basis to verify their fit with the Group’s requirements. In particular, the Board checks that compensation policy:

  • continues to be in keeping with the Company’s best interests;
  • contributes to the Company’s long-term success, taking into account its social and environmental priorities;
  • is in keeping with the Company’s business strategy.

The Board also checks that compensation policy complies with the recommendations laid down in the AFEP-MEDEF Code. To this end, it is supported by the Compensation Committee, which helps it prepare its decisions in this area.

The Board of Directors considers that applying the compensation recommendations laid down in the AFEP-MEDEF Code of Corporate Governance protects the Company’s interests and encourages executives’ contribution to business strategy and the Company’s long-term success.

The Compensation Committee usually meets three to five times between October and February to help the Board prepare its decisions.

The Board of Directors generally discusses the Company’s strategy during the same period, taking into account its social and environmental priorities. For the past several years, the Group has been pursuing an independent, sustainable, value-creating plan that combines growth and profitability. Priorities are adjusted each financial year based on the current state assessment undertaken at the end of the previous year.

The Committee reviews the current compensation policy applicable to company officers. It then reviews estimates of the extent to which targets have been achieved by the Chief Executive Officer. These forecasts are refined in the course of the Committee’s various meetings. At the beginning of the year, the Compensation Committee notes the extent to which quantifiable targets set for the previous financial year have been achieved. It assesses the extent to which qualitative targets have been met. To this end, it meets with the Chairman of the Board of Directors and familiarises itself with any information that might be used in this assessment.

The Committee also takes into consideration the Group’s compensation policy and decisions on fixed and variable compensation of the members of the Group Executive Committee. It takes into account comparisons with other companies made available to it. However, sector consolidation has significantly reduced the number of companies allowing for a direct and relevant comparison.

The Committee also considers ways in which employees may be given a stake in the Company’s financial performance. It assesses the suitability of share ownership plans for all employees and long-term incentive plans for managers of the Company and its subsidiaries. The Board of Directors considers that employee and executive share ownership makes a lasting contribution to the Company’s priority focus on independence and value creation. It provides extra motivation and ensures that employees’ and executives’ interests are fully aligned with those of the Company’s shareholders.

The Board of Directors has not, to date, specified the number of shares that must be held and registered in the name of the Chairman of the Board of Directors, who co-founded the Company. Shares held directly or indirectly through Sopra GMT by the Chairman in a personal capacity or by the Chairman’s family group make up more than 10% of the Company’s share capital.

The Board of Directors has laid down two obligations for the Chief Executive Officer:

  • to retain at least 50% of the performance shares actually awarded to him during his term of office;
  • to achieve the target, by 2026, of him holding shares in the Company in an amount equivalent to 50% of his annual fixed compensation.

When the Board of Directors reviews the budget for the current financial year, the Company’s quantitative targets are a known quantity. The Compensation Committee takes them into account when determining the Chief Executive Officer’s quantitative targets for the financial year. It holds a further meeting with the Chairman of the Board of Directors to discuss potential qualitative targets.

The Compensation Committee then presents its recommendations to the Board of Directors, which discusses them without the interested parties in attendance. These recommendations relate to the variable compensation of the Chief Executive Officer for the previous financial year, the fixed compensation of the Chairman of the Board of Directors, and the fixed and variable compensation of the Chief Executive Officer for the current financial year. The Committee also presents its observations on how compensation is apportioned among the Directors and any proposed adjustments. The total amount of the compensation provided for in Article L. 225-45 of the French Commercial Code subject to approval by the shareholders is agreed when the Board of Directors meets to prepare for the General Meeting of Shareholders.

As regards variable compensation, the Compensation Committee proposes the quantifiable criteria to be taken into account together with any qualitative criteria, as the case may be. It makes certain that the targets adopted are mainly quantifiable and that criteria are precisely defined. As regards quantifiable criteria, it generally determines:

  • a threshold below which variable compensation is not paid;
  • a target level at which 100% of compensation linked to the criterion in question becomes payable; and
  • where applicable, an upper limit if there is the possibility that a target may be exceeded.

Performance is assessed by comparing actual performance with the target broken down into thresholds and target levels, as the case may be. This assessment is carried out without any offsetting between targets. Where, by exception, compensation may exceed the target level, the extent to which it may do so is capped.

In principle, the targets set do not allow variable compensation to exceed 60% of annual fixed compensation. However, in the event of a particularly remarkable performance with regard to quantifiable targets, the Board of Directors may, after consulting the Compensation Committee, authorise compensation to take into account targets having been exceeded, subject to the cap on annual variable compensation set at 100% of annual fixed compensation. Effective payment of the Chief Executive Officer’s variable compensation will, in any event, be subject to shareholder approval at an Ordinary General Meeting.

Conversely, the Board of Directors may consider that the Group’s performance does not allow for payment of variable compensation in respect of the financial year. In such a case, it does not take into account the extent to which qualitative targets have been met. It proposes to the shareholders that no variable compensation be paid in respect of that financial year.

Lastly, in the event of exceptional circumstances (such as an exogenous shock) leading to the suspension of the normal system of variable compensation for employees and Group Executive Committee members, the Compensation Committee would review the situation of the Chief Executive Officer. It could recommend to the Board of Directors that it ask the shareholders at the General Meeting to approve the addition of a bonus to the Chief Executive Officer’s variable compensation if that would serve the Company’s interests, subject to an upper limit of 60% of his annual fixed compensation.

Long-term incentive plans are based on awarding rights to shares. They are subject to the condition of being with the Company over a period of time and performance conditions. The targets are set in the same way as for variable compensation.

Independently of the compensation policy, the Company covers or reimburses company officers’ travel expenses (transportation and accommodation).

The procedure for determining compensation policy applicable to executive company officers and the timing of that procedure are intended to ensure that all useful information is taken into account when recommendations are drawn up and when the Board of Directors makes its final decision. This ensures that such decisions are consistent among themselves and aligned with the Company’s strategy.

The Nomination, Governance & Corporate Responsibility Committee and the Compensation Committee have one member in common.

The compensation policy applies to newly appointed company officers. However, in exceptional circumstances, such as to enable the replacement or appointment of a new executive company officer, the Board of Directors may waive application of the compensation policy. Such waivers must be temporary, aligned with the Company’s interests and necessary to secure the Company’s long-term success or viability. Furthermore, this option may only be adopted where there is consensus among the members of the Board of Directors as to the decision to be taken (i.e. no votes against). This may result in the awarding of items of compensation currently defined in the compensation policy as not applicable (severance pay, non-compete payment, supplementary pension plan). These items would be put to the vote at the following General Meeting.

3. Standardised presentation of compensation paid to company officers

3.1. AFEP-MEDEF Code tables

OVERVIEW OF COMPENSATION, OPTIONS AND SHARES GRANTED TO PIERRE PASQUIER, CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS (TABLE 1 – AFEP-MEDEF CODE OF CORPORATE GOVERNANCE FOR LISTED COMPANIES, DECEMBER 2022)
  2023 2024
Compensation awarded in respect of the financial year €547,649 €542,694
Value of stock options granted during the financial year - -
Value of performance shares granted during the financial year - -
Value of other long-term compensation plans - -
TOTAL €547,649 €542,694
STATEMENT SUMMARISING THE COMPENSATION OF PIERRE PASQUIER, CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS (TABLE 2 – AFEP-MEDEF CODE OF CORPORATE GOVERNANCE FOR LISTED COMPANIES, DECEMBER 2022)
  2023 2024
  Amount awarded Amount
paid
Amount awarded Amount
paid
Fixed compensation €500,000 €500,000 €500,000 €500,000
Annual variable compensation - - - -
Exceptional compensation - - - -
Compensation allotted in respect of directorship (L. 22-10-14) €35,679 €26,891 €30,724 €35,679
Benefits in kind €11,970 €11,970 €11,970 €11,970
TOTAL €547,649 €538,861 €542,694 €547,649

Pierre Pasquier is the Chairman and CEO of Sopra GMT, the holding company for Sopra Steria Group. In respect of these duties (leading the Sopra GMT team and chairing the Board of Directors), he received compensation of €130,000 in 2024. In addition, he received compensation under Article L. 225-45 of the French Commercial Code in the amount of €14,769 in respect of financial year 2024. This compensation was paid by Sopra GMT and was not rebilled to Sopra Steria Group (see Section 1.1.4, “Overview of the activities of the Chairman of the Board of Directors in 2024” of this chapter, page 62).

As Chairman of the Board of Directors of 74Software, as indicated in its Universal Registration Document, Pierre Pasquier also received fixed compensation from that company in the amount of €200,000 and compensation in respect of Article L. 22-10-14 of the French Commercial Code of €22,462.

OVERVIEW OF COMPENSATION, OPTIONS AND SHARES GRANTED TO CYRIL MALARGÉ, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER (TABLE 1 – AFEP-MEDEF CODE OF CORPORATE GOVERNANCE FOR LISTED COMPANIES, DECEMBER 2022)
  2023  2024
Compensation awarded in respect of the financial year €801,983 €753,051
Value of stock options granted during the financial year - -
Value of performance shares granted during the financial year €483,660 -
Value of other long-term compensation plans - -
Total €1,285,643 €753,051
STATEMENT SUMMARISING THE COMPENSATION OF CYRIL MALARGÉ, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER (TABLE 2 –AFEP-MEDEF CODE OF CORPORATE GOVERNANCE FOR LISTED COMPANIES, DECEMBER 2022)
  2023 2024
  Amount awarded Amount paid Amount awarded Amount paid
Fixed compensation €500,000 €500,000 €500,000 €500,000
Annual variable compensation €290,000 €245,700 €139,500 €290,000
Exceptional compensation - - €100,000 -
Compensation allotted in respect of directorship (L. 22-10-14) - - - -
Benefits in kind €11,983 €11,983 €13,551 €13,551
TOTAL €801,983 €757,683 €753,051 €803,551

The relative proportions of fixed and variable compensation in the annual compensation awarded to the Chief Executive Officer (excluding benefits in kind) were 68% and 32%, respectively.

The Board of Directors, on the recommendation of the Compensation Committee, decided to grant exceptional compensation of €100,000 to Cyril Malargé. This exceptional bonus was granted in consideration of the success of the sale of most of the activities of Sopra Banking Software. Sopra Steria managed this exceptional project to refocus the company on digital services and solutions while dealing with the challenges of an economic context that was less favourable than expected.

CALCULATION OF 2024 ANNUAL VARIABLE COMPENSATION
Criteria   Type   Potential
amount as
% of AVC(1)
  Potential
amount in €
  Threshold   Target   Achieved   Amount
awarded
in €
Consolidated operating margin on business activity   Quantifiable   40.0%   €120,000   9.5%   10%   9.8%   €72,000
Consolidated revenue growth   Quantifiable   20.0%   €60,000   2.4%   4.4%   -0.5%   -
Target for increasing the proportion of women in senior management positions   Quantifiable   5.0%   €15,000   20.1%   21.0%   21.4%   €15,000
Climate target 1: Reduction of energy consumption in offices / 2023   Quantifiable   2.5%   €7,500   -3.0%   -5.0%   20.6%(2)   -
Climate target 2: Reduction in Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions / 2019   Quantifiable   2.5%   €7,500   -13.0%   -17.0%   -24.0%   €7,500
Qualitative targets associated with Executive Management’s priorities in three areas: integration of acquired companies; transformation approach; reinforcing the Group’s management capabilities   Qualitative   30.0%   €90,000           Targets partially achieved   €45,000
TOTAL       100%   €300,000               €139,500
  • (1)AVC: Annual variable compensation.
  • (2)Mainly due to the expansion of the Group scope. See Chapter 4, Section 2.1.2.4, b. “Energy efficiency and renewables”action plan of this document pages 152-153

The Compensation Committee determined that the quantifiable targets set by the Board of Directors for the CEO had been 68% achieved and that the qualitative targets had been 50% achieved. Accordingly, the Board of Directors set Cyril Malargé’s variable compensation in respect of financial year 2024 at €139,500.

Performance criteria were applied as anticipated at the time they were determined on 25 April 2024. No compensation is due at the threshold; the amount due is calculated on a linear basis between the threshold and the target.

Total compensation is in keeping with the compensation policy and contributes to the Company’s long-term performance. It provides an incentive to drive profitable growth based on shifting the Group’s services towards higher-value offerings while also taking into account the environmental and social impacts of its activities.

Qualitative targets aimed to incentivise the Chief Executive Officer to focus his efforts on priorities arising from the strategic plan and on operational organisation.

The Compensation Committee noted that the climate-related targets were partially achieved and that the targets for increasing the proportion of women in management positions were exceeded in 2024.

STATEMENT OF COMPENSATION RECEIVED BY NON-EXECUTIVE COMPANY OFFICERS (TABLE 3 – AFEP-MEDEF CODE OF CORPORATE GOVERNANCE FOR LISTED COMPANIES, DECEMBER 2022)
  2023 2024
(amounts rounded to the nearest euro) Amount
awarded
Amount paid Amount
awarded
Amount paid
Astrid Anciaux        
Compensation allotted in respect of directorship €26,471 €20,134 €25,953 €26,471
Other compensation - - - -
Hélène Badosa        
Compensation allotted in respect of directorship (reversion to a trade union) €36,652 €27,277 €32,127 €36,652
Other compensation - - - -
William Beaumond        
Compensation allotted in respect of directorship - - €10,814 -
Other compensation - - - -
Sonia Criseo (appointed by the shareholders at the General Meeting of Wednesday, 24 May 2023)        
Compensation allotted in respect of directorship €8,824 - €23,790 €8,824
Other compensation - - - -
Pascal Daloz (appointed by the shareholders at the General Meeting of Wednesday, 24 May 2023)        
Compensation allotted in respect of directorship €8,824 - €15,139 €8,824
Other compensation - - - -
André Einaudi        
Compensation allotted in respect of directorship €26,471 €16,107 €17,302 €26,471
Other compensation - - - -
David Elmalem (term of office expired at the close of the General Meeting of 21 May 2024)        
Compensation allotted in respect of directorship €26,471 €20,134 €12,976 €26,471
Other compensation - - - -
Michael Gollner        
Compensation allotted in respect of directorship €64,778 €44,953 €55,645 €64,778
Other compensation - - - -
Éric Hayat        
Compensation allotted in respect of directorship €41,649 €34,034 €45,998 €41,649
Other compensation - - - -
Noëlle Lenoir        
Compensation allotted in respect of directorship €35,681 €23,526 €33,335 €35,681
Other compensation - - - -
Éric Pasquier        
Compensation allotted in respect of directorship €50,925 €39,936 €48,790 €50,925
Other compensation - - - -
Jean-Luc Placet (term of office expired at the close of the General Meeting of 21 May 2024)        
Compensation allotted in respect of directorship €56,045 €41,177 €29,586 €56,045
Other compensation - - - -
Sylvie Rémond        
Compensation allotted in respect of directorship €64,163 €37,178 €71,566 €64,163
Other compensation - - - -
Marie-Hélène Rigal-Drogerys        
Compensation allotted in respect of directorship €81,492 €59,738 €89,178 €81,492
Other compensation - - - -
Jessica Scale        
Compensation allotted in respect of directorship €45,863 €34,034 €45,998 €45,863
Other compensation - - - -
Sopra GMT        
Compensation allotted in respect of directorship €55,073 €40,791 €55,544 €55,073
Other compensation - - - -
Yves de Talhouët        
Compensation allotted in respect of directorship €26,115 €6,041 €29,582 €26,115
Other compensation - - - -
Rémy Weber (appointed by the shareholders at the General Meeting of Wednesday, 24 May 2023)        
Compensation allotted in respect of directorship €8,824 - €25,953 €8,824
Other compensation - - - -
Other terms of office ended before 2024        
Compensation allotted in respect of directorship - €28,049 - -
Other compensation - - - -
TOTAL €664,321 €473,109 €669,276 €664,321

The difference between the total amount of compensation stated in Article L. 225-45 of the French Commercial Code to be allocated for 2023 and 2024 (€700,000) and the totals shown in the table above is due to the amount awarded to Pierre Pasquier in respect of his role as Director (€35,679 in 2023 and €30,724 in 2024). These amounts are shown in Table 2, “AFEP-MEDEF Code of Corporate Governance for Listed Companies, December 2022”.

For financial year 2024, in accordance with the compensation policy approved at the General Meeting of 21 May 2024, the breakdown of compensation awarded to Directors for their service between the Board of Directors and its committees was as follows, unchanged from previous years:

  • 60%: Board of Directors;
  • 20%: Audit Committee;
  • 10%: Compensation Committee;
  • 10%: Nomination, Governance & Corporate Responsibility Committee.

It should also be noted that:

  • as regards Sopra GMT, a legal entity serving as a Director, the implementation of the tripartite framework agreement for assistance entered into between Sopra GMT, Sopra Steria Group and 74Software in 2011 resulted in the invoicing to Sopra Steria Group by Sopra GMT of a net amount of €1,407,077 excluding VAT (see Section 1.1.5 of this chapter page 63 and the Statutory Auditors’ special report on related-party agreements provided at the end of Chapter 6. “2024 Parent company financial statements” of this Universal Registration Document pages 362 to 364;
  • Éric Hayat Conseil, a company controlled by Éric Hayat, provided consulting services for business development in strategic operations, billed in the amount of €255,000 excluding VAT under an agreement renewed in October 2018 (see Section 1.1.7 of this chapter on pages 63 to 64 and Statutory Auditors’ special report on related-party agreements included at the end of chapter 6. “2024 Parent company financial statements” of this Universal Registration Document pages 362 to 9364). This agreement ended on 31 December 2024.
SHARE SUBSCRIPTION AND PURCHASE OPTIONS GRANTED TO EACH EXECUTIVE COMPANY OFFICER DURING THE FINANCIAL YEAR (TABLE 4 – AFEP-MEDEF CODE OF CORPORATE GOVERNANCE FOR LISTED COMPANIES, DECEMBER 2022)

None.

SHARE SUBSCRIPTION AND PURCHASE OPTIONS EXERCISED BY EACH EXECUTIVE COMPANY OFFICER DURING THE FINANCIAL YEAR (TABLE 5 – AFEP-MEDEF CODE OF CORPORATE GOVERNANCE FOR LISTED COMPANIES, DECEMBER 2022)

None.

PERFORMANCE SHARES AWARDED TO EACH EXECUTIVE COMPANY OFFICER DURING THE FINANCIAL YEAR (TABLE 6 – AFEP-MEDEF CODE OF CORPORATE GOVERNANCE FOR LISTED COMPANIES, DECEMBER 2022)

None.

PERFORMANCE SHARES NO LONGER SUBJECT TO A HOLDING PERIOD DURING THE FINANCIAL YEAR FOR EACH EXECUTIVE COMPANY OFFICER (TABLE 7 – AFEP-MEDEF CODE OF CORPORATE GOVERNANCE FOR LISTED COMPANIES, DECEMBER 2022)
  Number and date of plan   Number of shares no longer
subject to a holding period during
the financial year
Cyril Malargé 2021 Plan – 26/05/2021   2,354 shares
RECORD OF SHARE SUBSCRIPTION OR PURCHASE OPTIONS GRANTED – INFORMATION ON SHARE SUBSCRIPTION OR PURCHASE OPTIONS (TABLE 8 – AFEP-MEDEF CODE OF CORPORATE GOVERNANCE FOR LISTED COMPANIES, DECEMBER 2022)

None.

OVERVIEW OF PERFORMANCE SHARE GRANTS – INFORMATION ON PERFORMANCE SHARES (TABLE 9 – AFEP-MEDEF CODE OF CORPORATE GOVERNANCE FOR LISTED COMPANIES, DECEMBER 2022)

See Section 5.4 “Share-based payments” of Chapter 5 “2024 Consolidated financial statements” and Section 4.2.2 “Free share award plan” of Chapter 6 “2024 Parent company financial statements” of this Universal Registration Document (respectively pages 285 to 286 and 336 to 337).

Plan Performance conditions   Continued employment
conditions
  Overall rate of performance
2021 plan 2021-2023   2024   94.14%
2022 plan 2022-2024   2025   80.14%
2023 plan 2023-2025   2026   Not available.

The plan set up on 26 May 2021 expired on 30 June 2024. No new plans were set up in 2024. The targets and results in respect of the 2021, 2022 and 2023 plans are detailed below:

2021                        
Sopra Steria Group performance targets and criteria   Threshold   Target   Results   % Achieved   Weighting   % Achieved
(Year)
Organic growth in revenue   3.0%   5.5%   6.4%   100%   10%    
Operating profit on business activity as % of revenue   7.7%   8.0%   8.1%   100%   10%   100.00%
Free cash flow   €130m   €170m   €264.4m   100%   10%    
2022                        
Sopra Steria Group performance targets and criteria   Threshold   Target   Results   % Achieved   Weighting   % Achieved
(Year)
Organic growth in revenue   4.0%   6.0%   7.6%   100%   10%    
Operating profit on business activity as % of revenue   8.5%   9.0%   8.9%   80%   10%   93.33%
Free cash flow   €230m   €270m   €287.2m   100%   10%    
2023                        
Sopra Steria Group performance targets and criteria   Threshold   Target   Results   % Achieved   Weighting   % Achieved
(Year)
Organic growth in revenue   3.0%   7.0%   6.6%   90%   10%    
Operating profit on business activity as % of revenue   8.9%   9.6%   9.4%   71%   10%   87.14%
Free cash flow   €270m   €320m   €390.2m   100%   10%    
                         
2024                        
Sopra Steria Group performance targets and criteria   Threshold   Target   Results   % Achieved   Weighting   % Achieved
(Year)
Organic growth in revenue   2.4%   4.4%   0.0%   0.0%   10%   53.33%
Operating profit on business activity as % of revenue   9.5%   10.0%   9.8%   60.0%   10%  
Free cash flow   €300m   €380m   €432.1m   100%   10%  
                         
2025                        
Sopra Steria Group performance targets and criteria   Threshold   Target   Results   % Achieved   Weighting   % Achieved
(Year)
Organic growth in revenue   N/A   N/A   N/A   N/A   10%   N/A
Operating profit on business activity as % of revenue   N/A   N/A   N/A   N/A   10%  
Free cash flow   N/A   N/A   N/A   N/A   10%  
                         
CSR conditions (Proportion of women in senior management positions at the Group)
        Threshold   Target   Results   Weighting   % Achieved
2021-2023       17.0%   18.0%   20.1%   10%   100%
2022-2024       18.0%   19.0%   21.4%   10%   100%
2023-2025       19.5%   21.0%   N/A   10%   N/A
STATEMENT SUMMARISING THE MULTI-YEAR VARIABLE COMPENSATION OF EACH EXECUTIVE COMPANY OFFICER (TABLE 10 – AFEP-MEDEF CODE OF CORPORATE GOVERNANCE FOR LISTED COMPANIES, DECEMBER 2022)

None.

EMPLOYMENT CONTRACTS, SUPPLEMENTARY PENSION PLANS, ALLOWANCES OR BENEFITS DUE ON THE CESSATION OF DUTIES OR A CHANGE IN DUTIES, NON-COMPETE CLAUSES (TABLE 11 – AFEP-MEDEF CODE OF CORPORATE GOVERNANCE FOR LISTED COMPANIES, DECEMBER 2022)
Executive company officers    Employment contract    Supplementary pension plan    Allowances or benefits due or
likely to fall due as a result
of the cessation of duties or a
change in duties
   Non-compete payment   
    Yes No   Yes No   Yes No   Yes No  
Pierre Pasquier                          
Chairman                          
Term of office began: 2018                          
Term of office ends: 2024                  
Cyril Malargé                          
Chief Executive Officer                          
Term of office began: 2022                          
Term of office ends: Indefinite                  

Cyril Malargé was appointed Chief Executive Officer with effect from 1 March 2022. He does not hold any position as a company officer outside the Group. By way of an exception to the AFEP-MEDEF Code, his employment contract was not terminated and remains in abeyance.

Cyril Malargé has spent much of his career with the Company, which he joined in September 2002. The criteria used to determine and structure his variable compensation remain similar to those used for the Company’s senior managers.

At present, no commitments have been entered into by the Company with regard to termination benefits, a non-compete payment or a supplementary pension plan for Cyril Malargé. Cyril Malargé is not a member of the Board of Directors.

In light of his career within the Group, his length of service, his circumstances, his significant contributions and the components of his compensation, the decision not to terminate his employment contract still seems to be in the best interests of the Company. Any decision to terminate his employment contract would necessitate compensation (contractual termination pay). On the other hand, any disadvantages of holding Cyril Malargé’s employment contract in abeyance until his term of corporate office expires have not been identified. Should his contract be reinstated, he would be entitled to claim retirement bonuses or termination benefits, as applicable. It should be noted that as of 31 December 2024, based on Cyril Malargé’s length of service, termination benefits laid down in the Syntec collective bargaining agreement are estimated at seven and a half months’ fixed and variable compensation (one third of a month per year of service). The employment contract in abeyance is a standard Sopra Steria Group employment contract identical to that signed by Group employees. It is governed by the Syntec collective bargaining agreement with no special provisions or notice period adjustment, even concerning termination or a change in position. No special payments are provided for. As things stand, only standard legal rights (droit commun) would apply upon termination of the employment contract.

OTHER COMPANY OFFICERS
   

Employment
contract

(permanent)

      Supplementary
pension plan
      Allowances or benefits
due or likely to
become due as a
result of the cessation
of duties or a change
in duties
      Non-compete payment        
Other company
officers
   Yes    Company    Yes    No    Yes    No    Yes    No    Amount
paid
in 2024
Astrid Anciaux     Sopra Steria Benelux                     €224,512
Hélène Badosa     Sopra Steria Group                     €53,338
William Beaumond     Sopra Steria Group                     €42,988
Éric Pasquier     Sopra Steria Group                     €694,714

Board members may be linked to the Company or any of its subsidiaries by an employment contract if the link in question was established before the Board member became a company officer. It is mandatory for Directors representing the employees and for Directors representing employee shareholders.

4. Result of the shareholder consultation on the compensation of executive company officers (General Meeting of 21 May 2024)

RESULT OF THE SHAREHOLDER CONSULTATION ON THE COMPENSATION OF PIERRE PASQUIER, CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
           For     Against     Abstain
Resolution   Ordinary General Meeting   Votes   %   Votes   %   Votes
6   Approval of the fixed, variable and exceptional items of compensation making up the total compensation and benefits of any kind paid during financial year 2023 or allotted in respect of that period to Pierre Pasquier, Chairman of the Board of Directors   21,913,688   98.59%   314,455   1.41%   3,856
8   Approval of the compensation policy for the Chairman of the Board of Directors   21,896,653   98.50%   333,068   1.50%   2,280
RESULT OF THE SHAREHOLDER CONSULTATION ON THE COMPENSATION OF CYRIL MALARGÉ, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
          For     Against     Abstain
Resolution   Ordinary General Meeting   Votes   %   Votes   %   Votes
7   Approval of the fixed, variable and exceptional items of compensation making up the total compensation and benefits of any kind paid during financial year 2023 or allotted in respect of that period to Cyril Malargé, Chief Executive Officer   21,964,168   98.81%   263,896   1.19%   3,930
9   Approval of the compensation policy for the Chief Executive Officer   20,814,530   95.80%   912,639   4.20%   504,852

5. Departures from the recommendations of the AFEP-MEDEF Code

At its meeting of 26 February 2025, the Board of Directors, after hearing the report of the Nomination, Governance & Corporate Responsibility Committee, noted the departures from the recommendations of the AFEP-MEDEF Code presented in the table below.

 

AFEP-MEDEF Code
recommendations
  Sopra Steria Group practices and rationale
Operation of the Board of Directors    
     
Status and compensation of company officers

Recommendation 24.

 

The Board of Directors shall set a minimum number of shares that executive company officers must hold in registered form until the end of their term of office.

  The Board of Directors has not, to date, specified the number of shares that must be held and registered in the name of the Chairman of the Board of Directors, who co-founded the Company. Shares held directly or indirectly through Sopra GMT by the Chairman in a personal capacity or by the Chairman’s family group make up more than 10% of the Company’s share capital.

Recommendation 23.1.

 

When an employee becomes an executive company officer, it is recommended to terminate his or her employment contract with the company or with a group company. The employment contract can be terminated either through contractual termination or resignation.

 

■  By way of an exception to the AFEP-MEDEF Code, the Chief Executive Officer’s employment contract was not terminated. This contract will remain in abeyance until the end of his term of corporate office.

 

■  Cyril Malargé, who was appointed as Chief Executive Officer on 1 March 2022, has been with the Group for almost 20 years. In light of his career within the Group, his length of service, his circumstances, his significant contributions and the components of his compensation, the decision not to terminate his employment contract still seems to be in the best interests of the Company. Any decision to terminate his employment contract would also necessitate compensation. On the other hand, any disadvantages of holding Cyril Malargé’s employment contract in abeyance until his term of corporate office expires have not been identified. Should his contract be reinstated, he would be entitled to claim retirement bonuses or termination benefits, as applicable. It should be noted that as of 31 December 2024, based on Cyril Malargé’s length of service, termination benefits laid down in the Syntec collective bargaining agreement are estimated at seven and a half months’ fixed and variable compensation (one third of a month per year of service). The employment contract in abeyance is a standard Sopra Steria Group employment contract identical to that signed by Group employees and governed by the Syntec collective bargaining agreement with no special provisions or notice period adjustment, even concerning termination or a change in position. No special payments are provided for. As things stand, only standard legal rights (droit commun) would apply upon termination of the employment contract.

4. Sustainability Report

Message from the Chief Executive Officer

Sustainability and digital technology are intrinsically linked: both of them must be used together to drive responsible, lasting growth.

Cyril Malargé

Chief Executive Officer

Over the last few years, the Sopra Steria Group began a process of profound transformation to establish itself as a leader in consulting and digital services, and to position itself as a trusted, credible European alternative to global operators. This transformation is achieved by developing its geographical presence, changing its operating model and enhancing its value proposition.The company’s sustainability strategy fits in fully with this agenda and helps drive it forward.

In addition, the company is operating in an increasingly tumultuous environment, with the effects of geopolitical crises, the war on Europe’s doorstep, the emergence of an all-digital world and the impact of climate change becoming more and more evident and significant. This has been clear over the past year, with fundamental trends such as the race for artificial intelligence, widespread disinformation, disputes about the role of regulation, increasingly fierce economic competition and a challenging economic climate that could have made us lose sight of our goal of delivering sustainable performance. However, in this changing world, I believe that – as a technology company – we have more of a responsibility than ever.Because sustainability and digital technology are intrinsically linked: both of them must be used together to drive responsible, lasting growth.

It is with this in mind that we continued in 2024 with our efforts to incorporate environmental and social issues into our business strategy. We have ramped up our commitments and made considerable progress.Our drive to decarbonise is continuing to take shape, supported by reinforced governance and efficient tools. Further measures have been taken to reduce the Group’s carbon footprint, particularly in relation to sustainable transport .The development of responsible digital technology is becoming an essential part of our industry and it is our aim to make this a distinctive characteristic of the Sopra Steria brand, in the same way as our positioning in relation to technological sovereignty and cybersecurity. Since it was launched, our artificial intelligence programme has included work on measuring the impact of training and use of language models. We have also stepped up our initiatives in relation to diversity and equal opportunity, on the basis of our firm belief that financial performance goes hand in hand with social progress. Above all, what is important is that we nurture the trust of our employees by means of our revised managerial model, as people are the beating heart of the company and remind us of our commitments in terms of sustainability.

The implementation of the CSRD marks the next step in ensuring the transparency and solidity of companies’ commitments in terms of sustainability. The merits of this directive are that it standardises regulatory expectations in relation to sustainability, combines the exercise of identifying risk with a framework for calculating impacts and opportunities, and encourages sustainable transformation. Our first sustainability report reflects the dual desire of Sopra Steria’s management to share their awareness of the duty to set an example and to ensure continuous improvement.

It is therefore important to reassert our firm view that creating value plays a key role in addressing the major environmental and social challenges of our time. We will continue to innovate, take action and involve our stakeholders, using technology ethically and responsibly, in order to build a more peaceful and more sustainable future.

1. General information

1.1. Strategy

Sopra Steria’s sustainability approach is underpinned by the mission the company set for itself: “Together, building a positive future by putting digital to work for people”.

The company firmly believes that when used alongside humans, digital technologies can create a virtuous circle that benefits society as a whole. That’s why Sopra Steria has chosen to be a “contributor” company, determined to build a more sustainable world in which everyone is accountable and has a part to play.Sopra Steria’s contribution has three main characteristics: sustainable, human-centred and guiding.

Sustainable: Policies and targets – whether for running its businesses or helping with the digital transformation of its clients – are designed as part of a long-term approach.

Human: Employees develop specific skills that evolve over time to enable them to carry out projects that help build a positive future and often contribute to essential public services.

Guiding: Governance is rooted in the company’s ability to anticipate, understand and translate the challenges posed by digital technology so as to be able to better direct them by assessing their impacts on everyday life.

1.1.1. STRATEGY, BUSINESS MODEL AND VALUE CHAIN [SBM-1]

Sopra Steria established and cultivates the mutual connections between its company culture, its strategic decisions, its business model, its value chain, its stakeholders and the priority issues(1) related to its sustainable performance today and in the future.

Strategy

Sopra Steria’s sustainability and corporate responsibility strategy and action plans are rooted in the Group’s values, the commitment of its managers and all employees, and the results of the double materiality assessment, conducted for the first time in 2024. Over the years, Sopra Steria has progressively introduced sustainability-related strategic priorities approved by the Board of Directors of the Group. These are presented in Section 5.3 of Chapter 1 of this document (P. 34 to 35).

The Group is committed at the highest level to its goal of making all reasonable and necessary efforts to ensure continuous improvement in implementing its strategy and to strengthen the resilience of its business model in order to anchor its own transformation and that of its clients. To this end, the Group has launched a two-step approach to:

5. Apply and adapt its sustainability priorities to the major aspects of the Group’s strategy, namely the categories set out below. This approach is presented in greater depth in Chapter 1, Section 5.3 of this document (P. 34 to 35).
6. Analyse and anticipate the links between strategic priority action areas and the results of the double materiality assessment for Sopra Steria. This approach is detailed in Section 1.1.3.2 of Chapter 4 of this document (P. 124 to 129).

Business activities

Sopra Steria is recognised as a major tech player in Europe for its leadership in the following business activities:

  • Consulting and Systems Integration: Support clients with their digital and sustainable transformation through consulting, design, maintenance and continuous improvement of information systems, data recovery and product lifecycle management (PLM) in these systems.
  • Digital Platform Services: Manage hybrid cloud computing environments, transform infrastructure and operational models, and introduce scalable working solutions.
  • Cybersecurity Services: Prevent risks, protect sensitive information, detect and respond to threats.
  • Business Solutions: Develop and roll out packaged solutions for banks and financial institutions, human resources and property management.
  • Business Process Services: Offer a full range of business services and solutions including consulting, target operating model design, transformation through the development of transition and transformation strategies, and delivery of managed services.

Details of the Group’s solutions are presented in Section 4.1 of Chapter 1 of this document (P. 25 to 28).

Client markets

Sopra Steria’s core value proposition is also fundamentally linked to its knowledge of the main markets and on its ability to apply and adapt its expertise to the geographical and cultural environments of its key accounts, particularly within Europe.

To anchor this pillar of the business model within its organisation, Sopra Steria has introduced Group-wide verticals, which are responsible for developing expertise and adapting activities for the following sectors:

  • Financial Services
  • Public sector
  • Aeronautics, Space, Defence & Security
  • Energy & Utilities
  • Telecoms, Media & Entertainment
  • Transport
  • Insurance
  • Retail

Sopra Steria’s sectors of activity and verticals are presented in more detail in Section 4.2 of Chapter 1 of this document (P. 28 to 31).

(1) The terms used by Sopra Steria within the meaning of the CSRD to specify the strategic and operational sustainability framework (topics, issues, policy, objectives targets, metrics) are defined in Section 1.4.1 of Chapter 4 of this document, P.141.

Revenue

Sopra Steria generated revenue of €5,776.8 million in 2024. This revenue is generated directly by the consulting and digital services activities managed in each of the markets it targets. Sopra Steria does not generate any revenue directly from fossil fuels, chemicals production, controversial weapons or tobacco-growing and production.

A breakdown of Sopra Steria’s revenue by geography, by business (the “businesses”) and by vertical (the “client markets”) is presented in Sections 3.1, 4.1 and 4.2 of Chapter 1 of this document (P. 24 to 31).

The value chain

Sopra Steria’s value chain is an operational expression of its strategy, its postitioning and the company’s business model. Sopra Steria’s digital service activities chiefly derive from:

  • Upstream: a relatively limited volume of physical goods, mainly IT hardware and sourced services, with manufacturing and maintenance in turn relying on primary resources;
  • For own operations: the development of trust-based relationships with stakeholders and the alignment of employees’ skills and expertise with the strategy;
  • Downstream: the development of trust-based relationships with clients.
KEY COMPONENTS OF THE VALUE CHAIN

To provide its clients with digital services fitting their needs and to consistently generate value for its stakeholders, Sopra Steria has built its value chain in a manner that underpins the resilience and performance of its business model.

For example, upstream, the Purchasing Department secures essential purchases. For Sopra Steria’s activities, the Human Resources Department is responsible for maintaining a bond of trust and measures tailored to the interests of its employees with those of the Group. And, downstream, every employee helps to safeguard the quality of relationships with its clients.

Ultimately, Sopra Steria’s activities add value for the Group’s employees by helping improve their employability and boosting their career paths, and for its clients through the efficiency and resilience of their business models, as well as through the value generated for their investors and financial partners.

1.1.2. INTERESTS AND VIEWS OF STAKEHOLDERS [SBM-2]

The performance and continuity of Sopra Steria’s business activities are directly related to the quality of relationships with employees, customers, suppliers, financial and technology partners, and even local representatives of the areas in which it operates. Sopra Steria regularly engages in dialogue with its value chain stakeholders, or with their representatives, in order to properly take their perspectives into account and guide strategic decisions.

OVERVIEW OF HOW THE PRINCIPAL STAKEHOLDERS’ INTERESTS ARE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT: PANORAMA
Value chain   Upstream   Sopra Steria operations       Downstream
Main stakeholders   Suppliers and
subcontractors
  Sopra Steria
employees
  Financial partners   Local communities   Clients and end-
users
Stakeholders   Service providers, subcontractors, digital goods and services suppliers.   Employees and employee representatives.   Shareholders, investors, financial analysts.   Operating areas, participants of partner associations and Sopra Steria Foundations.   Public or private clients, clients of clients (businesses or consumers).
Types of dialogue  

Discussions and negotiations during invitations for tender and contract follow-up;

Operational monitoring meetings;

Non-financial performance assessment (via EcoVadis).

 

 

Committees with employee representatives;

Surveys initiated by employee representatives;

Great Place To Work employee satisfaction surveys initiated by the Group;

Internal communications and direct feedback from employees.

 

Annual General Meeting of Shareholders;

Meetings with institutions;

Organisation of conferences and roadshows.

 

Participation in local events;

Meetings with local elected officials and public authorities;

Interactions with associations recipients;

Membership in and meetings with specialised federations.

 

Arguments and CSR questionnaire responses;

Negotiations during invitations to tender and contract drafting;

Consultation and project tracking committees;

Annual Customer Voice survey:

Interviews with over 650 customers(1).

Stakeholder consulted regarding the double materiality assessment   Yes   Yes   Yes   Yes – Through internal country representatives and foundations.   Yes – End-users through business customers.
Principal expectations  

Ensure and adhere to contractual commitments;

Maintain good business relationships;

Develop partnerships;

Spotlight CSR performance efforts.

  Embed employee well-being and working conditions in the Group’s strategy.   Create relationships with shareholders and investors based on trust, be a reliable source of relevant information that facilitates decisions.  

Support regional development and protect at-risk individuals;

Help reduce the digital divide and social exclusion.

 

  Continue providing quality services tailored to client and industry demands while accounting for end-user satisfaction.
Example of information presented to Executive Management or the Executive Committee   Quarterly meetings with Executive Management (strategic calls for tenders, purchasing monitoring).   Presentation of the Great Place To Work survey findings.   Q1 and Q3 revenue is presented on bilingual (French and English) conference calls.  

Presentation of the 2024 Solidarity policy outcomes and the 2025 roadmap;

Presentation of a strategic study on the Sopra Steria-Institut de France Foundation.

 

Customer satisfaction monitoring;

Project alert escalation process through the Industrial Department.

 

Example response by Sopra Steria to the expectations identified   Establishing a communications tool (coordinator, sustainable procurement support channel) and development support for supplier CSR initiatives.   Signature of a new collective bargaining agreement on gender equality in France.   Presentation of financial ambitions and objectives for 2028 on the occasion of the Capital Market Day in December 2024  

Establishing a department in charge of regional governance in France;

Approval of the Group’s new solidarity programmes and significant budget increase.

  Establishing a Client Advisory Board.
(1) For more details, see Section 4.3 of Chapter 1 of this document (P. 31)
1.1.3. MATERIAL IMPACTS, RISKS AND OPPORTUNITIES AND THEIR INTERACTION WITH STRATEGY AND BUSINESS MODEL [SBM-3]

1.1.3.1. Results of the double materiality assessment

The double materiality assessment conducted by Sopra Steria identified 13 material matters for the Company in terms of impact materiality and/or financial materiality, taking into consideration the Group’s business model, strategy and value chain. The double materiality matrix below reflects these priority matters on a gross basis, i.e. before prevention and mitigation actions taken by the Company to address them.

DOUBLE MATERIALITY MATRIX

The results of the double materiality assessment reflect the crucial nature for Sopra Steria of issues related to: the priority to training and skills, employee protection and trust, equal opportunities and diversity (ESRS S1); cyberprotection and digital sovereignty, the development of responsible digital technology (specific topics). Environmental issues (ESRS E1, E5) have become markers of medium- to long-term resilience in strategy, client projects (invitations to tender, reputation) and operations.

To a lesser extent, the double materiality matrix also illustrates the digital supply chain’s impact on the environment (ESRS E1, E5) in addition to the regional and societal impacts of Sopra Steria’s activities (ESRS S3, S4) and its business conduct (ESRS G1).

The impacts, risks and opportunities associated with each material sustainability matter, as well as their relationship to strategy, the business model and the value chain, are described in the introduction of each section of this Sustainability Report.

Since the characteristics of Sopra Steria’s activities (inputs, outputs, working conditions, employee profiles, etc.) are relatively homogeneous everywhere the Group operates, the results presented apply across all its operations and its regions. Certain regions and certain types of business may be relatively more exposed, however. In particular, this applies to certain sites (Spain, India, France, for example) that require special attention in terms of their suitability. The same approach is necessary for certain strategically important sectors served by the Group, such as defence and security in which cyberprotection and digital sovereignty are tremendously important issues.

To date, the methodology applied to assess the company’s material sustainability matters has not brought to light any existing financial effects. Work on improving the assessment of financial materiality will begin from 2025 onwards.

These results, achieved using the double materiality approach, are consistent with the results of the materiality assessment published in the 2023 Declaration of extra-financial performance. Changes and differences are largely due to the application of the specific CSRD method. Apart from employee health and safety, all of the 2023 matters are directly or indirectly represented in the new double materiality matrix. For example, attracting and retaining talent remains a significant matter for the Group, but is now included as a positive consequence of action plans implemented as soon as they are effective. For further details see table comparing the 2024 double materiality assessment and the 2023 materiality assessment presented in Section 7.2 of this Chapter of this document (P. 236).

1.1.3.2. Resilience of general strategy and management of material matters

Effects of the double materiality assessment on business decisions

The results of the double materiality assessment are considered key drivers of the Group’s sustainability strategy and sustainable trajectory. They were approved by the Executive Committee, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors (see Chapter 3, “Corporate governance” P. 93 to 95), and were presented to the members of the Audit Committee, the Nomination, Governance & Corporate Responsibility Committee and all members of the Board of Directors. This means that the Group’s various departments build into their annual schedule a continuous improvement approach based on implementing policies and action plans to address material sustainability matters and boost sustainable performance. The table below shows the main changes made to planning for 2025 as a result of the double materiality assessment.

TAKING ACCOUNT OF SUSTAINABILITY MATTERS IN 2025 PLANNING
Material matter in 2024   Key changes in 2025 annual planning
Reducing and mitigating
the carbon footprint (ESRS E1)
 

Increase responsible purchasing practices

Launch of sustainable mobility plan

Climate change adaptation
(ESRS E1)
 

Increase responsible purchasing practices

Increase internal carbon pricing efforts (United Kingdom)

Roll out the Group ISO 14001 certification policy

Priority to training and skills
(ESRS S1)
 

Develop an internal plan for sustainability awareness and training

Maintain level of technological and business line excellence to maintain workers' employability in the long-term and company performance

Equal opportunities
and diversity (ESRS S1)
 

Negotiation of the collective bargaining agreement on gender equality signed in January 2025 (France)

Draft and plan the deployment of the Group's policy on gender equality

Renew the Employee Value Proposition (EVP) “Projects that matter, opportunities that empower” establishing a common foundation at Group level sharing messages internally and externally

Employee protection
and trust (ESRS S1)
 

Reinforce managerial proximity and organise the ecosystem through an update of the HR management model

Draw close-up employee surveys

Solidarity and volunteering
(ESRS S3)
 

Formal definition of a Group-wide policy

Increased focus on employee corporate volunteering

Cyberprotection

and digital sovereignty

  Reinforcement of global cybsersecurity business line at the Group level

Developing

responsible digital technology

  Implementation of the responsible digital technology roadmap

Effects of the double materiality assessment on corporate strategy

In keeping with a continuous improvement approach to sustainability performance results, Sopra Steria has begun analysing the links connecting its main strategic action areas with material sustainability matters identified as a priority within the double materiality exercise. The “action areas” presented below are set out in Section 5.2 of Chapter 1 of this document (P. 32 to 34).

CORRELATIONS BETWEEN STRATEGIC PRIORITY ACTION AREAS AND MATERIAL MATTERS
Main strategic action area   Material sustainability matter   Correlations identified
Development of consulting activities   Developing responsible digital technology   Supporting customers in meeting their sustainability obligations as well as in managing their respective impacts, risks and opportunities, particularly regarding responsible digital technology.
Acceleration in digital technology: Being at the cutting edge of the market in all of its services and business models   Developing responsible digital technology   Leveraging the potential of technology in offers while taking into consideration clients’ impacts, risks and opportunities.
  Cyberprotection and digital sovereignty  
  Business conduct and compliance  
Acceleration in digital technology: Strengthening its technology assets   Reducing and mitigating the carbon footprint   Raising awareness of digital technology’s impact on the Group’s environmental trajectory as well as issues of sovereignty and cyberprotection for the Company and its stakeholders.
  Cyberprotection and digital sovereignty  
Acceleration in digital technology: Transforming its operating models   Regional presence   Updating the operating model to integrate the associated impacts on employees and their representatives, the environment and geographical regions.
  Social dialogue  
  Employee protection and trust  
  Developing responsible digital technology   Standardising integration of sustainable design and digital accessibility into the Group’s activities.
Acceleration in digital technology: Educating all of its employees in digital culture, practices and skills   Priority to training and skills development   Expediting the deployment of trainings to ensure workers' employability, equal opportunities, and skills development on responsible digital technology.
  Developing responsible digital technology  
  Equal opportunities and diversity  
Acceleration in digital technology: Keeping an eye on the market in order to clarify its digital strategy and target the best digital partners   Developing responsible digital technology   Increasing monitoring for market changes in technology and scientific advancements, standards and solutions related to sustainability matters, and developing collaborative partnerships with other digital services players.
  Reducing and mitigating the carbon footprint  
  Climate change adaptation  
Vertical approach   Developing responsible digital technology   Roll-out of the responsible digital technology roadmap and cyberprotection and digital sovereignty objectives, so as to tailor offers to each sector’s context.
  Cyberprotection and digital sovereignty  
  Contribution to essential public services  
Development of solutions   Developing responsible digital technology   Applying internal responsible digital technology implementation methods when developing solutions.
Acquisition policy     Business conduct and compliance Developing responsible digital technology   Considering impacts, risks and opportunities relative to business conduct and compliance and responsible digital technology requirements during acquisitions.

Sustainable performance approach

The following table shows the sustainable performance approach defined by Sopra Steria to address the material matters identified. The table is aligned seeking continuous improvement founded on using the best management systems and emerging sustainability standards, as well as reinforcing internal skills and innovative solutions.

OVERVIEW OF SOPRA STERIA’S SUSTAINABLE PERFORMANCE APPROACH

The sustainable performance approach implemented by Sopra Steria earned several market awards in 2024 and in previous years, demonstrating the consistency, relevance and quality of the outcomes it has achieved over time.

MARKET RECOGNITION
    MSCI CSR   Sustainalytics   S&P Global   ISS CSR   ISS
QualityScore
Governance
  CDP – Climate
Change
  EcoVadis
Rating scale   AAA to CCC   Negligible risk = 0 to
Severe risk = 40+
  Percentile out of 280
companies in sector
  A+ to D-   1 (best) to 10 (worst)   A+ to D-   out of 100
Score   7,5/10   13,3/100   94/100   B   3 /10   A LIST   92/100
Category   AA Leader   Low risk       Prime           Top 1%
Platinum

2. Environmental information

Climate change is one of the biggest challenges facing humanity. As such, governments, businesses and civil society must work together to protect future generations. The European Union has responded to the United Nations appeal aimed at keeping global warming below 1.5°C by passing a law that includes a requirement to achieve a net-zero emissions economy by 2050. As a European Group and major technology player, Sopra Steria has, since the signing of the Paris Agreement, defined an environmental policy and an ambitious related action plan, covering reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the circular economy, protecting biodiversity and engaging with stakeholders along the entire value chain. Sopra Steria aims to ensure that environmental best practices are integrated into its operations, services delivered to clients and supply chain. The Company is committed to using digital technology as a measurement tool for its environmental footprint and a catalyst for the development of solutions capable of playing a proactive role in creating a sustainable world. These actions directly or indirectly contribute to the following Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): 6, 7, 9, 11, 12, 13, 15.

2.1. Climate change [E1]

2.1.1. PRESENTATION OF THE CONTEXT, MATERIAL IMPACTS, RISKS AND OPPORTUNITIES

Climate change mitigation and adaptation initiatives have been implemented by Sopra Steria since 2008 and constitute a major focus of the Group’s approach to environmental sustainability. With effect from 2015, strategic priorities and progress in this area have been shared annually in the Universal Registration Document (URD). The new requirements introduced by CSRD, such as double materiality assessment and reporting requirements in accordance with ESRS E1, are in line with Sopra Steria’s reporting practices.

2.1.1.1. Description of the processes to identify and assess material climate-related impacts, risks and opportunities [E1-IRO-1]

The climate-related impacts, risks and opportunities are identified and assessed using the process presented in Chapter 4 of this document, Section 1.3.1. However, the process integrates a few specificities directly relating to associated challenges, such as climate scenario analysis, detailed in the following paragraph on resilience analysis, as well as risk categorisation according to TCFD (Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures) recommendations, also explained in the next section. This approach is also applied to opportunities, which are grouped into six categories: Resource efficiency, Energy sources, Products and services, Markets, Resilience and Financial opportunities. The entire assessment examines three time horizons (short, medium and long term), as defined below, to ensure a comprehensive and prospective evaluation of climate issues in the Group’s activities.

2.1.1.2. Material impacts, risks and opportunities and their interaction with strategy and business model [E1-SBM-3]

MATERIAL IMPACTS, RISKS AND OPPORTUNITIES RELATED TO CLIMATE CHANGE
Description of the materiality of “Reducing and mitigating the carbon footprint” for
Sopra Steria (ESRS E1)
Time horizon
under
consideration
Stage of the
value chain
giving rise to
the IRO
Negative impact Greenhouse gas emissions related to constructing and maintaining digital infrastructure and equipment (for example, emissionsrelated to mineral extraction) Short term Upstream value chain
Negative impact Deteriorating health and/or well-being at work of the Group’s employees who may be exposed to the effects of climate change (extreme temperatures and/or climate conditions during their working time) Long term Sopra Steria’s own operations
Risk

(A) Political and Regulatory Risk: The growing complexity of environmental regulations exposes Sopra Steria to regulatory non-compliance risk and/or declining non-financial ratings (example: loss of investor trust due to a declining CDP score).

Medium term Sopra Steria’s own operations and downstream value chain
Risk

(B) Market Risk: Potential loss of competiveness and appeal linked to insufficient environmental performance relative to industry actors (commitments, achievements etc.) particularly in the context of increased impacts associated with digital technology (increased usage, artificial intelligence development, etc.) potential loss of contracts (CSR maturity score in some invitations to tender) and missed commercial opportunities in the absence of sufficient consideration of climate change in the offer.

Medium term Sopra Steria’s own operations and downstream value chain
Risk

(C) Reputational Risk: Failure to sufficiently take into account stakeholder expectations regarding sustainability (in particular climate change), particularly in planned mergers and acquisitions (M&A), controversies linked to planned mergers and acquisitions (M&A), poorly managed or monitored carbon capture projects, and insufficient management of the Group’s own “easily” controllable emissions, particularly from carbon-emitting modes of transport.

Medium term Entire value chain
Risk

(D) Physical Risk: Inability to manage the major disruptions related to natural disasters or the effects of climate change due to inadequate prevention plans and crisis management (increased costs, impact on operations, supply chain disruption, etc.).)

Long term Entire value chain
Opportunity

Products and services:

Developing low-impact solutions for climate change (sustainable IT) and

Developing innovative solutions to support clients in their transition to more sustainable business models (IT for Sustainability)

Short term Sopra Steria’s own operations and downstream value chain
Opportunity

Products and services:

Developing innovative solutions to support clients adapting to climate change (IT for Sustainability)

Short term Sopra Steria’s own operations and downstream value chain

Resilience analysis

Sopra Steria identifies and categorises climate-related risks in accordance with the TCFD (Task Force on Climate Related Financial Disclosures) guidelines, distinguishing physical risks and transition risks, as indicated in the double materiality assessment. The Group’s resilience analysis covers its entire value chain (operations, top-tier suppliers and clients) and assesses transition risks (Political, Regulatory, Market, Technological and Reputational risk) and physical risks (both acute and chronic) under three climate scenarios: Net-Zero Emissions by 2050, a sustainable development scenario and the IPCC RCP(1)8.5 scenario. This analysis is conducted yearly. Time horizons consist of short term (less than one year), medium term (one to five years) and long term (more than five years), in line with the Net-Zero 2040 target approved by SBTi. The results of the resilience analysis are described below:

Risk
category
  Risk sub-
category
  Material
risk
  Time
horizon
  Results of the resilience analysis
Transition
risks
  Market   (B)   MT   Under the RCP 8.5 scenario, demand for low-carbon services and solutions falls in countries and regions where carbon is weakly regulated (“business as usual”); elsewhere, demand is growing (in the IEA(2) NZE 2050 scenario and the SDS(3), demand for low-carbon services and solutions is increasing in the majority of countries where the Group operates – representing an opportunity).
  Policy and regulation   (A)   MT  

Under the IEA NZE 2050 scenario and the SDS, policies and regulations are consistent across countries and regions, broadening compliance and expanding markets and thereby reducing compliance costs and boosting demand for low-carbon solutions. However, increases in fossil fuel taxes and constraints and non-financial reporting requirements push up costs.

Under the RCP 8.5 scenario, varying requirements across countries and regions affect compliance and markets, leading to increased costs. European countries have set carbon neutrality targets and put in place regulations to encourage transition.

  Reputation   (C)   MT   Sopra Steria’s market positioning reflects its leadership in managing the environmental impact of climate change and its preparedness for stricter policies and regulations. Under the IEA NZE 2050 scenario and the SDS, this positioning gives Sopra Steria a commercial edge and prepares it for increased stakeholder attention to climate change.
                Under the RCP 8.5 scenario, weak carbon regulations in some countries and regions reduce the commercial edge derived from Sopra Steria’s positioning, while stricter carbon regulations elsewhere strengthen it.
Physical risks   Acute   (D)   LT  

Under all scenarios: more frequent and severe extreme weather events jeopardise access to and use of the Group’s offices.

Under the RCP 8.5 scenario, heat waves and drought impair the health and hinder the mobility of employees and their loved ones. Extreme weather events may also disrupt the operations of the Group’s suppliers and clients, particularly public services and data centres.

  • (1)Representative Concentration Pathways
  • (2)International Energy Agency
  • (3)Sustainable Development Scenario

Uncertainties

The three climate scenarios considered take into account uncertainties over physical and transition risks arising from a variety of sources.

Uncertainties about physical risks:

  • Climate projections: Climate models give only a range of possible future climate conditions (e.g. changes in temperature and precipitation patterns) and not a precise set of conditions.
  • Asset vulnerability: The performance of specific assets or operations in various weather conditions is not known.
  • Data limitations: Gaps and inaccuracies in data used to assess climate risk and asset resilience make such assessments uncertain.

Uncertainties about transition risks

  • Regulatory changes: Future climate-related regulations and policies affect compliance and operating costs, but their nature and impact are unknown.
  • Economic conditions: Climate change and associated regulatory changes result in fluctuations in economic conditions that affect investment decisions and resource availability.
  • Stakeholder reactions: How stakeholders (e.g. investors and clients) will react to climate-related risks and sustainability initiatives is uncertain, resulting in uncertainty as to their investment and spending plans.

Strategy resilience

In response to the material sustainability matters, the Group has established a programme setting out strategic priorities in this area and delivering continuous improvement. This programme factors in the climate change-related material matters. A general vision is presented in Section 1.1.1 (P. 119 to 120), with a more detailed version set out in Section 1.1.3.2 of this chapter (P. 124 to 129).

2.1.2. REDUCING AND MITIGATING THE CARBON FOOTPRINT, AND CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION

2.1.2.1. Climate change policy [E1-2 including MDR-P]

Sopra Steria’s climate policy provides an overall framework covering both climate change mitigation and adaptation. This policy is designed to manage material climate-related impacts, risks and opportunities throughout the organisation’s value chain.

The policy’s scope extends to all of Sopra Steria’s operations and covers all countries, relevant stakeholders and the entire value chain, from offices and data centres to suppliers, partners and clients. This extended coverage aims to take climate concerns into account at every level of the Company’s operations.

Responsibility for governing and implementing climate policy lie with the Group’s top management and involve the Chief Executive Officer and Head of the Sustainability & Corporate Social Responsibility Department and a member of the Executive Committee.

As well as ensuring compliance with current and emerging regulations, the policy is based on recognised norms and standards such as the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), the Sustainable Development Goals defined by the United Nations (SDG 13: “Climate action”; and SDG 7: “Affordable and clean energy” and SDG 9: “Industry, innovation and infrastructure”), ISO 14001, and carbon offsetting in accordance with the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS).

This policy has three key objectives: to support the transition to a low-carbon economy, with a target of achieving net-zero emissions by 2040; to adapt effectively to climate change; and to develop low-carbon solutions to support clients and the community.

The Group’s strategy is structured around five priority areas of action:

1. Decarbonising the Group’s entire value chain by reducing emissions from suppliers and partners, from offices, data centres, business travel and commuting, and from services the Group provides to its clients.
2. Continuously assessing the Group’s exposure to climate risk and bolstering its adaptability to climate change by ensuring that buildings, data centres, infrastructure and supply chains are resilient.
3. Incorporating environment-related concerns (including climate-related concerns) into the value proposition by developing and providing solutions that support the sustainability strategies of the Group’s clients. These issues are addressed in Section 5.2 of this chapter (P. 222 to 225).
4. Raising awareness throughout the value chain (suppliers, employees and clients), training employees in climate-related issues and involving them in addressing such issues.
5. Strengthening the Group’s impact beyond its value chain by financing projects dedicated to combating and adapting to climate change.

Sopra Steria’s climate policy takes into account the interests of its stakeholders, including employees, clients, suppliers, technology partners, investors and public authorities thanks to regular consultations, in particular through the independent experts Group. The stakeholder priorities addressed by this policy include, for example, employee safety, the contribution to clients’ sustainability objectives, suppliers’ involvement, regulatory compliance and transparency vis-à-vis investors. It encourages shared environmental responsibility throughout the value chain to ensure that stakeholders are aligned with the Group’s climate- and sustainability-related goals. This systemic approach aims to ensure that the policy is comprehensive and can be adapted to the needs of those who are impacted by or involved in its implementation.

2.1.2.2. Group transition plan [E1-1]

Sopra Steria has implemented a transition plan setting in motion the transformation of its activities, making them more sustainable in a low-carbon world. It contains action plans that must contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions on the Company’s own operations and on the whole of the value chain, in addition to emissions related to staff commuting and business travel. Through this transition plan, Sopra Steria is committed to supporting the United Nations and European Union goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C (in accordance with the Paris Agreement) and achieving a net-zero emissions economy by 2050. Sopra Steria’s climate transition plan is underpinned by a target of achieving net-zero emissions by 2040, validated by SBTi.

TRANSITION PLAN TARGETS VALIDATED BY SCOPE
Scope Baseline year Target for 2030 Target for 2040
Scopes 1+2 2019 -54% -90%
Scope 3 -37.5% -90%

Starting in 2040, the Group will offset the remaining 10% of GHG emissions from across the entire value chain to achieve the Net-Zero target in 2040. It should be noted that the Group has not yet drafted a policy on compensation, as the current priority is to reduce emissions.

DECARBONISATION LEVERS AND MAIN ACTIONS
Scope   Decarbonisation levers   Main actions

 

Scopes 1+2

 

(Offices and on-site data centres)

 

 

■  Reduce energy consumption

■  Prioritise renewable energy sources

 

 

Energy efficiency and renewables action plan

■  Implement an energy savings plan

■  Promote the use of renewable energy in the Group’s countries and entities and buy Energy Attribute Certificates to achieve 100% renewable electricity

■  Improve energy efficiency in offices and on-site data centres, for example by selecting new buildings with the highest environmental standards (BREEAM, HQE, LEED)

■  Use eco-efficient data centres with an effective cooling system and a constantly declining PUE (Power Usage Effectiveness)

ISO 14001 action plan

    ■  Prevent fugitive emissions  

■  Gradually increase the scope of Group-wide certification

 

Maintain and modernise cooling equipment

Scope 3

 

 

(Scopes 3-1: “Supply chain” and 3-8: “Off-site data centres”)

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Scopes 3-6: “Business travel” and 3-7: “Commuting”)

 

 

■  Pursue rational purchasing practices

■  Ensure purchased services are carbon-efficient

■  Replace the most emissions-intensive purchases with low-carbon solutions

 

 

 

■  Optimise travel

■  Replace the most emissions-intensive modes of transport

 

 

Responsible purchasing action plan

■  Involve key suppliers in carbon reduction efforts and obtain figures on in-scope emissions

■  Take into account sustainability criteria when selecting suppliers and making purchasing decisions

■  Minimise the Group’s IT footprint (for example, by purchasing equipment with a lower environmental impact and lengthening the lifespan of some equipment)

■  Opt for off-site data centres that use electricity from renewable sources with a low PUE

Sustainable mobility action plan

■  Reduce business travel and promote low-emissions transport options

■  Gradually transition from a vehicle fleet with combustion engines to electric vehicles

■  Put in place incentives to support the use of lower-carbon modes of transport

Multiple
scopes
  ■  Raise awareness  

Employee awareness and training action plan

■  Increase awareness and train employee on a variety of climate change issues, especially energy consumption, mobility and responsible digital technology

Locked-in emissions may dampen the pace of progress towards Sopra Steria’s targets, especially amid a gradual transition and increasing constraints (regulations, costs, market trends, etc.). Sopra Steria has identified three sources of locked-in emissions: data centres, clients’ IT infrastructure and property/travel. To address them, the Group’s preferred approach is to use data centres powered by renewables, IT sustainable design (e.g. using G4IT tool in projects), low-carbon offices and more sustainable forms of mobility.

To implement the Group’s transition plan, operating expenses (Opex) and capital expenditures (Capex) are incurred to support the different levers and action plans described above.

FINANCIAL RESOURCES ALLOCATED BY ACTION LEVER
Lever / Action plan (in millions of euros)  Operating expenses (Opex)      Capital expenditure (Capex)
Sustainable mobility  0.90  28.11(1)
Energy savings plan  0.35  20.90(2)
Renewable energy use  0.21  0.05
Responsible purchasing  0.20  0
ISO 14001  3.96  0
Awareness and training  0.04  0
Total (in millions of euros)  5.66  49.06
  • (1)Of which €27.9 million aligned with EU Taxonomy
  • (2)Total amount aligned with EU Taxonomy

It should be noted that these figures include both actual data and estimates (for certain Opex), prepared by extrapolating at Group level based on real data coming mostly from France. Details on these expenses are presented later in the document for each action plan.

With regard to the EU Taxonomy, operating expenses (Opex) and capital expenditures (Capex) are detailed in section 2.4 of this chapter (P. 161 to 169). Operating expenses (Opex) are not material and the Group has claimed a materiality exemption. Transition plan capital expenditures (Capex) is related to the “Sustainable mobility” action plan (increasing the number of low- to zero-emission vehicles in the fleet) and to the energy savings plan (5 buildings BREEAM or HQE-certified).

It should be noted that Sopra Steria is not excluded from the benchmarks aligned with the European Union’s Paris Agreement (EU Paris-aligned Benchmarks).

The climate transition plan is an integral part of a set of policies, plans and initiatives aimed at making environmental sustainability a reality within the Group. This set of policies, plans and initiatives is designed to be consistent with the Group’s business strategy, operations, and financial, control and reporting processes. In particular, the climate transition plan plays a key role in supporting the target of reaching net-zero by 2040. Sopra Steria’s transition plan is fully embedded in the sustainability governance framework put in place by the Group and presented in detail in Section 1.2 of this chapter (P. 131 to 136).

In addition, in 2024, the transition plan was integrated with application of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, which involved all the Group’s departments and entities, as well as influencing the Group’s overall strategy. Sopra Steria submitted its sustainability report to the Board of Directors, including the transition plan.

The Group has achieved a number of key milestones in implementing its transition plan:

  • 2013: Steria is the first digital services company in France to gain a climate change score of 100A from the CDP. Sopra Steria has now appeared on the “A List” for the past eight years;
  • 2014: Steria offset all of the emissions coming from its direct activities (offices, data centres and business travel)
  • 2017: Sopra Steria is the first digital services company to adopt a long-term emissions reduction target, aligned with an SBTi-approved 2°C trajectory
  • 2019: Emissions reduction target raised to align with a 1.5°C trajectory
  • 2023: Validation of a new SBTi Net Zero 2040-aligned objective

The Group publishes data annually on its GHG Protocol Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions, showing how they have changed each year and thereby tracking progress against its fixed climate targets. Data are audited externally.

2.1.2.3. Targets related to climate change mitigation and adaptation [E1-4 including MDR-T]

  GROUP DECARBONISATION TRAJECTORY

2.1.2.4. Action plans and resources related to climate change [E1-3 including MDR-A]

Each action plan relies on a dedicated monitoring system, built around objectives/targets, actions, allocated resources and associated metrics. This system, in compliance with CSRD standards, ensures rigorous management and continuous evaluation of the efficiency of policies and efforts implemented. The measures presented below do not include a description of any remediation actions because it is considered that the Group’s material impacts in this area do not cause harm requiring such actions.

  ACTION PLANS IN SUPPORT OF THE GROUP’S CLIMATE POLICY
Action plans Key actions Scope Time horizon Key advances
a. Sustainable procurement See the table entitled “Decarbonisation levers and main actions related to the Group’s objectives” in Chapter 4 of this report, Section 2.1.2.2. All Group countries and entities Short and medium term Prolong equipment lifespan, implement bimonthly meetings with the Purchasing Department and IT Department.
b. Energy efficiency and renewables All Group countries and entities Short term Quarterly follow-up of energy consumption and actions implemented to reach objectives
c. Sustainable mobility All Group countries and entities Short and medium term Implement a network of Group sustainable mobility officers with workshops and regular discussions.
d. Environmental management (ISO 14001) All Group countries and entities Short and medium term Certification of Latitude (major site for the Group) and of all CS Group sites in France
e. Employee awareness and training All Group countries and entities Short term International roll-out of the Climate Fresk, scaling up of sustainable design training
f. Climate change adaptation Prioritise buildings that comply with adaptation standards, audit sites, and maintain an insurance programme that covers a portion of climate risks. All Group countries and entities Short and medium term Discussions in-progress to define a new adaptation strategy
g. Taking action beyond our value chain

Finance innovation through Sustainability-Linked Loans (SLL)

Explore partnerships that contribute to carbon neutrality strategies

Collaborate with decision-makers and think tanks to create climate policies.

All Group countries and entities Short term Project financing through a Sustainability-Linked Loan
a. “Sustainable procurement” action plan

The Group Purchasing Department, in partnership with the SCSR Department, has put in place a responsible purchasing monitoring programme to help reduce GHG emissions across the Group’s value chain. The carbon footprint of IT purchasing remains significant (more than 40% of emissions) and concerns the purchasing of hardware (manufacture and distribution of equipment), and the use of IT services provided by third parties, particularly cloud providers (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS). As part of this approach, Sopra Steria Group has taken action to raise supplier awareness and support and engage suppliers in reducing their carbon impact.

This action plan was put in place in 2021 and covers the period out to 2030.

Targets related to responsible purchasing [MDR-T]

The responsible purchasing action plan is aligned with the Group’s SBTi low-carbon trajectory. It is competing to reduce scope 3 emissions by 37.5% by 2030 (relative to a 2019 baseline).

In addition, rollout of EcoVadis CSR assessments will continue in 2025, with the aim of covering 85% of target supplier expenditure (eligibility criterion of €150k).

Actions and resources in relation to responsible purchasing [E1-3 including MDR-A]

Main actions (carried out and planned for short term)

In 2024, Sopra Steria took actions built around the following principles:

  • Promoting purchasing products and services with a lower environmental impact;
  • Optimising PC life cycles: purchasing environmentally certified equipment, extending manufacturer warranties, recycling equipment (France);
  • Rationalising servers: centralising servers in data centres, pooling resources, decommissioning underutilised platforms and environments;
  • Launching a programme to evaluate equipment: life cycle analysis of equipment (LCA screening) based on internal inventories;
  • Helping suppliers reduce their GHG emissions.:
    • At the identification, selection and contracting stage: signing of the Code of conduct for suppliers and partners, integrating environmental criteria in invitations to tender., in-depth study of strategically important contracts;
    • throughout the partner relationship: extensive conversations with the main suppliers to boost reuse and publication of their GHG emissions; EcoVadis assessment of the main suppliers.

In 2024, over €900 million of supplier expenditure was assessed via the EcoVadis platform.

This action plan is also supplemented by a range of internal measures such as extending the lifespan of computers and other IT equipment, the responsible purchasing training plan for buyers and using the Group whistleblowing procedure in the event of risks of environmental damage.

Actions to come (medium term)

Sopra Steria plans to begin drafting an (internal) IT impact reduction plan for the 2025-2027 period. Based on the lifespan screenings conducted in 2024, this plan aims to reduce the related impacts by limiting the amount of equipment (terminals, networks, servers) and extending its useful life. This plan should also improve understanding and management of these impacts related to third-party IT services (especially cloud services). This should make it possible to:

  • Require suppliers to be transparent about their environmental impacts.
  • Obtain projected improvement plans for their impacts.

In addition, the Group plans to increase the scope of its impact analysis using a physical approach (LCA screening) to the digital technologies dedicated to our clients.

Financial resources

Implementing the responsible purchasing action plan requires both financial and human resources, expressed in terms of full-time equivalent (FTE) and estimated at 40% of one FTE in 2024 at Group level. In addition, specific costs are incurred, in particular for EcoVadis platform subscriptions, which are essential for assessing and monitoring our suppliers’ sustainability-related performance. Additional costs associated with internal training on this topic are also incurred. The sum of these operating expenses (Opex) is presented in the table showing financial resources allocated to the transition plan in Chapter 4, Section 2.1.2.2 of this document, under the “Responsible purchasing” heading.

Indicators related to responsible purchasing [MDR-M]

In 2024, 85% of Scope 3 emissions related to purchases. The Group succeeded in reducing its Scope 3 GHG emissions by 24% relative to 2019, and by 16% over the previous year.

This reduction is mainly due to improved data quality and increased precision in the methodology, particularly in terms of changes in emission factors to include inflation and specific factors for the United Kingdom.

Indicators are presented in the table showing emissions by scope in Section 2.1.2.5 of Chapter 4 of this document.

b. “Energy efficiency and renewables” action plan

In 2022, in light of the global energy crisis and the Group’s long-term greenhouse gas emissions reduction trajectory, Sopra Steria launched its energy savings action plan to reduce energy consumption at its offices (including miscellaneous(1)) and to increase the proportion of renewable energy it uses for its unavoidable energy consumption. The energy efficiency and renewables action plan is applicable in all the Group’s countries and to all its entities.

Targets related to energy efficiency and renewables [MDR-T]

The energy efficiency and renewables action plan is aligned with the Group’s SBTi low-carbon trajectory, and helps reduce the Group’s Scope 1 and 2 carbon footprint. In particular, Sopra Steria has set itself the following targets:

  • Maintain the proportion of the Group’s electricity consumption (at offices and on-site data centres) from renewables at 95% or more
  • Reduce energy consumption by 20% in 2030 compared with 2021.

This goal was introduced to comply with the tertiary decree in France, and then extended across the whole Group. It takes into account external growth due to new acquisitions.

The baseline year chosen was 2021. The year was marked by unusually low consumption because of the public health crisis.

By working with the Real Estate Department, it was possible to define these targets and identify the levers directly influencing energy consumption. The target is reviewed and signed off annually by the Chief Executive Officer and shared with country CEOs who align with, propose and contribute to the overall target.

Actions and resources in relation to energy efficiency and renewables [E1-3 including MDR-A]

Main actions (carried out and planned for short term)

Ever since it was launched, the energy savings plan has been built around three priorities, broken down into principles of action:

1. Heating and cooling:
  Limiting the temperatures and operating times of heating systems in winter and cooling systems in summer in keeping with the specific needs of each country and site
  Optimising air conditioning systems, notably in India, to reduce energy consumption while ensuring adequate levels of comfort The Group also targets a low PUE (Power Usage Effectiveness) by optimising air conditioning systems in its data centres.
(1) Miscellaneous” covers common areas (corridors, lifts, kitchens, toilets and car parks).
2. Lighting:
  Limiting lighting to what is strictly necessary and adapting it to activity levels in offices and other premises
  Replacing traditional bulbs with LED bulbs in most countries to reduce energy consumption
3. Using IT tools: Applying strict rules for digital tool use and data storage to minimise their energy impact

To complement the initiatives within the Group-wide action plan, countries can roll out initiatives independently:

Monitoring electricity consumption in real time in the United Kingdom to identify opportunities for improvement
Automating water pumps in India to optimise operation and reduce consumption

To oversee the roll-out and monitoring of these actions, a specific governance structure has been put in place consisting of Energy Savings Officers and Chief Sustainability Officers (CSOs), managed by the central Sustainability & Corporate Social Responsibility (SCSR) team.

In parallel, to lower greenhouse gas emissions at its offices and data centres, a high proportion of Sopra Steria’s electricity consumption continues to come from renewable sources under green power purchase agreements sealed directly with suppliers or using Guarantee of Origin certificates (GOs and REGOs in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, France, French Polynesia, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom) or International Renewable Energy Certificates (I-RECs in Brazil, Cameroon, Canada, China, Côte d’Ivoire, India, Lebanon, Morocco, Senegal, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, the United States and Tunisia).

Financial resources

Implementing the energy efficiency and renewables action plan requires operating expenses and capital expenditure. Operating expenses (Opex) include costs related to energy improvements and maintenance, such as converting to LED lighting, optimising air conditioning systems and other initiatives aimed at reducing energy consumption. At the same time, human resources are being mobilised to monitor and implement the energy savings plan, estimated at 15% FTE at Group and local level for each of the 10 relevant countries or entities.For renewables, operating expenses also cover the cost of purchasing Energy Attribute Certificates (EACs), ensuring that the electricity used comes from a sustainable source. Capital expenditures (Capex) include the rent increases in 5 BREEAM or HQE-certified buildings as well as the installation costs for solar panels in India. The whole of these expenditures, whether operating (Opex) or capital (Capex), is presented in the table of financial resources allocated to the transition plan in Chapter 4, Section 2.1.2.2 of this document under the “Energy savings plan” and “Renewables” headings.

Indicators related to energy efficiency and renewables [E1-5 including MDR-M]

The key performance indicators for this plan are energy consumption in offices and miscellaneous areas and the share of renewables in electricity consumption.

Energy consumption at offices covers electricity, fuel (fuel oil, diesel and natural gas) and district heating.

Energy consumption covers electricity, fuel (fuel oil, diesel and natural gas) and district heating.

A report is drawn up each quarter and shared and discussed with local energy officers before being presented more widely at meetings. These meetings are aimed at sharing not only results but also actions and practices so that everyone can play their part in achieving targets.

  ENERGY CONSUMPTION AND THE PROPORTION OF RENEWABLE ENERGIES
  2021 (baseline) 2023 2024
Energy consumption at offices (including miscellaneous) (MWh)  ü 58,590 44,861 54,094
Results compared to baseline year N/A -23% -8%
Renewable energy use for electricity consumption at offices (including miscellaneous) and on-site data centres (%)  ü 99.2 99.4 100

Energy consumption was higher in 2024 than in 2023, mainly due to the acquisition of Tobania and Ordina. However, thanks to the work completed as part of the Energy Savings Plan, which led to a 23% reduction in 2023, all countries managed to reduce their consumption in 2024, except from Benelux and France.

c. “Sustainable mobility” action plan

Mobility (commuting, business travel) accounts for 15% of Sopra Steria’s total emissions (all countries, all entities combined). Sustainable mobility is a key way of reducing the Group’s carbon footprint and achieving its decarbonisation objective. It has drawn up a formal action plan to champion best practices and use less impactful modes of transport within the Group.

Targets related to sustainable mobility [MDR-T]

The sustainable mobility action plan is aligned with the Group’s SBTi low-carbon trajectory to reduce the Group’s Scope 1 and 2 carbon footprint. In particular, Sopra Steria has set itself the following targets:

  • Targets for 2027:
    • Reduce mobility-related emissions by 65% relative to 2019
    • Reduce mobilityt-related emissions by 15% relative to 2024
  • Target for 2030: Reduce mobility-related emissions by 70% relative to 2019
  • Target for 2040: Reduce mobilityt-related emissions by 90% relative to 2019

The trajectory is aligned with the SBTi commitments, with a baseline year of 2019, corresponding to audited and validated Company data. The proposed targets for 2027, 2030 and 2040 do not represent a linear progression. The year 2027 represents a key intermediate step in the sustainable mobility plan, with ambitious targets that are achievable thanks to a dedicated action plan.

In setting these targets, the Group consulted stakeholders, mainly internally (employees through interviews and workshops), but also externally through the analysis of the commitments and practices of competitors (based on a benchmarking exercise).

Actions and resources in relation to sustainable mobility [E1-3 including MDR-A]

Main actions (carried out and planned for short term)

  • Business travel
    • Introduce shadow internal carbon pricing(1) to raise awareness and elicit changes in behaviour. This is already rolled out in France and the UK and to be expanded to all countries from 2025 onwards. The shadow carbon price, set at €85/tCO2(2), covers emissions generated by air, rail and road (car and taxi) travel and hotel stays;
    • Promote sustainable modes of transport and set policies that prioritise low-emission modes of transport;
    • Incorporate the sustainable mobility policy into the Group’s processes and systems to ensure it is implemented consistently at all levels.
  • Commuting
    • Explore potential financial incentives to support/encourage sustainable mobility by motivating employees to adopt new modes of transport (cycling, public transport and electric vehicles);
    • Prioritise sites that are well served by public transport, and make necessary changes to sites
    • Support transitioning the vehicle fleet to electric vehicles;
    • Promote cycling plans (in keeping with specific local needs).

A specific governance structure has been put in place to oversee the sustainable mobility plan. This consists of a dedicated steering committee, sustainable mobility officers and a Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO).

Financial resources

Implementing the sustainable mobility action plan requires both operating expenses (Opex) and capital expenditure (Capex).Operating expenses include costs for an external consultant to implement the Sustainable mobility programme at Group level, as well as the human resources mobilised for monitoring this sustainable mobility plan.The workload involved in monitoring this plan is estimated at Group and relevant country/entity level at 0.15 FTE.It also covers other initiatives, such as maintenance costs for electric vehicle charging stations and financing for the sustainable mobility package (especially in France).Capital expenditure (Capex) is mainly focused on asset enhancement for the electric and hybrid vehicle fleet (98% of total Capex), as well as specific facilities linked to mobility, such as changing rooms, bicycle parking and charging points for electric bicycles and cars.The whole of these expenditures, including Opex, is presented in the table of financial resources allocated to the transition plan in Section 2.1.2.2 of Chapter 4 of this document, under the “Sustainable mobility” heading.

Indicators related to sustainable mobility [E1-8 including MDR-M]

Progress against the sustainable mobility action plan is monitored using the following KPIs:

  • Business travel both at Group level and by entity/country (Scope 3-6)
  • Employee commuting and remote working both at Group level and by entity/country (Scope 3-7)

Indicators are presented in the table showing emissions by scope in Section 2.1.2.5 of Chapter 4 of this document.

Through its action plans, a more refined methodology and an enhanced collection of actual datapoints, the Group has succeeded in reducing emissions from business travel by 33% and those from commuting and remote working by 30% relative to 2023.

This change in methodology enabled a 14% reduction of emissions related to business travel and of 27% of emissions related to commuting and remote working.

  COVERAGE OF SHADOW INTERNAL CARBON PRICING BY SCOPE
  2022 2023 2024
Gross greenhouse gas emissions – Scope 1 and 2 by internal shadow carbon pricing (%) 0 0 0
Gross greenhouse gas emissions – Scope 3 by internal shadow carbon pricing (%) 4.16 5.29 4.17
  • (1)Here, shadow price means that the price used is not considered in the financial statements.
  • (2)The 2023 price was set based on market prices. Given the observed decline in prices and the virtual nature of shadow carbon pricing, the Group decided to maintain the same price in 2024.
d. “Environmental management (ISO 14001)” action plan

ISO 14001 is an internationally recognised standard that provides organisations with a framework for designing and implementing an EMS and continuously improving their environmental performance. To date, 19% of Sopra Steria’s sites representing 45% of the Group’s workforce have secured ISO 14001 certification. This action plan covers all Group entities and geographies.

Targets related to Environmental management (ISO 14001) [MDR-T]

For the medium term, the Group has set itself the following targets following collaboration between the Sustainability & Corporate Social Responsibility Department and the Property Department to make sure they are feasible:

  • Target for year-end 2026: at least 70% of Group employees to be based at sites that are ISO 14001-certified (or in the process of being certified)
  • Target for year-end 2028: at least 80% of employees to be based at such sites
  • Target for year-end 2030: at least 95% of employees to be based at such sites

By default, the baseline year adopted is the reporting year. The Group will start monitoring trends in the targets set from 2025.

Actions and resources related to Environmental management (ISO 14001) [E1-3 including MDR-A]

Main actions (carried out and planned for short term)

In France, Sopra Steria achieved certification for its new sites in Roanne and Aix in 2024.

Starting next year, the Group will be putting in place a centralisation process overseen by an Environmental Management Officer – France, with the aim of securing certification for the Annecy head office, as well as other sites in France and Germany, by early 2026.

The Group plans to secure certification for additional sites in India and France between 2028 and 2030.

Financial resources

Implementing the ISO 14001 certification action plan only requires certain operating expenses (Opex). These include the human resources assigned to managing the certifications. This charge estimated at one FTE per certified site, and 40% FTE at Group level. These expenditures also include costs related to audits and certification, monitoring of regulations and ISO 14001 training expenses, essential for ensuring compliance and maintaining Group level certification. These costs are consolidated in the table of financial resources allocated to the transition plan presented in Chapter 4, Section 2.1.2.2 of this document under the “ISO 14001” heading.

Indicators related to environmental management (ISO 14001) [MDR-M]

The key performance indicators for monitoring this plan are the proportion of certified sites and the proportion of employees working at certified sites. A report is published each year and shared and discussed with local energy officers before being presented more widely. The purpose of these meetings is to share not only results but also actions and practices so that everyone can play their part in achieving targets.

  EMPLOYEES ASSIGNED TO AN ISO 14001 CERTIFIED SITE
  2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Employees working at ISO 14001 sites (%) 35 40 41 45 50
Certified sites (%) 12 14 15 19 24

No assumption or estimation is applied to these indicators.

e. “Employee awareness and training” action plan

Sopra Steria aims to train and raise awareness of environmental issues among its employees by offering dedicated training accessible to all on a number of topics such as combating climate change and adopting responsible digital technology. Through this training, each and every Sopra Steria employee has the opportunity to become an agent of change.

This action plan incorporates the Climate Fresk and the 2tonnes workshop and it covers all the Group countries and entities.

Targets related to employee awareness and training [MDR-T]

By 2027, the Group aims to have trained 7,000 employees on climate-related issues.

The baseline year is 2022, the year that awareness-raising on climate-related issues was first introduced.

The target was set after analysis of the deployment figures in France and consultation between the Academy, the Sustainability & Corporate Social Responsibility Department and an external service provider.

Actions and resources in relation to employee awareness and training [E1-3 including MDR-A]

Main actions (carried out and planned for short term)

Climate Fresk was rolled out in France in 2022 and began to be rolled out across the entire Group in 2024. A number of actions were implemented:

  • Training sessions for Climate Fresk workshop trainers
  • Coaching sessions run by expert Climate Fresk workshop trainers at country level to train up new workshop trainers
  • Local events (“Freskathon”) to promote workshops
  • Gathering initiatives from employees at the end of each Climate Fresk workshop to help strengthen collective engagement and turn ideas into practical action
  • Deployment in 2023 of the 2tonnes workshops in France and follow-up.

To oversee the roll-out and monitoring of these actions, a specific governance structure has been put in place consisting of Climate Fresk workshop trainers, Chief Sustainability Officers (CSOs) and local Academy coordinators, managed by the central Sustainability & Corporate Social Responsibility (SCSR) team.

Financial resources

The employee awareness action plan is funded solely through operating expenses (OpEx). These expenses are mainly usage fees for Climate Fresk and 2tonnes licences, coaching expenses for the countries and costs relating to Train the Trainers programmes.In addition, there are expenses relating to travel by workshop trainers for the purposes of implementing training and rolling it out at Group level. These costs are consolidated in the table of financial resources allocated to the transition plan presented in Chapter 4, Section 2.1.2.2 of this document under the “Awareness and training” heading.

Indicators related to employee awareness and training [MDR-M]

The key performance indicator for monitoring this plan is the number of employees and workshop trainers trained.

Raw data is collected and analysed each month and a report is shared with country- and entity-specific local officers at monthly meetings.

  EMPLOYEES TRAINED ON CLIMATE-RELATED ISSUES
  2022 2023 2024
Number of employees trained on climate-related issues 275 1,600 2,520
Number of workshop trainers trainedon climate-related issues 23 87 135

In addition to Climate Fresk and the 2tonnes Workshop, other training is aimed at deepening employees’ understanding and targeted at specific issues, examples being Digital Collage, sustainable design training (see Section 5.2 of Chapter 4 of this document for further details on responsible digital technology), the ISO 14001 e-learning course and other in-house training in entities and countries where the Group operates. These initiatives round out and supplement the Group’s overall approach to raising awareness.

f. “Climate change adaptation” action plan

Sopra Steria’s adaptation plan is an overall framework aimed at addressing the growing impact of climate change across all Group countries and entities. The plan, which is aligned with international adaptation strategies while taking into account specific local features and challenges, lays the foundations for sustainable and resilient growth in the face of climate-related challenges.

Targets related to climate change adaptation [MDR-T]

To date, the Group has not defined quantitative targets, only qualitative targets, which are:

  • Ensure the Group adapts robustly to climate change by boosting resilience and reducing the vulnerability of critical assets such as buildings, data centres and infrastructure, as well as supply chains.
  • Address and mitigate physical risks associated with climate events, such as flooding, extreme heat waves, drought, hurricanes and cyclones.
  • Commit to continuously improve working conditions to increase the safety and well-being of all employees.
  • Develop adaptation solutions for clients.

Actions and resources in relation to Climate change adaptation [E1-3 including MDR-A]

Main actions (carried out and planned for short term)

  • Continuously assess climate- and weather-related risks liable to adversely affect productivity, employees and assets such as buildings and data centres, paying particular attention to vulnerable regions such as Spain, southern France and India.
  • Prioritise modern, resilient buildings that comply with the most recent climate change adaptation standards.
  • Audit sites and ensure they are equipped with robust services such as efficient air conditioning, in keeping with the extension of the ISO 14001 certification.
  • Maintain a comprehensive insurance programme covering property damage and operating loss should the risks linked to climate change materialise.
  • Work with partners to design digital solutions to help clients better adapt to climate change.

Main actions (medium term)

Assess the feasability and relevance of quantitative targets and key performance indicators to monitor and assess the impact and relevance of the Group’s actions under the adaptation plan.

g. “Taking action beyond our value chain” action plan

SBTi defines the Beyond Value Chain Mitigation (BVCM) initiative as a mechanism through which companies can accelerate their overall net-zero transformation by going beyond simply achieving science-based targets. By participating in this initiative, Sopra Steria intends to be seen as a leading player in climate action among its clients, its suppliers and its employees.

Targets for taking action beyond our value chain [MDR-T]

To date, the Group has not defined quantitative targets, only qualitative targets, which are:

  • Investment: Fund projects that address environmental and social impacts by supporting the global transition to a net-zero world that champions equal opportunity.
  • Carbon credits: Fund carbon offset schemes, notably through afforestation projects, to achieve climate neutrality for direct operations.
  • Reputation-building: Affirm Sopra Steria’s position as a leader on climate action by actively supporting mitigation strategies that go beyond the value chain (BVCM).

Actions and resources for taking action beyond our value chain [E1-3]

Main actions (carried out and planned for short term)

  • Develop sustainability-linked loans and boost funding for innovation by leveraging digital expertise to support innovative startups and companies, and offer solutions aimed at mitigating the effects of climate change and facilitating adaptation. In 2024, two innovative projects were selected to receive financing of €100k each in the form of donations.
  • Explore and continue to work with partners at the cutting edge of carbon offsetting. Since 2020, Sopra Steria has invested in carbon capture projects via afforestation under the banner of the UN Climate Neutral Now programme. By using carbon offsets from these projects(1), the Company was able to meet its target of achieving Climate Neutral Now certification across all direct activities in 2021. The GHG emissions sequestered under these projects are checked by the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) and have obtained Compliance Certification Board (CCB) certification.
  • Explore and continue to work with partners at the cutting edge of carbon offsetting. Since 2020, Sopra Steria has invested in carbon capture projects via afforestation under the banner of the UN Climate Neutral Now programme. By using carbon offsets from these projects(1), the Company was able to meet its target of achieving Climate Neutral Now certification across all direct activities in 2021. The GHG emissions sequestered under these projects are checked by the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) and have obtained Compliance Certification Board (CCB) certification.
  • Innovate, influence and shape climate policy by continuing to proactively work with public and institutional decision-makers and think tanks while playing a role in policy development.

Indicators for taking action beyond our value chain [E1-7 including MDR-M]

The indicator used for this action plan is the amount of GHG emission reductions or removals in relation to direct activities (offices, data centres, and business travel) resulting from climate change mitigation projects outside the value chain.

Indicators are presented in the table showing emissions by scope in Section 2.1.2.5 of Chapter 4 of this document.

2.1.2.5. GHG emissions by scope [E1-6]

  BREAKDOWN OF GHG EMISSIONS BY SCOPE FOR SOPRA STERIA
      Retrospective   Milestones and target years
   Baseline year  2023  2024 % 2024/2023 2030  2040  Annual %
target /
Baseline year
Scope 1 GHG emissions                    
Gross Scope 1 GHG emissions (tCO2e)  4,719  2,140  2,746 28%        
Percentage of Scope 1 GHG emissions from regulated emission trading schemes (%)   0  0  0 0        
Scope 2 GHG emissions             54%  90%  -53%
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions (location-based) (tCO2e)   16,611   9,833   9,644 -2%        
Gross Scope 2 GHG emissions (market-based) (tCO2e)   1,857   252   366 45%          
Significant Scope 3 GHG emissions                    
TOTAL GROSS INDIRECT (SCOPE 3) GHG EMISSIONS (TCO2E)   382,696   345,327   291,092 -16%        
1. Products and services purchased   270,835   285,988   248,879 -13%        
2. Property, plant and equipment                      
3. Energy-related emissions not included in Scopes 1 and 2  5,464  3,822  4,670 22%        
4. Goods transport (upstream)                   
5. Waste  296  69  33 -52%        
6. Business travel  34,687  18,406  12,267 -33%        
7. Employee commuting and remote working  66,778  32,895  23,051 -30% 37.5%  90%  -24%
8. Off-site data centres  1,250  108  111 3%        
9. Goods transport (downstream)                   
10. Processing of sold products                   
11. Use of sold products                   
12. End of life of sold products                   
13. Tenants  494  204  164 -20%        
14. Franchises                   
15. Investments  2,892  3,835  1,916 -50%        
TOTAL GHG EMISSIONS                   
Total GHG emissions (location-based) (tCO2e)  404,026  357,300  303,481 -15% N/A  N/A  N/A
Total GHG emissions (market-based) (tCO2e)  389,272  347,719  294,203 -15% N/A  N/A  N/A

The table above concerns all the Group’s countries and entities. Moreover, by way of derogation from the principle adopted by Sopra Steria of alignment between financial and non-financial statements, and with the intention of providing transparent environmental information that reflects the actual carbon impact (see Chapter 3 of the GHG Protocol “Setting Organizational Boundaries”), Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions calculations include the scope of subsidiaries as soon as the Group takes control of them, as well as of the Sopra Banking Software subsidiary through to completion of the sale, for the period 1 January 2024 to 31 August 2024. As of 1 September, the SBS subsidiary had been removed from the scope and consequently environmental indicators no longer include the scope of this entity.

(1) The Ceibo afforestation project located in eastern Uruguay is one of these carbon capture projects via afforestation. The project covers around 22,000 hectares of land, and its objective is to convert the grasslands destroyed by a long history of cattle grazing into transformative forestry plantations that will help to restore the land, while improving soil quality through water retention and the delivery of micro-nutrients, and preventing soil erosion. These well-managed forestry plantations produce long-life timber, while sequestering large quantities of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

The methodology used is compliant with the GHG Protocol (Homepage | GHG Protocol(1)). 68% of the figure for Scope 1 and 2 emissions is based on real data. Under Scope 3, the amount under Category 1 is an estimate based on financial data; the amounts under the other Categories are mostly based on direct measurements of activity.

In 2024, Sopra Steria held an 11.07% stake in 74Software (formerly Axway Software). Scope 3, Category 13: Emissions arising from investments correspond to the emissions of 74Software (formerly Axway Software) as a tenant of office space belonging to Sopra Steria, and Sopra Steria’s share of the other emissions of 74Software (formerly Axway Software) is also reported under this indicator (Scope 3, Category 15). The Group estimated that 74Software (formerly Axway Software) accounted for about 17,000 tCO2e of GHG emissions for Scopes 1, 2 and 3 (upstream). Accordingly, emissions relating to Sopra Steria amounted to 1,916 tCO2e (11.07% * 17,311 tCO2e).

The emissions intensity of our global direct activities (offices, data centres and business travel) in 2024 was 0.30 tCO2e per employee.

The emissions intensity of our global direct activities in 2024 was 5.77 tCO2e per employee.

The emissions intensity of our global direct activities in 2024 was 50.93 tCO2e per millions of euros of revenue.

Additional tables with details for each country are available on Sopra Steria’s website. The website also includes information on the carbon offsetting projects.

3. Social information

Sopra Steria’s business model relies on building trust-based social dialogue and interpersonal relationships at every link in the value chain, with the top priority being to uphold and promote human rights. The Group upholds to the principles and fundamental entitlements of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948. It also upholds the fundamental conventions of the International Labour Organization (ILO) and is committed to:

 

  • Complying with European Community and domestic labour law, and collective bargaining agreements in each country where the Group operates or, if necessary, putting in place measures intended to improve labour relations;
  • Upholding, in particular, freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining in each relevant country, and ensuring the elimination of forced or compulsory labour and the effective abolition of child labour.

 

Sopra Steria promotes a corporate culture and implements procedures aimed at strenghtening its human rights commitments across the value chain, including for employees of its partners, end-users of Sopra Steria’s clients, and the populations of countries where the Group is active.

 

Furthermore, the Group firmly condemns modern slavery and human trafficking as well as discrimination in respect of recruitment and employment. These commitments are formalised notably through its Code of Ethics (for more information, see Section 4.1, “Ethics and compliance” of the present chapter). Sopra Steria has been a signatory of the United Nations Global Compact since 2004. In keeping with these commitments, a corporate social responsibility policy was implemented to safeguard the health and safety of every employee and ensure that everyone is treated with dignity and respect at work. The goal is to foster a supportive work environment where everyone feels recognised and valued irrespective of origin, gender, age or disability. Sopra Steria also implemented initiatives and actions meant to benefit local communities and end-users. These actions directly or indirectly contribute to the following Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10.

3.1. Sopra Steria employees [S1]

3.1.1. INTRODUCTION TO THE CONTEXT, MATERIAL IMPACTS, RISKS AND OPPORTUNITIES [S1-SBM-3]

The digital sector is a key sector in constant growth of which the transformation has accelerated as usages have diversified and associated challenges have multiplied (cybersecurity, responsible digital technology, etc.). The Group is transforming itself to meet clients’ expectations by addressing their business challenges, combining the services and solutions it offers as part of an end-to-end approach and maintaining a responsible long-term vision. As a part of this effort, it seeks to continually develop employees’ ability to adapt to technological and market changes.

The Group’s business model is intrinsically linked to employee skills, engagement and performance everywhere it operates. The double materiality assessment (see Section 1.1.3.1, “Results of the double materiality assessment” of the present chapter) revealed that matters pertaining to Company’s employees were particularly important because of the impact on employees and on Sopra Steria’s financial performance.

  MATERIAL IMPACTS, RISKS AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR SOPRA STERIA WORKFORCE
Description of the materiality of “Priority to training and skills” for Sopra
Steria (ESRS S1)
  Time horizon
under
consideration
  Stage of the value chain
giving rise to the IRO
Negative impact   Potential impact on employability and career path of inadequate skills development, particularly in technology skills (including AI), which require systematic and rapid upskilling   Medium term   Sopra Steria’s own operations
Risks   Reputational, business and financial risk if there is a mismatch between strategy, client needs and available skills, particularly in the areas of digital sustainability and AI   Medium term   Sopra Steria’s own operations
Opportunities   Reputational benefits of a career and skills management programme in terms of attracting and retaining talent   Medium term   Sopra Steria’s own operations
Description of the materiality of “Equal opportunities and diversity” for
Sopra Steria (ESRS S1)
  Time horizon
under
consideration
  Value chain activity giving
rise to the IRO
Negative impact   Potential impact of unequal access to promotions and professional development opportunities based on gender, origin, age or disability   Short term   Sopra Steria’s own operations
Risks   Reputational risk, potential financial penalties and loss of competitive advantage among clients and investors if if non-compliance with workplace gender equality indicators regulatory requirements in a sector where there is a shortage of female talent   Short term   Sopra Steria’s own operations
  Reputational risk that could limit the Company’s ability to recruit and understand some markets if certain profiles are underrepresented in the workforce, potentially resulting in missed opportunities and adversely affecting the Company’s performance   Medium term   Sopra Steria’s own operations
Opportunities   Reputational benefits of a system ensuring equal opportunities in recruitment and career development in terms of attracting and retaining talent   Medium term   Sopra Steria’s own operations
Description of the materiality of “Employee protection and trust” for
Sopra Steria (ESRS S1)
  Time horizon
under
consideration
  Value chain activity giving
rise to the IRO
Negative impacts   Potential impact on employee health of inadequate management of work-related stress, discrimination and harassment   Short term   Sopra Steria’s own operations
  Potential impact on employees' health due to a demanding work environment, heavy workloads and high levels of stress that could compromise work-life balance   Medium term   Sopra Steria’s own operations
Risks   Risk ranging from loss of competitive advantage to financial and criminal penalties if there is a lack of appropriate measures to prevent and manage psychological risks, discrimination and harassment that could adversely affect employee engagement and be detrimental to employees' health   Short term   Sopra Steria’s own operations
Opportunities   Reputational benefits of proximity management promoting trust, social interaction and employee satisfaction in terms of attracting and retaining talent   Short term   Sopra Steria’s own operations
Description of the materiality of “Pormotion of social dialogue” for Sopra
Steria (ESRS S1)
  Time horizon
under
consideration
  Value chain activity giving
rise to the IRO
Negative impact   Potential impact on employees’ ability to defend their rights and participate in social dialogue as a result of unequal representation on collective bargaining bodies   Medium term   Sopra Steria’s own operations
Risks   Operational risk arising from a deterioration in social dialogue, potentially resulting in internal tensions, preventing the Company from pursuing its projects and limiting its ability to make decisions supported by employees and their representatives   Medium term   Sopra Steria’s own operations
  Reputational risk arising from the uncontrolled disclosure of sensitive information   Short term   Sopra Steria’s own operations

Taking into consideration the activities and characteristics of the Group’s employees (see Section 3.1.2.4. “Characteristics of employees” of the present chapter), the impacts, risks and opportunities pertaining to its employees and non-employees, regardless of the activity or region of the world where it operates. Given the nature of its business, the Group has relatively little exposure to human rights violations, including forced labour and child labour.

The Group’s workforce mainly consists of employees on permanent contracts with at least a master’s degree or equivalent. A minority of employees are on temporary, work-linked training contracts or standing in for other employees (see Section 9, “Workforce and environmental indicators” of the present chapter). Non-employees represent a minority of the Group’s workforce, mainly self-employed workers and external providers.

The double materiality assessment (see Section 1.1.3.1, “Results of the double materiality assessment” of the present chapter) did not show any other categories of employees particularly exposed to the identified risks other than women, who are underrepresented in the digital sector. This analysis also showed that identified impacts, while rare, can have lasting effects if they arise The Group ensures that its internal practices do not cause or contribute to any material negative impacts for its employees, by embedding assessment and prevention mechanisms within its operational processes. At this stage, no significant negative impacts arising from the Group’s transition plan for climate change mitigation (se Section 2.1 of the present chapter) have been identified.

3.1.2. GENERAL HUMAN RESOURCES POLICY

3.1.2.1. Overview of HR policy [S1-1 including MDR-P]

Sopra Steria’s Human Resources policy serves the Company Project and provides a common Group-wide framework covering all business areas, entities and countries. It defines the Group’s strategic direction with respect to its employees and directly contributes to impact, risk and opportunity management.

The Human Resources policy is structured around several key elements:

  • The Core Competency Reference Guide and the Compensation Reference Guide provide a shared framework for understanding the Group’s professions, appraising employees and supporting career development.
  • Recruitment, based on the principles of equal opportunity and non-discrimination, leverages the Employee Value Proposition (EVP) and the employer brand to attract top talent.
  • Career management motivates employees, involves them in the Group’s corporate plan and offers them dynamic careers thanks to management and structured processes.
  • Skills management and training allow to anticipate changes and skills development requirements to optimise the workforce and guarantee employability.
  • Specific development plans: Programmes for “High-Potential employees” and senior executives.
  • Developing employee engagement and satisfaction to foster motivation and strengthens a sense of belonging and buy-in to the Group’s corporate plan by encouraging a culture of feedback.

Sopra Steria’s Human Resources policy is updated annually by the Group’s Human Resources Department, with support from the Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility Department, in keeping with the strategic priorities set by Executive Management. In implementing this policy, the Group Human Resources Director is supported by a network of country and/or subsidiary Human Resources Directors.

This policy is communicated to all relevant stakeholders to ensure that it is consistently understood and implemented. It is shared with those in charge of deploying it and accessible to all employees via the intranet.

3.1.2.2. Targets related to the general HR policy [S1-5including MDR-T]

The table below presents the 2025 objectives set in 2021 at Group level:

Material
matter(s)
covered
Target for 2025 Results for
2024
  Results for
2023
  Progress
observed
  Baseline value
(2021)
1. Priority to training and skills 100% of employees attend at least one training session every year 100%   100%   -   100%
Management & Leadership programme fully deployed at Group level 100%   100%   -   Launched in France in 2021. 41.7% of scope: France
2. Equal opportunities and diversity Increase the proportion of women in the Executive Committee 18.7%   16.7%   +2%   17.6%
Increase the proportion of women in the 3% most senior positions (Level 5 and up) 21.4%   20.1%   +1.3%   N.A.
Increase the proportion of women in the 10% most senior positions (Level 4 and up) 22.3%   21.5%   +0.8%   19.4%
Increase the proportion of women managers (Level 3 and up) 26.3%   26.0%   +0.3%   N.A.
Increase the proportion of employees with disabilities to 3.30% (scope: France) 3.94%   3.60%   +0.3%   2.96%
100% of employees have access to a non-discrimination training module 100%   100%   -   96.3%
3. Employee protection and trust 100% of employees have access to a workplace well-being programme(1) 100%   100%   -   97.7%
Overall satisfaction rate: Keeping Sopra Steria in the European and global Great Place To Work rankings (new target set following the Great Place To Work survey) No new survey carried out in 2024   77%   -   2023 results are the baseline value
Exceed 75% satisfaction on the five criteria relating to respect, fairness, pride of belonging, confidence and employee empowerment (new target set following the Great Place To Work survey) No new survey carried out in 2024   -   -   2023 results are the baseline value
4. Promotion of social dialogue Maintain high-quality social dialogue and successfully implementing collective bargaining agreements 55.1% of scope: Group   -   -   -

Targets shown are defined according to the Group’s strategic priorities. They are set, measured and tracked over a given period. Relevant stakeholders (Executive Management, the Human Resources Department, the Sustainability & Corporate Social Responsibility Department and employee representatives, etc.) are involved in solution-building depending on the topic. The findings are presented to the stakeholders annually, along with feedback to identify areas for improvement. In 2024, marginal changes were made. Firstly, the target on the proportion of women in Level 5 and 6 positions was raised (initially set at 20% by the Board of Directors in 2021, it was reviewed and increased to 23% at 31 December 2025). Secondly, targets relating to the Great Place To Work survey, to employee protection and trust, were set in 2023 for the period 2023-2030. This demonstrates the Group’s commitment to monitoring its policies effectively and adjusting targets where required. This purpose of the Great Place To Work survey is described below.

(1) The workplace well-being programme includes training in the form of talks and workshops on issues relating to health and work-life balance. 

3.1.2.3. Tracking the effectiveness of Human Resources policy through employee engagement and satisfaction [S1-4]

As part of its broad transformation and continuous improvement strategy, the Group continues to conduct annual consultations with employees through an employee feedback collection encompassing two main perception surveys: Happy Trainees World (audience: interns and work-linked training students) and Great Place To Work (audience: permanent and temporary employees, interns and work-linked training students present for at least three months). These two surveys aim to evaluate engagement, satisfaction and quality of life at work through relationships between employees, colleagues and managers.

The surveys are managed by the Group Human Resources Director, and follow-up is led by Executive Management and the Executive Committee. A network of country and/or subsidiary CEOs and Human Resources Directors assist with the deployement and implementation of any actions resulting.

In 2024, the schedule for the annual GPTW survey was adjusted. Starting 2025, it will be carried out in the second quarter of each year. This will make it possible to consult employees after the individual performance feedback cycle has taken place and annual targets have been clearly set.

Late 2023, a total of 51,787 employees were invited to complete the Group’s last survey. The analysis of the findings allowed an improvement plan to be developed jointly by employees and management as a whole. This Group-wide plan is structured around three key priorities:

  • Taking action at Group level: Sharing the Group’s strategic vision; setting in motion a proactive policy of promoting and recognising employees at annual HR Committee meetings; ensuring that the leadership model is applied; maintaining a clear and transparent communication strategy with employees;
  • Taking action on the front lines: Putting in place a decentralised structure. Each country has appointed a team leader with responsibility for identifying and deploying a specific action plan for initiatives such as introducing interactive communications via live events, highlighting HR systems and processes, testimonials, enriching local HR programmes and implementing initiatives to address areas for improvement identified at the local level by the survey;
  • Coordinating progress: Creating a dedicated Group-level unit to help countries implement action plans and share best practices. It relies in particular on strong collaboration with the community of Great Place To Work Project Leaders, through year-round monthly meetings and an annual in-person Kick Off.

This long-term action plan may be amended depending on how the survey findings evolve.

As regards the findings of the end 2023 survey, the high participation rate (82%) once again highlighted the fact that employees are committed to the improvement and transformation process instigated by the Group. 77% of them think Sopra Steria is a great place to work.

The main strengths brought to light are:

  • Respect for others: Sopra Steria is one of the top performers in the Great Place To Work ranking in terms of fair treatment (People here are treated fairly regardless of their origin: 93%; People here are treated fairly regardless of their sexual orientation: 93%);
  • Teamwork: People care about each other (83%) and new recruits are made to feel welcome (87%);
  • Integrity: Management is honest and ethical in its business practices (84%);
  • Engagement: Employees feel they make a difference to the organisation (78%) and are willing to give extra to get the job done (80%)

The main areas for improvement relate to continuing the standardisation of management principles and corporate culture and clarifying management’s expectations and fairness in relation to promotion and recognition.

Thanks to these strong results, the Group is part of the Best Workplace ranking of global companies. In 2023, based on the findings of the 2022 survey, Sopra Steria ranked as follows:

  • 16thout of the 25 Best Workplaces in Europe 2023.

3.1.2.4. Workforce characteristics [S1-6]

For many years, the Group’s growth relied on a proactive employment policy of recruiting and developing employees’ skills. This policy, along with a working environment that favours professional development and employee well-being, contributes to attract and retain talent.

External growth is also a strong driver of the Group’s development and increased business volumes. Through various acquisitions in 2024, the Group can offer a global response to its clients’ needs in terms of transformation and competitiveness.

At 31 December 2024, the Group employed 51,000 people of 119 different nationalities from 25 countries, forming a network of multicultural, multiskilled teams. This change in the headcount compared with 2023 is due in part to acquisitions and disposals completed during the year. In September 2024, Sopra Steria finalised the sale of most of Sopra Banking Software’s (SBS) activities to 74Software (formerly Axway Software). Up to that point, employees of Sopra Banking Software had accounted for 6.1% of the Group’s total workforce. In 2024, 7,436 new employees were recruited (vs 9,629 in 2023), in a context of slowed market growth. Permanent contracts remain the most common form of contract. This confirms the Group’s long-standing commitment to offer stable jobs while promoting access to employment for young people on permanent contracts and work-linked training (100% of employees on fixed-term contracts were work-linked training students, the same as 2023).

Employees are mainly based in the following geographies: Benelux, France, Germany, India, Norway, Spain and the United Kingdom. This scope accounted for 93% of the Group’s total workforce in 2024 outside of acquisitions, (vs 94.0% in 2023) (see Section 9 “Workforce and environmental indicators” of the present chapter, in the table entitled “Workforce by geographic area”).

The Group’s employee turnover rate is 14.1%, which reflects the momentum of the business. The Group recorded 8,177 departures in 2024 compared to 9,072 in 2023 (including ending of fixed-term contracts). Excluding transfers between companies, 84.4% of departures were voluntary (versus 83.7% in 2023). Women accounted for 31.4% of voluntary departures and 26.5% of all the Group’s departures in 2024. The turnover calculation method includes departures of employees who joined the company less than 6 months ago and excludes Sopra Banking Software. To facilitate comparison, this method was also applied to calculate the turnover rate in financial year 2023, presented in this chapter.

  WORKFORCE CHARACTERISTICS
Key employment figures (1) 2024 2023
Total workforce (acquisitions included) 50,988(3) 55,833
Total FTE (excluding interns) 49,803 48,959
Permanent contracts 97.7% 96.5%
Temporary contracts 2.3% 2.9%
Full-time workforce (permanent contracts) 94.1% 94.1%
Part-time workforce (permanent contracts) 5.9% 5.9%
New arrivals 7,436 9,629
Turnover(2) 14.1% 16.1 %
Average length of service for employees on permanent contracts (in years) 7.5 7.3
  • (1)These indicators are calculated on the basis of headcount from actual data extracted directly from information systems. No estimates are made.
  • (2)Excludes transfers and includes departures of employees who arrived less than six months previously.
  • (3)See Chapter 5, “Consolidated financial statements”.
  WORKFORCE CHARACTERISTICS BY GENDER  ü
Indicators in 2024 Women Men Total
Number of employees (including acquisitions) 16,589 34,399 50,988
Number of employees (excluding acquisitions) 16,429 34,216 50,645
Number of employees on permanent contract (excluding acquisitions) 16,032 33,424 49,456
Number of employees on temporary contract (excluding acquisitions) 397 792 1,189
Number of non-guaranteed hours employees 0 0 0
Full- and Part-time workforce
(permanent contracts)(1)
  Women   Men   Total
  Absolute value % Absolute value % Absolute value %
Full-time employees 14,001 87.3% 32,543 97.4% 46,544 94.1%
Part-time employees 2,031 12.7% 881 2.6% 2,912 5.9%
(1) To ensure that the information published is of high quality and representative, Sopra Steria has chosen not to publish indicators relating to the proportion of full- and part-time temporary employees for this first year of CSRD reporting.

Indicators definitions and hypothesis

Unless stated otherwise, workforce indicators are calculated on the basis of the number of employees on permanent and temporary contracts. The following definitions are used:

  • Permanent contract: Full-time or part-time employment contract entered into with an employee for an indefinite period.
  • Fixed-term contract: Full-time or part-time employment contract entered into with an employee and expiring at the end of a specific period or on completion of a specific task lasting an estimated period.
  • Frequency rate of workplace accidents in France: Calculated in business days, using the following formula: (Number of workplace accidents with medical leave × 1,000,000) / Total number of hours worked by total workforce in the year.
  • Severity rate of workplace accidents in France: (Number of working days lost due to workplace accidents × 1,000) / Total number of hours worked by total workforce in the year.
  • Medical leaves continuing on as a result of workplace accidents that occurred the previous year are not counted.
  • Absenteeism rate: Calculated in business days and on the basis of the average full-time equivalent workforce. It takes into account absences for illness, workplace accidents and accidents while travelling.It corresponds to the ratio of the number of actual calendar days’ absence and the number of work days theoretically available.
  • Percentage of employees with a disability: Total employment units accounted for by employees with a declared disability (Unité Bénéficiaire Travailleur Handicapé), multiplied by 1.5 where allowed under the rules applied by French government agency Agefiph (which promotes employment for people with disabilities), divided by the size of the relevant workforce. Workforce numbers used are also calculated according to the rules defined by Agefiph.

The scope of 2024 workforce-related reporting covers all entities over which the Group has both financial and operational control. NHS SBS, SSCL and Sopra Financial Technology GmbH joint ventures are thus included in all indicators. The precise scope is given for each indicator.

Wherever possible, Sopra Steria applies a consistency principle to the financial and non-financial information provided in the Universal Registration Document. The scope used to calculate the indicators presented in the sustainability report corresponds to the Group's revenue at 1 January 2024, in application of IFRS 5 on the recognition of discontinued operations. As the SBS subsidiary was sold to 74Software (formerly Axway Software) on 2 September 2024, the revenue of this discontinued operation has not been included in consolidated revenue. In order to ensure predictable comparisons and to align with the financial statements, social indicators are therefore based on the Group’s workforce at 1 January 2024, excluding the SBS workforce who remained with the company until 2 September 2024.

3.1.3. PRIORITY TO TRAINING AND SKILLS

3.1.3.1. Policy regarding to priority to training and skills development [S1-1 including MDR-P]

The digital revolution, the lasting adoption of hybrid work methods linked to remote working, and growing expectations among employees and candidates mean the Group faces major changes. Meanwhile, increasing pace of technological innovations can lead to major disruptions such as the breakthrough of generative artificial intelligence. Such developments are rapidly transforming our society, the digital sector and its trades creating a constant flow of new opportunities.

To meet these challenges, the Group aims to continuously strenghten its employees’ skills and support their professional development to guarantee employability and anticipate changes in professions, in accordance with the UN Global Compact’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 4: “Quality education”; and 8: “Decent work and economic growth.”

The skills maintenance and development policy and the career management policy are comprised within the general Human Resources policy (see Section 3.12, “General Human Resources policy” of the present chapter). They are shared with relevant stakeholders according to the same principles. These two key policies serve the Company Project and the strategic priorities set by Executive Management. Backed by these policies, the Group Core Competency Reference Guide provides a shared framework for understanding the Group’s professions and supporting career development.

These various approaches address material impacts, risks and opportunities by pursuing the following objectives:

  • Anticipating the skills required to meet business transformation needs and clients’ expectations;
  • Maintaining employability and supporting employees’ career development;
  • Promoting continuous training as a tool for maintaining technological and methodological excellence;
  • Maintaining a shared culture of purpose that strengthens relationships;
  • Strengthening the Employee Value Proposition to help attract and retain top talent.

Career management relies on close collaborative relationships between managers and employees. Managers support and regularly apraise the performance of each employee to define a career path in line with their aspirations and skills as well as clients needs and expetactions. The key elements of this policy are as follows:

  • Promoting a shared corporate culture that encourages entrepreneurial spirit;
  • Developing individuals’ skills, taking into account each employee’s motivations and potential;
  • Providing a structured appraisal and career development framework, with regular monitoring of career progress;
  • Identifying and supporting High Potential employees through specific actions to support their career development.

Career management is guided by strategic priorities set out by Executive Management, in keeping with the Company Project. It is broken down into practical actions implemented by Human Resources, which develops career plans and supports managers in their deployment. Managers are responsible for managing career development on a day-to-day basis and supporting employees with their development. Meanwhile, employees play an active role by identifying their needs in terms of skills and expressing their development expectations.

This model embeds maintaining and developing skills in the corporate culture while anticipating changes in the industry and creating an environment conducive to continuous training. The key elements of maintaining and developing skills are as follows:

  • Transmission of the company culture through induction and training programmes aligned with the Group’s DNA and values;
  • Development of specific and cross-functional skills, including methodologies, technologies and soft skills to enhance employability;
  • Access to self-training resources on digital platforms to facilitate continuous, independent training;
  • Knowledge-sharing through an internal community of trainers and facilitators.

Skills management is guided by strategic priorities set every year by Executive Management to maintain alignment with the Corporate Plan. It relies on annual training plans, designed and followed by entity management teams (countries and subsidiaries), taking into account local specificities and in line with Group policy. Sopra Steria Academy, which includes both the Corporate Academy and local Academies, plays a key role in transmitting the organisation’s key principles and adapting training courses to the specific challenges in each region.

Skills maintenance and development and career management are under the responsibility of the Group Human Resources Director, who relies on a network of Human Resources Directors as well as country and/or subsidiary experts for its deployment.

3.1.3.2. Actions and resources on priority to skills and training [S1-4 including MDR-A]

Objectives   Actions   Achievements in 2024
Anticipating the skills required to meet business transformation needs and clients’ expectations as part of the People Dynamics approach

 

Maintaining employability and supporting employees’ career development

 

1) Identify far-reaching changes affecting the Group’s businesses over a horizon of 1 to 3 years (emerging jobs where there is positive pressure, and/or that are sustainable or sensitive)

 

2) Draw up HR action plans for acquiring, maintaining and developing required current and future skills

 

3) Provide a common performance appraisal system based on ongoing dialogue between employees and their managers and resulting in individual development plans by a Human Resources Information System to facilitate steering and decision-making processes

 

 

Deployed in 100% of geographies

 

Planning for business transformation

 

All business areas are covered by professional development programmes to track employee skills development and career development. In addition to professional development programmes, personalised training is available in some business areas and at some levels.

 

The Academy regularly introduces new professional development programmes and updates existing programmes. This approach is designed to offer employees training that supports long-term skills development as they progress from level to level within their business area.

 

Training programmes are designed using a project-based approach with its own dedicated organisational structure (with a sponsor, an internal project owner and in-house business line specialists involved in designing modules and delivering training). These programmes also use digital platforms to provide additional training material. Training programme content takes into account the findings of the People Dynamics approach in 2024, particularly in relation to medium-term skills requirements. This change relates to the following objectives:

 

  Boosting the development of technical skills and certifications (agility, cloud computing, data, AI, responsible digital technology, green IT, accessibility, SAP);

 

  Pushing ahead with the deployment and personalisation of professional training in technology sectors (Engineer, Solution Building, Architecture, Product Expertise);

 

  Continuing to develop business and industry expertise;

 

  Continuing to identify new skills to maintain employability.

 

Highlights:

 

  Design and deployement of new training courses on AI available to all employees: 79,242 hours of training and 23,096 employees trained (45.3% of the workforce)..

 

100% of scope: Group

 

  Design and deployment of new training modules on “Generative AI and prompt engineering” for all employees.

 

39.1% of scope: France

 

  Increase in the number of NextGen certifications (AWS, Google Cloud, OVHcloud, Microsoft) through targeted outreach, closer monitoring, increased coaching and optimised support on partner platforms: 2,000 certifications awarded.

 

Supporting career development:

 

4,146 employees promoted, including 34.7% of women (vs 6,327 employees promoted in 2023, including 35.0% of women). The number of promotions represents 8.6% of the permanent contract workforce who were with the Group throughout the year (vs 13.2% in 2023).

 

96.2% of scope: Group

 

40 international transfers to 10 different destinations (vs 40 international transfers to 14 destinations in 2023)

 

63.6% of scope: Europe, Africa, North America

 

Highlights:

 

  Design of the “My Skills” skills management system to identify functional and technical skills profiles to establish tailor-made development plans.

 

  Deployment of skills development courses targeted at High Potential employees in all countries.

 

In France, 91.39% of employees are eligible for an annual performance appraisal. Eligibility depends on contract type (permanent contract) and contract start date (before 01/07/2024). The appraisal process follows the framework set out in the Group’s Core Competency Reference Guide, and is based on the same principles of collegiality, frequency and equal treatment. Out of an annual assessment target of

 

100% of eligible employees, 100% of employees were assessed.

 

39.1% of scope: France

Promoting continuous training as a tool for maintaining technological and methodological excellence  

1) Adopt a learning company model by promoting self- training, knowledge-sharing, experimenting and on-the-job learning

 

2) Enable employees to continuously update and transfer their expertise

 

 

The transmission of expertise (skills and know-how) relies, among other things, on trainings provided by over 1,500 in-house trainers, who embody the Group’s values and uphold the highest standards of professional excellence.

 

177,463 hours of professional training in business areas.

 

Highlights:

 

  Overhaul of and additions to the soft skills offering: design and deployment of six new training modules and launch of the Pop Skills podcast for all employees.

 

  Learning World Tour: for its fourth edition, this event, aimed at all employees, brought together nearly 2,000 participants from 23 countries to explore Olympics inspired topics. This time around, the focus was on professional development in four key areas: technology, management and leadership, personal development and social responsibility.

 

100% of scope: Group

 

  Peer Learning Week: second edition aiming to champion and anchor peer learning. It offers a wide range of experiences fostering collaboration, teamwork and gaining new knowledge, while setting up a regular time for collective learning sessions.

 

39.1% of scope: France

Maintaining a shared culture of purpose that strengthens relationships within the Sopra Steria community

 

Strengthening the EVP to help attract and retain top talent

 

 

1) Facilitate the integration of new employees through an updated on- boarding programme

 

2) Globalise the training offering, sharing the Company Project, Group fundamentals, compliance rules and business line and technical training programmes

 

3) Deploy the Management & Leadership programme to all Group managers

 

 

Welcoming new employees

 

“Immediate Boarding” induction course for new employees according to their level of seniority.

 

Management & Leadership programme This programme aims to develop a shared leadership culture and help managers understand the Group’s strategic priorities.

 

Highlights:

 

  Deployment of a motivational management training in France, India, Spain, Poland and Norway;

 

  Deployment of a course for middle managers on rising to the challenge of fulfilling managerial roles at Sopra Steria.

These initiatives aim in particular to address the impact related to skills maintenance and development and employee career management. To date, this impact has not materialised and consequently no specific remediation measures have been required.

The Group considers financial resources alllocated to “Training and Skills Development” material. In-depth analysis will need to be carried out in the coming years to better quantify and qualify expenses pertaining to each topic (see Section 1.3.2.1, “Method overview” of the present chapter).

3.1.3.3. Performance indicators [S1-13 including MDR-T]

Indicators presented below are used by Sopra Steria to measure and track the effectiveness of the initiatives implemented to manage the impacts, risks and opportunities relating to “Priority to training and skills” (see Section 3.1.1, “Presentation of the context, material impacts, risks and opportunities” of the present chapter) and achieve associated targets (see Section 3.1.2.2, “Targets related to the policy” of the present chapter).

EMPLOYEE TRAINING  ü
Indicators 2024(1) 2023
Total number of hours and average hours per employee 1,466,587 28.8 1,486,131 28.7
Total number of hours and average number of hours per employee – Women 513,135 30.9 527,598 30.6
Total number of hours and average number of hours per employee – Men 953,452 27.7 958,533 27.5
  • (1)Please note that data regarding training in 2024 incorporates the year-on-year changes in the Group scope. Moreover, 2024 indicators are calculated with methodologies required by the CSRD. Consequently, 2023 indicators were recalculated excluding SBS to allow comparison.
3.1.4. EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES AND DIVERSITY

3.1.4.1. Policy on equal opportunities and diversity [S1-1 including MDR-P]

As part of its general Human Resources policy, Sopra Steria reaffirms its commitment to diversity and equal opportunities, based on combatting discrimination. The Group strives to promote diversity in both recruitment and in employee experience, and to treat each person fairly. This approach is built around five goals linked to specific action plans that serve:

  • workplace gender equality, to prevent any form of gender-based discrimination and to increase the proportion of women at every level of the organisation;
  • equitable access to promotions and professional development opportunities, in particular through training and suitable compensation;
  • inclusion of people with disabilities to recruit and retain employees with disabilities of any kind;
  • intergenerational balance to attract talented young people while promoting the transmission of expertise between generations;
  • the inclusion of LGBTQIA+ people to offer everyone the same opportunities in terms of professional development and success in the Company, regardless of gender identity, appearance or sexual orientation.

These action plans include and address each of the equal opportunities and diversity factors identified as “material” within the framework of the double materiality assessment (see Section 3.1.1, “Introduction to the context, material impacts, risks and opportunities” of the present chapter). This is achieved in particular by tracking and pursuing the following principles:

  • Ensuring pay equity and equal access to promotions and professional development opportunities, on the basis of objective criteria and accordingly to individual performance;
  • Promoting diversity and equal opportunity as a driver for attracting and retaining talent;
  • Meeting stakeholders’ expectations regarding diversity and equal opportunities.

These topics are under the responsibility of the Human Resources Director, the Director of Sustainability & Corporate Social Responsibility, as well as by each member of the Executive Committee who report to the Group’s Chief Executive Officer. These two departments write the policies jointly and monitor their roll-out and effectiveness. They rely on a network of country and/or subsidiary Human Resources Directors, CSOs (Chief Sustainability Officers), local contacts and experts who implement policies at the local level.

Stakeholder dialogue is essential to structuring and monitoring these action plans. The Group and its various entities are committed to civil society, international organisations, associations and/or NGOs as part of the continuous improvement approach, in particular through memberships of relevant networks and by signing charters and partnerships (aligned with Sustainable Development Goal 17: “Partnerships for the goals”).

GROUP MEMBERSHIPS RELATED TO EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES AND DIVERSITY  
Topic Network memberships and signed charters and agreements
Diversity Diversity Charter
74.6% of scope: Germany, France, Norway (since 2021, renewed annually); Belgium (since 2022, renewed annually) and the United Kingdom (since 2018, renewed annually)
Manifesto for greater diversity and inclusion in cybersecurity by the Cyber Centre of Excellence, signed in 2022.
Gender equality International partnership with UN Women since 2021 and with Femmes@Numérique in France since 2018.
National Corporate Parenthood Charter signed in 2022 in France and renewed annually.
GEEIS (Gender Equality European & International Standard) accreditation obtained in 2022 and renewed in 2024.
Obtention of the UNI/PdR 125 gender equality certification in Italy in 2023 and 2024.
Numeum ethical AI charter signed in 2022.
Professionnal inclusion of people with disabilities Member of the ILO Global Business and Disability Network since 2021.
Signatory to the Inclusion Manifesto in France since 2019.
Partnership with Fundación Randstad in Spain since 2019.
Member of the Disability Confident Scheme since 2019 and of the Business Disability Forum since 2021 in the United Kingdom.
Inclusion of LGBTQIA+people in the workplace L’Autre Cercle charter in France since 2021, renewed every 3 years.
Participant in the Employers for Equality programme in Germany since 2022.
Partnership with Parks Liberi e Uguali in Italy since 2022.

 

3.1.4.2. Equal opportunities and diversity action plans [S1-4 including MDR-A]

a. Focus on the “Gender equality” action plan

Women remain significantly under-represented in the digital sector, and make up only 29.2% of all STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) workers according to the World Economic Forum’s 2023 Global Gender Gap Report.(1) Consequently, promoting gender equality is a key issue, not only to reflect society’s diversity, but also to be able to provide responsible, high-performance solutions that meet client expectations.

Sopra Steria’s gender equality policy is aligned with UN Global Compact’s Sustainable Development Goals 4: “Quality education”; 5: “Gender equality”; and 10: “Reduced inequalities”. It is rooted in the principle of non-discrimination and aims to provide the Group with a common framework. It is structured around the following principles:

  • Foster a corporate and management culture favouring gender equality;
  • Prevent and take action against discrimination and harassment;
  • Achieve pay equity between women and men;
  • Ensure that HR processes promote equal access to opportunities, particularly in terms of recruitment, compensation and promotion, to increase the proportion of women at all levels of the Company;
  • Increase the proportion of women, especially in senior management positions;
  • Create a work environment favoring a healthy work-life balance for all.

Steering, deployment and tracking the effectiveness of the gender equality policy is part of the global governance framework laid down in Section 3.1.5, “Equal opportunities and diversity”. Moreover, the Great Place To Work survey includes questions that specifically address gender equality and the perception of the role of women in the Group. The results can be used to assess the impact of implemented initiatives and identify ways to improve gender equality.

The target of 22% of Level 5 and 6 positions being held by women has nearly been exceeded: at 31 December 2024, 21.4% of these positions were held by women. Executive Management suggested to the Board to increase this target to 23% by 31 December 2025. On the recommendation of the Nomination, Governance & Corporate Responsibility Committee, the Board approved this target.

In France, Act 2018-771 of 5 September 2018 on the “freedom to choose one’s professional future” introduced a score out of 100 consisting of five criteria relating to gender equality gaps and the steps taken to close them. Since 2019, the French Ministry of Labour has been publishing these scores on its website updated detailed results are also on the Group’s website. In 2024, the economic and employee unit’s (UES) total score “index” was 89 out of 100.

The Company has also published detailed results regarding the gaps in representation between men and women among senior managers and members of management bodies on its website, in compliance with the Rixain Act.

  • (1)Source available at: https://www.weforum.org/publications/global-gender-gap-report-2023/

Actions on gender equality [S1-4 including MDR-A]

Objectives   Actions   Achievements in 2024
Fostering a corporate and management culture favouring gender equality   1) Engage the community and encourage sharing of best practices internally and externally  

Over 4,500 members of Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) committed to promoting gender diversity in the digital sector.
83.4% of scope: Europe and India

 

Highlights:

 

Overhaul of the Group’s Together For Greater Balance internal platform to facilitate sharing resources, accessible to all employees.

 

The Passer’Elles network in France, with over 350 members, will be celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2025.

 

In Switzerland, a new ERG has been set up, with around 30 employees to date

  2) Launch Group “Together for Greater Balance” awareness campaigns   Annual Group “Together for Greater Balance” awareness campaign.

 

Highlights:

  3) Promote female role models in tech to spark interest and contribute to raising the proportion of women studying science  

To highlight International Women’s Rights Day, a panel discussion was organized around the gender data gap and its consequences. The event was attended by almost 2,000 Group employees.

 

Specific version of the “Free in my job” employer branding campaign targeting women: deployed throughout the Group and highlighting Sopra Steria’s entrepreneurial DNA, as well as opportunities for employees to play an active role in their careers and build a career path in line with their personal goals.

 

Highlights:

 

4th edition of the #Mujeresqueinspiran role model promotion campaign in Spain.

 

In Italy, Sopra Steria is a partner in the STEAMiamoci project. It aims to encourage women to join STEM (Science, Technology, Mathematics and Engineering) courses and professions by promoting role models through presentations to young girls as part of various initiatives.

  4) Train all employees on gender equality issues  

6,188 participants trainings on workplace gender equality topics (vs 4,920 in 2023).

 

97.7% of scope: Europe, Asia, Africa

 

4,026 employees have undertaken sexual harassment prevention training.

 

82.4% of scope: Europe and Asia

  5) Provide employees with a whistleblowing mechanism to all Group entities   Sexual harassment and sexist behaviour are covered by the Group whistleblowing mechanism described in Section 3.1.6, “Employee protection and trust” of this chapter.
  6) Align Group commitments with international standards through strategic partnerships    

Renewal of the partnership with UN Women (France).

 

100% of scope: Group

 

Partnerships with external organisations working to promote gender equality (see Chapter 4, Section 3.1.4.1, “Policy related to equal opportunities and diversity”).

 

75.9% of scope: Europe

Achieving pay equity between women and men   1) Implement short- and medium-term actions to reduce existing gender pay gaps  

Creation of a shared methodology to analyse gender pay gaps and identify any unjustified gaps.

 

Corrective actions to be implemented at Human Resources Committee (HRC) meetings.

 

Continuing to raise awareness on this topic among managers and HR staff present at HRC meetings.

  2) Encourage local initiatives to reduce gender pay gaps within countries/entities   Different measures are taken at local level to measure and reduce gender pay gaps. These measures include periodic gap analysis based on key indicators. Adjustments to promotions and compensation are made where necessary.

 

Highlight:

 

In the United Kingdom, a report on the gender pay gap is published annually, as required by local legislation (Equality Act 2010).

 

In Germany, during the recruitment process, recruiters carry out comparative analyses of compensation at equivalent positions to ensure fairness.

 

In France, a specific budget to reduce gender pay gap has been allocated over three years as part of the collective bargaining agreement on gender equality signed in January 2025.

Ensuring that HR processes promote equal access to opportunities, particularly in terms of recruitment and promotion, to increase the proportion of women at all levels of the Company   1) Set up indicators to monitor the proportion of women at all levels of the Company  

Slight decrease in the proportion of women: Women now account for 32.5% of the workforce (vs 33.5% in 2023).

 

Decrease in female new hires: 30.7% of new recruits were women (vs 35.1% in 2023).

 

Digital skills retraining:

 

40.3% of scope: France and Tunisia

 

Balanced ratio of men and women promoted within the Group: 34.7% of women were promoted in 2024 (vs 35.0% in 2023) and 65.3% of men.

 

More women in managerial roles (Level 3, 4, 5 and 6): 26.3% were held by women (vs 26.0% in 2023).

 

More women in the 10% most senior positions (Level 4, 5 and 6): 22.3% were held by women (vs 21.5% in 2023).

 

More women in the 3% most senior positions (Level 5 and 6): 21.4% were held by women (vs 20.1% in 2023).

  2) Conduct diagnostic assessments with external experts to identify areas for improvement and assess the relevance of Sopra Steria’s approach  

Highlights:

 

The Gender Equality European & International Standard (GEEIS), initially obtained by the Group in 2022, was re-obtained in 2024 after a two-year follow-up audit. This international standard established by Arborus and audited by Bureau Veritas examines HR policies from a gender equality perspective based on a common framework applicable to all types of organisations and all geographies.

 

Qualitative study conducted by an external consulting firm to identify the strengths and areas for improvement in terms of gender equality at Group level, based on:

 

  individual interviews with key players from the top-management team; and

 

  international group workshops with over 200 participants in 10 countries.

 

In Italy, the UNI/PdR 125:2022 certification, obtained for the first time in 2023, was reissued in 2024. The certification awarded by Accredia is based on an audit consisting of specific requirements and KPIs.

  3) Support women’s career development through various programmes  

431 women supported (vs 298 women in 2023) as part of a programme aimed at increasing the proportion of women in management. Depending on the country, these programmes include training and mentoring by senior employee.

 

87.9% of scope: Europe and India

 

Highlight:

 

In France, more than 200 female employees took part in the Start’Her and Boost’Her programmes in 2024.

Increase the proportion of women in senior management positions   Implement a management system to monitor the proportion of women in senior management positions   Upward revision of the target for the proportion of women in Level 5 and 6 positions within the Group (23% by year-end 2025). This indicator is measured every quarter.

Indicators related to gender equality [S1-9 including MDR-M]

The table below shows the indicators that Sopra Steria uses to measure and track the effectiveness of the initiatives implemented to manage the impacts, risks and opportunities relating to “Equal opportunities and diversity” (see Section 3.1.1, “Introduction to the context, material impacts, risks and opportunities” of the present chapter) and achieve associated targets (see Section 3.1.2.2, “Targets related to the policy” of the present chapter). In particular, among the diversity factors identified in the double materiality assessment and listed in the policy, these indicators evaluate the management of impacts, risks and opportunities generated “as a result of the gender” of Group employees.

PROPORTION BY GENDER  ü
    2024   2023  
  Gender Absolute value % Absolute value %
Board of Directors Women 8 47.1% 8 40.0%
Men 9 52.9% 10 60.0%
Executive Committee Women 3 18.7% 3 16.7%
Men 13 81.2% 15 83.3%
3% most senior positions (1) ü Women 369 21.4% 354 20.1%
Men 1,355 78.6% 1,404 79.9%
10% most senior positions (2) Women 1,221 22.3% 1,180 21.5%
Men 4,257 77.7% 4,314 78.5%
Managers (3) Women 3,983 26.3% 3,814 26.0%
Men 11,173 73.7% 10,871 74.0%
Recruitment ü Women 2,283 30.7% 3,378 35.1%
Men 5,153 69.3% 6,521 64.9%
Workforce (4)  ü Women 16,589 32.5% 16,775 33.5%
Men 34,399 67.5% 33,308 66.5%
  • (1)Corresponds to the “top management level” as stated in ESRS S1-9: Level 5 and 6 positions.
  • (2)Corresponds to Level 4, 5 and 6 positions.
  • (3)Corresponds to Level 3, 4, 5 and 6 positions.
  • (4)Acquisitions included

b. Focus on the “Compensation and employee share ownership” action plan

Compensation is a management tool based on recognising each individual’s contribution to the Group’s performance.It is built on the principle of fair treatment and supported by a system of personalised performance appraisals for each employee.

Guidelines pertaining to the components of compensation and its progression are common across the Group. They are described in the Human Resources policy and based on the Group Core Competency Reference Guide, the Compensation Reference

Guide and the Employee Value Proposition. They are structured around:

  • fixed compensation, defined according to the level of responsability consistently with the Group’s Core Competency Reference Guide;
  • variable compensation based on, among other things, CSR criteria: to encourage individual and collective performance for some employees such as managers, sales staff and experts;
  • an international Group employee share ownership programme to further associate all employees in the Group’s perfromance.

Compensation and employee share ownership actions [S1-4 including MDR-A]

At 31 December 2024, all the investments managed on behalf of employees accounted for 6.2% of the share capital (vs 6.5% at 31 December 2023) and 8.2% of voting rights (vs 8.2% at 31 December 2023).

The most recent We Share plans in 2022 and 2023 were implemented under the same conditions as previous plans deployed in 2016, 2017 and 2018. Employees benefitted from one free share for every share purchased. The offer was limited to a total of 200,000 shares: 100,000 shares purchased by employees and 100,000 matching free shares granted by Sopra Steria.

These plans rely on the Group purchasing shares on the market. They allow a permanent association of employees with the Company Project and the Group’s performance. In addition to their motivational power, employee share ownership plans help foster a sense of belonging and inclusion, as around 96% of the total workforce is eligible for these Group-wide programmes.

Employee compensation is compliant with local regulations. It exceeds the minimum wage (where one exists) in the countries iwhere the Group operates. The Group also carries out compensation surveys to ensure that the compensation is appropriate (see “adequate wage”). Additionally, depending on the country, employees benefit from certain benefits and social protection measures such as healthcare, incapacity and invalidity cover, parental leave and supplementary pension provision. Compensation principles are implemented in each entities and countries in accordance with the local context and legal obligations, and taking into account changes prompted by social dialogue.

Indicators related to compensation and employee share ownership [S1-16 including MDR-M]

The Group uses the indicators presented below to measure and track the effectiveness of the initiatives implemented to manage the impacts, risks and opportunities relating to “Equal opportunities and diversity” (see Section 3.1.1, “Introduction to the context, material impacts, risks and opportunities” of the present chapter) and achieve associated targets (see Section 3.1.2.2, “Targets related to the policy” of the present chapter). In particular, these indicators aim to track and manage the impacts, risks and opportunities generated by “unequal access to promotions” among Group employees.

To ensure that data published is consistent and reliable, Sopra Steria has decided not to publish, for this first year of CSRD reporting, indicators regarding gender pay gap and total compensation ratio. Groundwork carried out with the various subsidiaries and countries while preparing data collection and publication highlighted several issues, especially the need to standardise practices between the different entities and harmonise the quality of the data reported by the countries to match definitions given in the CSRD, particularly regarding variable compensation.

To ensure that indicators published are of qualitative, reliable and representative, meet all the requirements of the CSRD and enable an effective comparison between one year and the next, the Group has started putting in place a specific action plan to facilitate future data collection for these indicators. As part of this approach, a first identification exercise covering the various types of variables and advantages existing within the Group was carried out across all countries in 2024. This process was essential to structure the data in a consistent and reliable way at the international level, while providing transparency and a standard of accuracy in line with the requirements of the CSRD and expectations of stakeholders.

c. Focus on the “Disability” action plan

The Group’s approach aimed at promoting inclusion of people with disabilities at work meets the UN Global Compact’s Sustainable Development Goals 4: “Quality education”; 9: “Industry, innovation and infrastructure”; and 10: “Reduced inequalities”. It is based on the principle of non-discrimination and aims to promote access to employment within the Group for employees with disabilities.

The Group commits to complying with legal frameworks regarding the employment of people with disabilities in the countries where it operates. The wide range of legal definitions of disability within the different countries made collecting consistent and comparable data at Group level relatively complex in 2024. An action plan has been deployed to achieve this and produce consolidated data in the medium term.

Disability-related actions [S1-4 including MDR-A]

Objective   Actions   Achievements in 2024
Promoting access to employment for people with disabilities   1) Monitor indicators related to employees with a disability in compliance with local regulations  

1,370 employees with a disability

 

Data used to calculate this indicator are collected in accordance with local legislation. In countries where data collection is prohibitted by legal standards, data is obtained on a voluntary self-reporting basis guaranteeing respondents’ anonymity, as part of the Great Place To Work satisfaction surveys for example.

 

89.2% of scope: Europe and India

 

A total of 738 employees work with disabilities in France, includingd 283 women (38.35%).

 

3.94% of new recruits were women (vs 3.60% in 2023).

 

39.1% of scope: France

  2) Traine recruiters in accomodating employees with disabilities  

100% of recruiters trained in taking disability into account during the recruitment process.

 

39.1% of scope: France

Indicators related to disability [MDR-M]

Sopra Steria tracks the effectiveness of the initiatives implemented to manage the impacts, risks and opportunities relating to “Equal opportunities and diversity” (see Section 3.1.1, “Introduction to the context, material impacts, risks and opportunities” of the present chapter) and achieve associated targets (see Section 3.1.2.2, “Targets related to the policy” of the present chapter). In particular, among the diversity factors identified in the double materiality assessment and listed in the policy, these indicators address the management of impacts, risks and opportunities generated “as a result of a disability” affecting Group employees.

d. Focus on the “LGBTQIA+” action plan

The Group’s approach aimed at promoting inclusion of LGBTQIA+ people at work meets the UN Global Compact’s Sustainable Development Goal 10: “Reduced inequalities.”

It is based on the principle of non-discrimination and has the objectives of:

  • Ensure that all employees are treated equally regardless of their sexual orientation and gender identity;
  • Promoting an inclusive culture for LGBTQIA+ people.

LGBTQIA+ actions [S1-4 including MDR-A]

Objective   Actions   Achievements in 2024
Ensuring that all employees are treated equally regardless of their sexual orientation and gender identity   Engage the community and promoting the sharing of good practices internally and externally  

Employee Resource Groups (ERG) focusing on inclusion for LGBTQIA+ people have more than 2,900 members.

71.3% of scope: Europe and Americas

Promoting an inclusive culture for LGBTQIA+ people   1) Train and raising awareness to prevent all forms of discrimination linked to sexual orientation or gender identity  

2,309 participants in training on LGBTQIA+ topics

 

82.1% of scope: Europe and Asia

 

Guide to Transidentity in the UK.

  2) Support employees to enable everyone to express themselves fully, without having to hide their sexual orientation or gender identity at work    
  3) Formalise Group commitments and align them with international standards via strategic partnerships  

Partnerships with external organisations working to promote inclusion of LGBTQIA+ people.

 

Highlight:

 

In Italy, webinars were run throughout the year in partnership with Parks to highlight the importance of pursuing an inclusive strategy for LGBTQIA+ employees.

Indicators related to LGBTQIA+ actions [MDR-M]

Given the sensitive and confidential nature of employee gender identity and sexual orientation, Sopra Steria measures and tracks the effectiveness of the initiatives implemented in a qualitative way, when local legislation allows, or by reporting the detail of initiatives undertaken (see the “Achievements in 2024” column of the previous table). This monitoring serves to manage the impacts, risks and opportunities relating to “Equal opportunities and diversity” (see Section 3.1.1, “Introduction to the context, material impacts, risks and opportunities” of the present chapter) and achieve associated targets (see Section 3.1.2.2, “Targets related to the policy” of the present chapter).

e. Intergenerational balance” action plan

Promoting intergenerational diversity within Sopra Steria is vital to ensuring an equal and sustainable vision in the long term. By taking into account perspectives from different generations, the Group prioritises more balanced decision-making and equips itself to tackle future challenges while capitalising on conclusions drawn from past experience. This strategy also contributes to efforts to attract and retain talent, as it creates an open, tolerant environment where the value of all generations is recognised.

The Group’s Intergenerational policies have the following goals:

  • Achieving intergenerational balance;
  • Attracting young talent;
  • Facilitating a suitable transition to retirement.

These objectives address Sustainable Developments Goals 4 (“Quality education”) and 10 (“Reduced Inequalities”) of the UN Global Compact. These targets highlight the importance of ensuring that future generations can access the same resources and opportunities as current generations.

Intergenerational balance actions [S1-4 including MDR-A]

Objectives   Actions   Achievements in 2024

Achieving

intergenerational balance

  Maintain balance in the representation of different generations   27.5% of the workforce was under 30 years of age (compared with 29.1% in 2023) and 19.6% was over 50 (compared with 17.9% in 2023)
Attracting young talent   1) Promote jobs in the digital field to attract more young people, welcome more interns and work-linked training students, etc.  

1,447 interns throughout the 2024 financial year (vs 1,312 in 2023)

 

68.5% of scope (Europe, Asia, Africa).

 

1,189 work-linked training students as of 31/12/2024 (vs 1,463 in 2023).

 

86.7% of scope: Europe and Africa

 

Happy TraineesFrance: Happy Trainees accreditation - 6th place (down 3 places from 2023). 88% of interns and work-linked training students would recommend Sopra Steria for an internship (score: 4.05/5, vs 3.98/5 in 2023) Sopra Steria is the top-ranked digital services company in this category (1,000+ interns and work-linked training students).

 

Highlight:

 

The “International Student Challenge” gave engineering students from eight countries the opportunity to suggest projects involving responsible AI. Over 5,000 enrolments were recorded. 850 projects were shortlisted, and three were rewarded at an international level. Supported by experts from the Group, participants developed solutions for the environment, society, the economy and education. The challenge is built around two coaching phases to perfect the projects and integrate inclusion criteria.

 

78.5% of scope: Europe and Asia.

  2) Contribute to retraining in the digital field through dedicated programmes to foster access to employment  

156 young people supported (140 in France and 16 in Tunisia), including 33% of women (commitment under the Numeum France “Manifesto for retraining women to work in the digital sector”).

 

40.3% of scope: France and Tunisia

Facilitating a suitable transition to retirement   Facilitate the transition to retirement through a specific information programme  

Introduced a phased retirement system to facilitate the transition to retirement. Retirement information sessions: 1,107 participants.

 

47.6% of scope: Europe

Indicators related to intergenerational balance [S1-9 including MDR-M]

The table below shows the indicators that Sopra Steria uses to measure and track the effectiveness of the initiatives implemented to manage the impacts, risks and opportunities relating to “Equal opportunities and diversity” (see Section 3.1.1, “Introduction to the context, material impacts, risks and opportunities” of the present chapter) and achieve associated targets (see Section 3.1.2.2, “Targets related to the policy” of the present chapter). In particular, among the diversity factors identified in the double materiality assessment and listed in the policy, these indicators address the management of impacts, risks and opportunities generated “as a result of the age” of Group employees.

The average age was 39.4 in 2024, compared to 38.9 in 2023. The age pyramid below shows a breakdown of the Group’s workforce (excluding acquisitions) by age. Local differences chiefly reflect the nature of the Group’s main activities in each country.

  WORKFORCE BY AGE   ü
  2024 2023
<30 27.5% 29.1%
30-50 52.9% 53.0%
>50 19.6% 17.9%
  AGE PYRAMID (1)

  • (1)The calculation method includes employees hired in financial year 2024.
3.1.5. EMPLOYEE PROTECTION AND TRUST

3.1.5.1. Employee protection and trust policy [S1-1 including MDR-P]

Accordingly to UN Global Compact’s Sustainable Development Goals 3: “Good health and well-being”, and 8: “Decent work and economic growth”, the Group’s ethical principles are laid down in its Code of Ethics (see Section 4.1.3, “Policies related to business conduct” of the present chapter), and cover all its activities, entities and countries where it operates. They are based on the observance of fundamental principles and rights defined by international standards. Within this framework, Sopra Steria undertakes to:

  • combat child labour and exploitation, forced labour and any other form of compulsory labour and human trafficking;
  • comply with labour law, any applicable international occupational health and safety standard and regulation, and collective bargaining agreements in each country where the Group operates;
  • create a safe, healthy and supportive working environment and combat all forms of discrimination and harassment;
  • uphold the freedom of expression and of association and the exercise of trade union rights in countries where it is regulated by law.

These principles are underpinned by a global approach aiming to foster a safe and healthy work environment for all employees, where diversity is respected. It is based on ensuring fair treatment and combatting all forms of discrimination and harassment. The Group is particularly committed to respecting the principles of equality, diversity and non-discrimination, starting with the recruitment process and throughout employees’ careers. Sopra Steria is committed to safeguarding the health, safety and work-life balance of each of its employees and ensuring that everyone is treated with dignity and respect at work. This approach is described in the Human Resources policy (see Section 3.1.2, “General Human Resources policy” of the present chapter).

These combined approaches provide a response to the material impacts, risks and opportunities with respect to human rights and quality of life at work-life, in particular work-life balance, by tracking and pursuing the following objectives:

  • foster working conditions that promote employee fulfilment, particularly working at a healthy pace and employees’ work-life balance;
  • prevent any type of discrimination, harassment and violence at work as well as psychological risks;
  • ensure the appropriate management of incidents of discrimination, harassment and violence at work as well as psychological risks.

Oversight of these objectives is under the responbility of Executive Management and involves all the Group’s functional and operational departments. Accordingly to each department’s expertise, Human Resources Department, Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility Department and the Internal Control Department work together to define policies, deploy them and track their effectiveness.

3.1.5.2. Actions in employee protection and trust [S1-4including MDR-A]

Objectives   Actions   Achievements in 2024
Promote working conditions under which employees can thrive, in particular an appropriate pace of work and work-life balance   1) Adopt hybrid work measures on a long-term basis according to local specifities and client needs  

At least 2 days’ remote working per week in all geographies, depending on the context.

 

100% of scope: Group

 

Collective bargaining agreement on remote working in France and “Best Practices Guide to Remote Working”

 

39.1% of scope: France

  2) Promote the right to disconnect for all employees    

Signatory of the “Right to Disconnect” Charter

 

69.9% of scope: Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Luxembourg, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom

  3) Track the performance of policies deployed as well as employee engagement and satisfaction through both Group-wide and local surveys   The engagement and satisfaction of Group employees is measured via the Great Place To Work survey. The schedule was revised in 2024, so that the next survey would take place Q2 of 2025 (see Section 3.1.2.3, “Tracking peformance of HR policy through employee engagement and satisfaction” of the present chapter).
  4) Support employees during parenthood by offering them solutions adapted to their needs  

Collective bargaining agreement in favour of gender equality signed in January 2025 in France for three years.

 

Signatory to the National Corporate Parenthood Charter (since 2022).

 

Childcare support scheme.

 

49.5% of scope: France and India

  5) Take into account employees’ specific situations by allowing flexibility in the way work is organized  

Flexible working hours and mandatory attendance times.

 

Voluntary part-time working for employees on permanent contracts: 5.9% (vs 5.9% in 2023). Part-time working is never mandatory.

 

Leave donation scheme for employees who are caregivers or in the event of a death in the family (child or dependent spouse).

 

39.1% of scope: France

  6) Offer employees a social protection scheme  

Social protection measures vary between entities: compensation continuance during parental leave or invalidity, unemployment benefits, retirement plan, etc.

 

100% of scope: Group

Preventing any type of discrimination, harassment and violence at work as well as psychological risks   1) Train employees and raise awareness on the principles of non-discrimination and the prevention of occupational risks (including psychological risks)  

Guide to preventing sexual harassment and sexist behaviour at work, available on the intranet.

 

39.1% of scope: France

 

   

17,846 employees trained in health, safety and well-being at work topics (vs 17,538 in 2023).

 

98.3% of scope: Europe

 

Guide to preventing psychological risks, available on the intranet.

 

39.1% of scope: France

  2) Provide employees with assistance systems and a network of professionals to tackle on-the-ground issues  

An independent psychological support unit that is always available, anonymous, confidential and free of charge.

 

49.5% of scope: France and India

 

Global assistance programme providing travel insurance and repatriation to expatriate employees and employees on business travel.

 

100% of scope: Group

 

Network of profesionnals available to employees: social workers, nurses, occupational health staff, ergonomics specialists, advisors, managers, emloyee representatives.

 

100% of scope: Group

  3) Manage teams supportively and value day-to-day work  

Training programme and tools to support managers (hybrid working, practical guides, coaching, etc.).

 

39.1% of scope: France

Ensuring the appropriate management of incidents of discrimination, harassment and violence at work as well as psychological risks   Provide employees with a whistleblowing system in all Group entities  

The Group whistleblowing procedure covers issues of discrimination and harassment, of which the different grounds are outlined in the process, as well as risks related to human rights violation (see Section 4.1.3, “Policies related to business conduct” of the present chapter). An investigation is systematically carried out in response to each alert made. If the investigation proves conclusive, punitive measures can range from disciplinary action up to dismissal.

 

No fine, penalty or compensation for damages relating to an incident of discrimination or harassment or due to a complaint was paid during 2024.

 

Additionally to the Group procedure, local alert mechanisms are in place, as required by each country regulation.

 

39.1% of scope: France

 

To date, no complaints have been filed against the Group with the National Contact Points for OECD Multinational Enterprises. No financial penalties were imposed on the Group.

 

100% of scope: Group

Details of the “TechCare Programme” action plan

Training and awareness-raising programme TechCare aims to prevent accidents, improve health and safety and promote workplace well-being and work-life balance. This multimodal programme (consisting of virtual classes, e-learning, webinars, guides, etc.) is tailored to various target audiences (recruiters, employees, managers, psychological risks contacts, assistants, etc.). It is structured around three key areas:

  • Health and safety to prevent physical and psychological risks: fire safety, to do’s in the event of an accident, working on a screen, preventing psychological risks, etc.;
  • Well-being at work to guarantee a healthy work environment, encouraging employees to engage in physical activity and sports, take care of themselves and others, and manage their emotions through a range of topics: relaxation, ergonomics and yoga workshops, and webinars on how to reduce the negative effects of stress, sedentary behaviours, screen work and repetitive movements, as well as learning to disconnect;
  • Supporting new hybrid working models: remote and on-site management.

This programme has been strengthened in France with the addition of the “Prevention passport”, which consists of five e-learning courses on identifying and preventing high-risk situations. The topics covered were: road safety, screen work, fire safety, risk prevention and psychological risks. The Group is committed to protecting the mental health of its employees. A guide to preventing psychological risks is available on the intranet.

3.1.5.3. Indicators relating to employee protection and trust [S1-15 and S1-17 including MDR-M]

  EMPLOYEES ENTITLED TO FAMILY LEAVE
Scope/Topic 2024
Employees eligible for family related leave in the Group (1) 100%
  • (1)100% of scope: Group
  EMPLOYEES WHO HAVE TAKEN FAMILY LEAVE IN FRANCE (1)
Scope/Topic 2024
Proportion of employees who have taken family related leave 5.4%
Proportion of women who have taken family related leave 45.4%
Proportion of men who have taken family related leave 54.6%
  • (1)31% of Group scope (Sopra Steria Group SA, Sopra Solutions, Sopra Steria I2S, Galitt and 2MoRO).

To guarantee the publication of reliable and accurate information, Sopra Steria has chosen not to publish indicators relating to the proportion of employees who have taken family leave on a Group scope in this first year of CSRD reporting. This reflects the Group’s commitment to standardizing reporting practices in order to ensure the reliability of data relating to this indicator across all the countries where it operates. In the interest of transparency on this first year of CSRD reporting, the Group has nevertheless chosen to publish this data on a partial French scope, which accounted for 31% of the Group’s workforce in 2024. The Group is currently implementing an action plan to collect information throughout the rest of the countries where it operates, with the aim of publishing consolidated data in the coming years.

INCIDENTS AND COMPLAINTS
Scope/Topic (France) Number of alerts
France 40
Of which: Discrimination 5
Of which: Harassment 27
Other 8

In France, alert monitoring and the data collection process are under the responsibility of the Social Legal Department, through a regularly updated follow-up file.

Alerts relating to human rights violations are handled by the Internal Control Department (see Section 4.2.1, “Duty of vigilance and vigilance plan” of the present chapter).

To guarantee the publication of reliable and accurate information, Sopra Steria has chosen not to publish indicators relating to registered alerts and undertaken investigations on a Group scope in this first year of CSRD reporting. This reflects the Group’s commitment to standardizing reporting practices in order to ensure the reliability of data relating to this indicator across all the countries in which it operates.

It is important to take into account the variety of local alert mechanisms that exist according to each country’s context culture, business sector, employee awareness and internal policies. Furthermore, methods for collecting and processing alerts may vary from one entity and/or subsidiary to another.

These differences may be due to varying legislative framework or the use of external service providers to process alerts. These factors complexify the consolidation and analysis of reliable and comparable data Group-wide, at this stage, as there is no global tool for consolidating such data at Group level. In the interest of transparency on this first year of CSRD reporting, the Group has nevertheless chosen to publish this data on France’s scope, which accounted for 39.1% of the Group’s workforce in 2024. The Group is currently implementing an action plan to collect information throughout the rest of the countries where it operates, with the aim of publishing consolidated data in the coming years.

HEALTH AND SAFETY
Indicators – France (1) 2024 (2) 2023
Absenteeism rate (%) 2.7 2.5
Occupational illnesses (number) 1 1
Frequency rate of workplace accidents 2.10 2.62
Severity rate of workplace accidents 0.055 0.047
  • (1)39.1% of scope: France
  • (2)The scope of the reporting does not include Sopra Banking Software.

To guarantee the publication of reliable and accurate information, Sopra Steria has chosen not to publish indicators relating to health and safety on a Group scope in this first year of CSRD reporting. In the interest of transparency, the Group has nevertheless chosen to publish this data on France’s scope, which accounted for 39.1% of the Group’s workforce in 2024.

3.1.6. SOCIAL DIALOGUE

3.1.6.1. Policy related to the promotion of social dialogue [S1-1 including MDR-P]

Social dialogue is a key driver of performance and engagement, promoting an economy serving a supportive collective aligned with the Group’s values. The Group’s memebership to the UN Global Compact reaffirms its commitment to uphold freedom of association, to exercise trade union rights, to recognise the right of collective bargaining and to protect employee representatives. This commitment is based on ILO conventions and compliance with regulation implemented in each country where the Group operates. It is embedded in the Group’s Code of Ethics, which is available in the “Ethics and Compliance” section of the Group’s website – www.soprasteria.com – and thus accessible to all stakeholders.

Related to these commitments, the “Social dialogue” section of Sopra Steria’s Human Resources policy covers matters relating to the Company’s strategy and its business, financial and employee policy. It is aligned with Sustainable Development Goal 8: “Decent work and economic growth.” This approach addresses the material impacts, risks and opportunities with respect to equal opportunities and diversity, in particular by tracking and pursuing the following objectives:

  • Strenghten collaboration with employee representatives in order to anticipate regulatory and organisational changes;
  • Establish regular and constructive dialogue with employee representative bodies at Group level.

Responsibility for labour relations lies with the Chief Executive Officer and the Human Resources Directors in each country. Local representatives are responsible for:

  • holding regular updates with employee representatives to respond to employees’ expectations;
  • establishing all bodies required by legislation in force in their country

Employee representatives are involved in setting priorities with regards to social dialogue. Social dialogue is monitored for effectiveness through regular discussions between stakeholders, drawing on feedbacks from employees and their representatives. A quantitative target will be set in the coming years. These discussions provide a mechanism for assessing the effectiveness of actions taken and identifying areas for improvement to ensure a collaborative and evolving approach.

This approach is part of an ongoing process aimed at reinforcing the Group’s social governance while maintaining a balance between employees’ expectations and the company’s strategic imperatives. It is part of the general Human Resources policy and is shared with the relevant stakeholders according to the same principles.

3.1.6.2. Actions related to social dialogue [S1-4 including MDR-A]

The Group seeks to implement measures intended to improve relations at work, including in countries with no institutional framework, ensuring the recognition of employee representatives’ status.

In the event of reorganisational projects, Group entities make sure to lead change and guide transformation in collaboration with employee representatives. Therefore, entities can use various supporting and development mechanisms such as internal career mobility and trainings. Topics covered by collective bargaining agreements increase employees’ sense of belonging, improve working conditions, ensure all employees are committed to the Company Project and contribute overcoming transformation challenges.

In Europe, an agreement was signed in 2022 to create a European Works Council (EWC) for the Group. Established in 2023, the EWC is the European body of employee representation. The council met twice in 2024 to ensure the right to information regarding cross-border subjects for employees in the European Union and European Economic Area.

3.1.6.3. Indicators related to social dialogue [S1-8 including MDR-M]

 

COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENTS
Collective bargaining agreements Achievements in 2024
Scope covered by a company-wide agreement 55.1% of employees covered in 2024
COLLECTIVE BARGAINING COVERAGE

The following social dialogue indicators cover countries with more than 50 employees and representing more than 10% of the total workforce. Countries that fit these criteria are France, India and the United Kingdom.

Coverage rate   Collective bargaining coverage   Social dialogue
% of employees covered   Employees – EEA(1) (for countries with >50 employees representing >10% total employees) Employees – Non-EEA (estimate for regions with >50 employees representing >10% total employees)   Workplace representation (EEA only) (for countries with >50 employees representing >10% total employees)
0-19%   - India, United Kingdom   -
20-39%   - -   -
40-59%   - -   -
60-79%   - -   -
80-100%   France -   France
  • (1)European Economic Area
3.1.7. INFORMATION BEYOND MATERIALITY

Supporting people with disabilities is a key element of Sopra Steria’s diversity, equity and inclusion approach. The Group’s commitment to this cause is reflected by its membership in the ILO Global Business and Disability Network, joined in 2021. Disability-related issues are currently close to the impact materiality threshold and could exceed it in coming years. Consequently, the Group decided to include a section focusing on disability in the sustainability report. The Group strongly believes in promoting access to jobs for people with disabilities and enabling them to remain in employment through concrete and long-term initiatives within the different entities. The table below shows actions and achievements at the local scole in 2024.

Actions   Achievements in 2024
Facilitating access to higher education foryoung people with disabilities  

135 secondary school students supported through the HandiTutorat annual academic tutoring programme (more than 580 students have received support since 2013). 25 grants awarded to students with disabilities through the annual programme, 80% of grant applications were approved.

 

39.1% of scope: France

Supporting employees with disabilities through a specific feedback and support plan  

Year-round listening and supporting plan for employees with disabilities. More than 2,317 ongoing compensatory measures to mitigate the impact of a disabiility in France. In 2024, over 560 employees with disabilities received support from Mission Handicap, the Group’s disability task force.

 

65 disability officers acted as local representatives of Mission Handicap.

 

39.1% of scope: France

Working with entities specialised in employing staff with disabilities in order to be a leading responsible partner and prioritise committed suppliers  

Facilitate collaboration through co-contracting and/or subcontracting with the sheltered employment sector (STPA):

 

  Purchase procedure in favour of STPA companies;

 

  Catalogue of STPA suppliers;

 

  Partnership with Union Nationale des Entreprises Adaptées;

 

  100% of buyers trained in purchasing practices taking equal opportunities into account.

 

39.1% of scope: France

Encouraging innovation to make daily life easier for people with disabilities   In France, Sopra Steria has been supporting innovation in favour of people with disabilities by sponsoring the annual Digital Innovation prize at the Handitech Trophy awards since 2017. In 2024, the prize was awarded to Reeflect, a startup that has developed an intelligent alert system for deaf or hearing-impaired people.

 

39.1% of scope: France

Training and raising awareness to foster access to employment for people with disabilities  

9,771 participants to trainings on disability-related topics.

 

94.8% of scope: Europe, Asia, Africa

 

Highlight:

 

In France, employee awareness is raised through annual Handi-Tour campaigns (with awareness workshops at eight branches led by HandiSport experts) and HanDigital Week (2 live events on the topics of “Neurodiversity at Sopra Steria” and “AI and disability: What’s the state of play?”: over 1,200 employees attended).

 

39.1% of scope: France

Formalising Group commitments and aligning them with international standards via strategic partnerships  

Member of the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) Global Business and Disability Network (GBDN) since 2021.

 

100% of scope: Group

 

Partnerships with external organisations working to promote inclusion of people with disabilities in the workplace.

 

71.9% of scope: Europe.

 

Highlights:

 

In France, following the end of the 2021-2023 company-level agreement promoting employment of people with disabilities, a new agreement was signed for the 2024- 2026 period.

 

In the United Kingdom, Disability Confident Leader accreditation at Level 3 of the Disability Confident scheme was obtained in 2024. Sopra Steria joined the scheme at Level 1 in 2019 and obtained Level 2 in 2022. Disability Confident is a British government scheme encouraging employers to adopt inclusive practices for people with disabilities. It encompasses three levels of recognition reflecting the organisation’s maturity in terms of inclusion of people with disabilities.

Promoting the sharing of best practices internally and externally  

Employee Resource Groups (ERG) focusing on disability have more than 900 members.

 

65.0% of scope: Europe.

 

Highlight:

 

Global launch in late 2024 of the Global Business & Disability Network’s self-evaluation tool designed by the ILO enabling countries to assess how issues linked to disability are addressed within the company and to evaluate their maturity level regarding disability, particularly in regards to local regulations.

 

99.6% of scope: Group.

4. Information on business conduct

Sopra Steria is committed to rigorous governance and exemplary business conduct. The Group’s commitments include applying strict ethical principles, abiding by compliance rules and establishing responsible interactions with its value chain, in particular its suppliers and subcontractors, in accordance with its vigilance plan. These actions contribute to the following Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): 8, 10 and 16.

4.1. Business conduct and compliance [G1]

4.1.1. PRESENTATION OF THE CONTEXT AND MATERIAL IMPACTS, RISKS AND OPPORTUNITIES [G1-SBM-3]

The process of identifying material impacts, risks and opportunities is presented in Chapter 4, Section 1.3.1 of this document. Following the double materiality assessment, business conduct and compliance were identified as “material” issues for Sopra Steria. These were classified as material from a financial perspective solely involving related potential financial effects, but neither of these issues were assessed as being material in terms of their impact.

MATERIAL IMPACTS, RISKS AND OPPORTUNITIES RELATING TO BUSINESS CONDUCT
Description of the materiality of “Business conduct and compliance” for Sopra
Steria (ESRS G1)
  Time
horizon
under
considera-
tion
  Stage of the value chain
giving rise to the IRO
Risk   Breakdowns in communicating the culture and ethical practices within the Group, especially during employee induction phases and/or during periods of organic growth, which could lead to undesirable practices or a deterioration in stakeholder relations.   Short term   Sopra Steria’s own operations
Risk   Reputational and/or financial damage (fines or even a ban from consideration for public contracts) that may result from breach of anti-corruption laws.   Short term   Entire value chain
Opportunity   Recognition of the import of the Group’s ethics and compliance programmes for economic development (high scores achieved in external evaluations or questionnaires, client tenders, etc.)   Medium term   Sopra Steria’s own operations
4.1.2. GOVERNANCE OF BUSINESS CONDUCT [GOV-1]

Sopra Steria has decided to bring together business ethics and compliance, internal control and risk management within the Internal Control Department (see Chapter 2, “Risk factors and internal control”, of this Universal Registration Document (P. 43 to 59)). This department appears before the Audit Committee and the Nomination, Governance & Corporate Responsibility Committee every year.

This structure allows for centrally coordinated and Group-wide governance. It also enables the Company to carry out any necessary checks and efficiently manage risks and potential whistleblowing.

  • The Internal Control Department oversees business ethics and compliance issues and coordinates all stakeholders involved in compliance and internal control across the Group. The Internal Control Director is the primary reference point for the whistleblowing system in her capacity as Group Compliance Officer. The Internal Control Department manages programmes aimed at preventing corruption, influence peddling, money laundering and fraud, as well as those concerning the compliance of operations with economic sanctions and export controls, and lastly, the duty of vigilance.
  • This department is supported by a network of 16 Internal Control & Compliance Officers in charge of internal control, business ethics and compliance (see Chapter 2, “Risk factors and internal control”, of this Universal Registration Document (P. 43 to 59)). They are appointed all Group entities and help to relay information in conjunction with local teams.
  • It is also supported in disseminating policies and practices by the Group-level functional and operational departments, each with expertise in its own area: the Human Resources Department, Legal Department, Purchasing Department, Finance Department, Security Department, and Sustainability & Corporate Social Responsibility Department. Each of these departments also has its own correspondents at each of the Group’s entities. Regular steering meetings are held each month, bringing together these departments and Executive Management to monitor programme implementation and decide on any changes to be instigated.
  • The Internal Control Department and the Internal Audit Department also meet at least once a month to exchange updated information, notably concerning the identification of associated risks and the audit plan.
4.1.3. POLICIES RELATED TO BUSINESS CONDUCT [G1-1, G1-2, G1-3 o/w MDR-P] POLICY

The policies described below cover the Group’s entire scope of consolidation. They are reviewed at least every three years and whenever deemed necessary by the Internal Control Department (e.g. to take into account regulatory changes, updates related to observations following internal audit processes, or reports received through the whistleblowing procedure).

Policies related to corporate culture

As Sopra Steria Group grows, it is committed not only to strictly complying with legislation and regulations in the countries in which it operates but also to applying ethical principles rooted in the Group’s culture and values (see “Integrated presentation of Sopra Steria” section in the introduction of this document). These include, in particular, professional excellence, respect for others and a proactive approach. These core principles and Sopra Steria’s values are presented in the code of ethics. This is supplemented by an Anti-Corruption Code of Conduct, a code of conduct for stock market transactions, a code of conduct for suppliers and partners, and a common core of rules, procedures and checks applicable to the entire Group (see Chapter 2, “Risk factors and internal control”, of this document (P. 43 to 59)).

Code of ethics

Led by management, which ensures compliance with its rules, Sopra Steria’s code of ethics constitutes the reference framework within which the Group operates. The Group’s status as a signatory to the United Nations Global Compact since 2004 reflects Sopra Steria’s ethical principles, which adhere to the principles and fundamental entitlements of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of the United Nations. With a foreword written by the Chairman of the Board of Directors, it is supported by Group management, which is responsible for ensuring that these rules are observed. The code applies to all Sopra Steria employees. Managers who sit on the Group Management Committee and entity-level (country and subsidiary) management committees sign an annual digital declaration renewing their commitment to abide by and enforce the code of ethics within their scope of responsibility.

Sopra Steria regularly raises awareness among all Group employees to ensure that they buy into and abide by the Group’s values and fundamentals and the principles laid down in the code of ethics. These awareness-raising campaigns and training courses take place principally through induction seminars, professional development sessions and events sharing the Group’s fundamentals, organised by Sopra Steria Academy, the Group’s in-house training organisation.

Furthermore, Sopra Steria expects all those with whom it has a business relationship (clients, partners, suppliers and subcontractors) to abide by the principles of its code of ethics, irrespective of legislation and regulations in the countries in which they operate. The code of ethics is publicly available from the Ethics and Compliance page of Sopra Steria’s website at www.soprasteria.com.

Code of conduct for suppliers and partners

As it applies to its upstream chain, Sopra Steria requires agreement to the ethical principles set out in the code of conduct for suppliers and partners. The purpose of the code of conduct for suppliers and partners is to define requirements in terms of business ethics, respect for fundamental human rights, and the environment. It sets out Sopra Steria’s commitments to its suppliers and partners as well as what the Group expects of them. It requires suppliers and partners to abide by the principles laid down in the United Nations Global Compact in respect of, inter alia, human rights and fundamental freedoms, labour law, the environment and anti-corruption measures. The code of conduct for suppliers and partners also includes provisions designed to ensure that suppliers’ and partners’ own supply chains abide by these commitments, as well as a declaration concerning conflicts of interest. The document is available on the Group’s website: www.soprasteria.com.

Whistleblowing procedure

Sopra Steria rolled out a whistleblowing procedure for all Group entities and geographies. This whistleblowing procedure is open at all times to all employees and external stakeholders, including in particular the Group’s clients, suppliers, subcontractors and business partners.). It may be used to flag up any situations that could be considered contrary to the law, the code of ethics or Sopra Steria’s code of conduct or that could harm Sopra Steria’s reputation or pose a threat to the public interest. Key areas covered by the whistleblowing procedure relate to corruption and influence peddling, fraud, financial offences, breaches of competition law and risks relating to human rights and fundamental freedoms, health and safety and environmental damage. The whistleblowing procedure also applies more specifically to all forms of discrimination, in particular discrimination based on gender identity, appearance, sexual orientation, religion, nationality or assumed origin.

Any person may bring any concerns they have to the attention of their line manager, their line manager’s manager, their entity’s Compliance Officer, the Compliance Officer of the functional division to which their entity belongs or the Group Compliance Officer, as they see fit. As an alternative to these usual communication channels, they may choose to use Sopra Steria’s whistleblowing procedure. An email address is provided within each entity, managed by a designated individual approved by the Group’s Internal Control Department, which is responsible for the whistleblowing procedure. Concerns can be raised anonymously, and are processed if the events are described in detail and the matter is deemed serious. The necessary steps and the conditions for the use of the whistleblowing procedure are described on the Group’s intranet.

Concerns can also be raised directly with the Group’s Internal Control Department by writing to the following email address: ethics@soprasteria.com. This reporting channel is also available on the Ethics and Compliance page of the Group’s website at www.soprasteria.com.

In accordance with the operating rules governing the Group’s whistleblowing procedure, whistleblowing reports are responded to within the following timescales:

  • Receipt of reports is acknowledged within seven working days;
  • The validity of reports is confirmed within a reasonable time frame following their receipt;
  • Initial feedback on action that has been or will be taken in response to reports is provided within three months of the date on which receipt of the report was acknowledged;
  • Reports are closed within a reasonable time frame based on the complexity and severity of the matters reported.

Based on the investigation’s findings, a decision may be made in conjunction with the Human Resources Department, Legal Department and/or Internal Control Department to commence disciplinary, legal or administrative proceedings against the relevant individual.

Data security, integrity and confidentiality are assured, and the identity of the whistleblower is protected. Sopra Steria guarantees that all information exchanged, including the identity of the whistleblower and any other relevant persons, will remain confidential. Access to details from whistleblowing reports is restricted to a limited number of people, and access has to be approved in advance by the Internal Control Department, which manages access. Precautionary steps are also taken to safeguard against any conflict of interest, thus guaranteeing impartiality while reports are investigated. Whistleblowers are protected against reprisals, discrimination and disciplinary sanctions of any kind related to their whistleblowing. This protection extends to any person related to the whistleblower or their whistleblowing.

Records of reports received under the whistleblowing procedure are kept in accordance with applicable legislation and/or regulations.

Policy related to the prevention and detection of corruption

Sopra Steria has implemented a compliance programme to safeguard against risks associated with corruption and influence peddling. These measures help protect the Group’s reputation and maintain the trust of its internal and external stakeholders. The Group applies a zero-tolerance policy with respect to corruption and influence peddling.

To this end, Executive Management is highly involved in the implementation and monitoring of the Group’s programme to prevent corruption and influence peddling. This firm commitment takes shape in particular through the Group’s specific code of conduct covering these issues, the direct oversight of the programme at the Internal Control Department’s steering meetings with Executive Management, informational meetings for senior managers and regular communications campaigns targeting all Group employees. For example, each year Executive Management reiterates its commitment to all Group employees on UN International Anti-Corruption Day, which takes place on 9 December.

Executive Management has established a Group-wide organisational structure in charge of managing, monitoring and controlling the framework, through a network of Compliance Officers, who have responsibility for rolling out programmes on compliance, business ethics, internal control and risk management issues within each entity.

The system is underpinned, in particular, by the following:

  • A specific mapping exercise to identify risks of corruption and influence peddling, updated every two years or as soon as is necessary following a major Group-level event. This risk mapping was updated as planned in the first half of 2024 and will be updated again in 2027, with the possibility of advancing the update in the event of a significant change in scope;
  • A specific code of conduct for the prevention of corruption and influence peddling, including a foreword by the Chairman of the Board of Directors and the Chief Executive Officer and illustrated with real-world examples, as a supplement to the code of ethics. This code of conduct has been translated into five languages and covers the entire Group;
  • A disciplinary system based on the code of conduct enforceable against all employees through its inclusion in the Group’s internal rules and regulations, or through any other mechanism in force at Group entities;
  • Specific, formal procedures, allowing in particular for the implementation of the first- and second-level controls, in order to respond to situations identified as potentially exposed to risk. For example: policies on hospitality and gifts and procedures covering conflicts of interest, recruiting former public agents and countries under vigilance;
  • A strict procedure for assessing third parties, including suppliers and subcontractors. In this regard, the Group implements its purchasing procedure and a code of conduct for suppliers and partners to ensure that all new regulations, and more specifically those connected with the “Sapin II” Act and the duty of vigilance, are covered. Specific procedures are also in place to assess countries under vigilance;
  • A guide to preventing conflicts of interest, made available to all Group employees, aimed at helping employees and managers eliminate any doubt as to the impartiality of decisions made in the course of Sopra Steria’s business and find appropriate solutions should conflicts of interest arise;
  • Whistleblowing procedure (described above);
  • Employee training, including for roles that are most at risk (management, sales, finance, purchasing); see Section 4.1.4, Chapter 4 of this document;
  • Strengthened control and audit procedures: The specific controls are covered in the procedures developed under the programme for the prevention of corruption and influence peddling and may be either ongoing or periodic. In addition to the first-level controls carried out in the form of self-checks by the employees concerned and by line-managers, controls are mainly performed, depending on the area involved, by the functional divisions concerned (Finance Department, Internal Control Department, Industrial Department, Legal Department, Human Resources Department). The procedures are also assessed by the Internal Audit Department when auditing the Group’s subsidiaries and/or divisions, by running through some 30 specific checks, and during specific compliance audits as part of the internal audit programme.

Policy related to tax transparency

With regard to tax policy, Sopra Steria Group is committed to complying with the tax laws and regulations applicable in all of the countries in which it is present. Sopra Steria acts in line with its values and ethical principles of integrity, commitment and accountability. Accordingly, the Group pays its taxes and duties in the countries where its operations are located and where value is created. This approach is pursued in accordance with international guidelines and standards, such as those of the OECD, particularly in relation to transfer pricing for cross-border transactions between Group companies. In this respect, the Group does not engage in tax evasion or any other practice contrary to its ethical standards. Sopra Steria does not make use of aggressive tax planning or any structuring methods for its transactions that would detach the tax location from the location of business activity. The Group thus abstains from establishing operations in tax havens (uncooperative countries or territories on the official French list or the European Union’s blacklist), has no bank accounts at banks established in such countries or territories, and more generally abstains from creating any entities that have no economic substance or business purpose. Sopra Steria Group is regularly audited by the competent tax authorities, with which it fully cooperates. The Group complies with the deadlines specified by tax authorities for providing responses to their queries, meets all of its reporting requirements and pays its taxes as required by law. To limit tax risks relating to its activities, and to take advantage of existing tax incentives, exemptions and relief, in accordance with tax laws and the reality of its activities, the Group may enlist the services of outside tax consultants. All advice thus received is reviewed internally to ensure that any resulting application is consistent with the Group’s tax principles.

Policy related to protection of personal data

See Chapter 4, Section 5.1, “Cyberprotection and digital sovereignty” of this document.

Policies related to other regulations

  • Fair competition

Sopra Steria is committed to managing its business in strict compliance with competition law and regulations in all the countries where the Group operates. Employees are informed that if they have any questions or doubts about a competition-related topic, they must consult with their entity’s legal department. The Group Rules include instructions in this area. The project to update the associated training programme continued in 2024.

  • Inside information and rules on insider trading

As a company listed on the Euronext Paris exchange, Sopra Steria has a code of conduct for stock market transactions that sets out rules and protective measures relating to stock market transactions and the use or disclosure of inside information as defined in the EU’s Market Abuse Regulation, i.e. any specific information that has not been made public and which, if made public, would be liable to significantly influence the share price.

  • Anti-money laundering

Sopra Steria undertakes not to engage or participate in any practice that constitutes the laundering of assets, revenue or capital. Financial transactions are entered into in strict compliance with anti-money laundering legislation and regulations. The Group is thus committed to exercising special care in assessing third parties in countries considered high-risk. A system to automate and reinforce procedures for verifying third-party bank details continued its roll-out in 2024.

  • International sanctions and export controls

Sopra Steria undertakes to refrain from any activity that would contravene applicable national and international laws, regulations or standards in relation to economic sanctions imposing export controls, embargoes or other restrictions on trade. These topics are covered in the anti-corruption e-learning course. A specific e-learning course was rolled out in January 2025 for the relevant employees. All third parties located in countries considered high-risk are covered by compliance assessment procedures before any business relationship is entered into. Through its code of conduct for suppliers and partners, Sopra Steria also requires its suppliers and subcontractors to comply with economic sanctions.

Objectives
Put the Group’s corporate culture and ethical principles at the heart of its relationships with stakeholders by maintaining a training completion rate of >90% for employees and an EcoVadis score of >80/100 in the ethics area.
Work with suppliers and partners who meet the Group’s ethical requirements by ensuring that over 80% of target expenditure obtains a positive EcoVadis assessment.
Ensure regulatory compliance in a fast-changing international environment, with a target of zero major incidents.

These objectives are applicable for all Group entities.

4.1.4 BUSINESS CONDUCT ACTION PLANS [G1-2, G1-3 including MDR-A]

Compliance training programme

As part of its compliance programme to safeguard against risks associated with corruption and influence peddling, Sopra Steria has implemented a Group training programme developed in light of the results of the risk mapping exercise for corruption and influence peddling risks. In particular, this programme includes a mandatory e-learning course for all employees that must be completed within 3 months of their arrival. It is available in five languages. This tailored course, designed in-house, consists of eight interactive modules (Legal framework, code of conduct and key contact points; Invitations and gifts; Conflicts of interest; Public agents; Commercial intermediaries and international sanctions; Donations, sponsorship and patronage; Facilitation payments; Whistleblowing procedure) and ends with a mandatory knowledge assessment quiz that employees must pass to successfully complete the course. The Group’s training programme is renewed every three years for the employees identified as being most at risk: roles in management (including the Executive Committee), sales, finance and purchasing. Sopra Steria does not specifically train Directors on this topic. This training programme, which has been in place for over six years, will be maintained for the coming years, with content updates to reflect changes in risk mapping.

Assessing suppliers’ and partners’ business conduct policies

The code of conduct for suppliers and partners is included in all invitations to tender sent out to suppliers. It must be signed before any contract can be established with Sopra Steria and is attached to contracts and each purchase order issued by the Group. If a supplier refuses to sign up to the code of conduct on the basis that it has its own such code, Sopra Steria requires the latter to contain principles equivalent to those set out in the Group’s code of conduct.

In addition, the Group has been committed to evaluating its key suppliers and partners for nearly 10 years and plans to continue this approach for the long-term. Assessments are carried out using the independent expert platform EcoVadis. The assessment covers four areas – social issues and human rights, the environment, ethics and sustainable procurement –and looks at suppliers’ policies, action plans and actual performance. It is a document-based assessment carried out by specialised analysts at EcoVadis.

The resulting detailed analysis provides Sopra Steria with a comprehensive overview of its suppliers’ maturity on CSR topics, including their strengths, weaknesses and any unethical behaviours reported in the media.

The supplier and partner evaluation framework has been extended to all the Group’s entities.

Across the whole Group, 836 suppliers were awarded positive EcoVadis assessments in 2024, covering more than €901 million of expenditure, in accordance with the targets set by the Group in this area. This accounts for 77% of target expenditure for 2024.

The assessment response rate was 95% (including suppliers in the process of being assessed).

In terms of quantitative outcomes:

  • The average score for Sopra Steria suppliers who had completed the assessment was 60.5 out of 100, nearly 12.9 points higher than the average score for all suppliers assessed via the EcoVadis platform.
  • The average improvement across all suppliers reassessed in 2024 was 4.3 points.
  • Only one supplier scored less than the Group’s alert threshold of 24/100, which triggered the implementation of an action plan to remedy the situation;
  • 87.3% of suppliers assessed or reassessed achieved a score of at least 45 out of 100 (compared with only 58% of all businesses assessed by EcoVadis achieving this score globally).
  • 70% of suppliers assessed by the Group were awarded a specific EcoVadis medal (compared with 44% of all suppliers assessed by EcoVadis achieving this score globally).

Vigilance procedure in the event of a high-risk assessment:

  • If the overall score and/or the score in any one of the four fields (social issues and human rights, ethics, environment, and responsible purchasing) is less than 45/100, the supplier is considered non-compliant with expectations. In this case, the supplier is asked to refer to the areas for improvement identified in the course of its assessment and to put in place a corrective action plan as soon as possible.
  • For suppliers with a score of 24/100 or less, an alert is triggered by EcoVadis. This alert threshold concerns both the overall score and/or the score in the “Ethics” field. The supplier is then contacted by the Group Purchasing Department to put in place the necessary corrective actions and undergo a new EcoVadis assessment within a period of three months.

 

4.1.5. PERFORMANCE INDICATORS RELATED TO BUSINESS CONDUCT [G1-4 including MDR-M]

EcoVadis external assessment of the ethics programme

  • EcoVadis score in the “Ethics” category: 90/100 in 2024 (vs 80/100 in 2023), helping raise its overall score to 92/100 (up 6 points from the previous year).

Compliance training programme

  • Completion rate of the e-learning course which is mandatory for all employees: 93% as of end-December 2024 (stable vs 2023)
  • Completion rate of the e-learning course which is mandatory for all employees in the most at-risk roles (management, sales, finance and purchasing): 92% as of end-December 2024 (first year calculated)

Assessment of third parties with regard to business conduct

  • Share of the 2024 target expenditure receiving a positive EcoVadis assessment (>45/100): 77% as of end-December 2024 (up 8 points from 2023).

Confirmed incidents

To the best of the Company’s knowledge at the time of writing this sustainability statement, neither Sopra Steria, nor its subsidiaries nor any member of an administrative or management body have been found guilty of or been fined for corruption or influence peddling at any time in the last five years. Furthermore, no confirmed corruption incidents were recorded via the Group’s whistleblowing procedure in 2024.

5. Business and segment-specific information

In a world where cyberprotection and digital sovereignty have become critical issues, Sopra Steria is positioning itself as a European tech leader, protecting critical systems and sensitive information assets. Recent changes in European law, such as the NIS 2 Directive and DORA regulation, have increased control of industry sectors classed as “essential entities”, including finance.

 

At the same time, responsible digital technology is now a priority. This aims to reduce the environmental footprint of digital solutions and ensure accessibility and inclusion. Sopra Steria commits to supplying digital solutions that have been designed sustainably, in compliance with ethical principles and promoting equal opportunities.

 

This Chapter explores the impacts, risks and opportunities specific to Sopra Steria in its business areas, as well as the policies, approaches and actions implemented to ensure cyberprotection digital sovereignty and the development of responsible digital technology. These actions contribute to the following Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): 12, 16 and 17.

5.1. Cyberprotection and digital sovereignty

5.1.1. PRESENTATION OF THE CONTEXT, MATERIAL IMPACTS, RISKS AND OPPORTUNITIES

As a European tech leader, Sopra Steria’s business activities, strategy and business model involve protecting critical systems and sensitive information assets for itself but above all for its major institutional and private clients. Sopra Steria operations, and those of its partners, clients and end-users, are directly and particularly exposed. Indeed, recent changes in EU law necessitate an increase in control as a large proportion of the Group’s clients are classified as “essential entities” (under the NIS 2 Directive(1)) or financial entities (under the DORA regulatory framework(2)) due to the business sectors in which they operate. GDPR(3) already sets the boundaries for personal data processing, having come into force in 2018.In 2024, 82% of Sopra Steria’s revenue was derived from verticals that are marketed in “sectors of high criticality”, as defined by NIS 2: Public sector; Aeronautics; Defence, Security & Space; Financial Services; Energy & Utilities; Insurance; Transport.

This exposure is heightened by the international context that demonstrates the increased influence of the digital giants, interstate rivalry and problems caused by malicious operators. Published in 2024(4), the first report from the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) highlights this issue, reporting an increase in cyberattacks.

MATERIAL IMPACTS, RISKS AND OPPORTUNITIES SPECIFIC TO SOPRA STERIA
Description of the materiality of “Cyberprotection and digital sovereignty” for Sopra Steria (Specific sustainability matter)   Time horizon under
consideration
  Stage of the value chain
giving rise to the IRO
Negative impact   Economic or moral damage linked to the disclosure of the private and/or personal data of end-users or employees, due to digital failure or sovereignty conflicts (such as disinformation).   Short term   Entire value chain
Risk   Financial, operational and/or reputational losses due to a cyberattack caused by an error created directly or indirectly by the Group, or difficulty in implementing the Group’s distinctive strategy with clients facing sovereignty issues (note scope Europe).   Short term   Entire value chain
Opportunity   Increase market share for offerings of end-to-end of cyberprotection and digital sovereignty solutions.   Short term   Sopra Steria’s own operations and downstream value chain

The negative impacts are likely to affect various groups of individuals, including Sopra Steria employees, suppliers, applicants likely to join the Group, clients and the clients’ end-users.A number of end-users may be more exposed depending on (1) the client’s business sector, (2) the nature of the project supplied by Sopra Steria, (3) the types of end-user of the relevant product or service, and (4) the legal framework.

  • (1)Network and Information Systems Directive – Directive (EU) 2022/0383 (network and IT systems security)
  • (2)Digital operational resilience for the financial sector – Regulation (EU) 2022/2554 of 14 December 2022
  • (3)General Data Protection Regulation (EU 2016/679)
  • (4)“Report on the state of cybersecurity in the Union” produced by ENISA in accordance with Article 18 of the NIS 2 Directive
5.1.2. POLICY RELATED TO CYBERPROTECTION AND DIGITAL SOVEREIGNTY [MDR-P]

The Group’s strategy aims to balance the need to achieve company objectives with the measures required to maintain a secure environment in which all information is used and stored securely, while protecting its confidentiality, integrity, availability and traceability.

Executive Management determines the Group’s strategic issues and objectives relating to information security, as well as its positioning in terms of cyberprotection and its contribution to digital sovereignty in Europe. Then, the implementation process is delegated to the appropriate management teams and entities. Considering the critical impacts and risks associated with cyberprotection and digital sovereignty, the Group organises impacts and opportunities management in this area, consisting of dedicated measures including governance, tools or dedicated training. In particular, the Executive Management commits to implement the necessary human, technical and financial resources to ensure the security of its activities and the projects run by Sopra Steria’s teams, taking into account client issues and Group economic priorities.

The table below presents an overview of its policies and approaches concerning this topic, which are necessary for managing the impacts, risks and opportunities formalised via the double materiality assessment:

SUMMARY OF POLICIES OR INITIATIVES IN PLACE RELATED TO CYBERSECURITY AND DIGITAL SOVEREIGNTY
Objective   Policy or
approach
  Scope of
application
or influence
  Department or
entity in charge
of
implementation
  Third-party
standards or
initiatives
followed
  Stakeholders
involved
  Stakeholders with
access to the
policy or
process
Guarantee information security within the Group, including personal data   Policy – Information security and protection   Scope of consolidation   Group Security Department   NIS 2
ISO/IEC 27001(1)
ISO/IEC 27002(2)
ISO/IEC 27005(3)
ECSO(4)
InterCERT
CLUSIF(5)
CESIN(6)
  Employees, suppliers, applicants, clients   Available on the intranet; website; in contractual clauses
  Sopra Steria Group data protection governance template   Scope of consolidation   Group Legal Department   GDPR(7)   Employees, suppliers, applicants, clients   Available on the intranet; external communication
Implement a service portfolio covering the entire cybersecurity value chain   Approach – Expanded range of cybersecurity products and services   Scope of consolidation   Cybersecurity business line   GDPR
NIS 2
ISO/IEC 27001
ISO/IEC 27002
ISO/IEC 27005
  Employees, clients   Controlled internal and external communications for employees and clients
Contribute to upholding and strengthening digital sovereignty in Europe   Approach – Digital sovereignty   Scope of consolidation   All verticals   Gaia-X
Edge and Cloud(1)
ECSO
Campus Cyber
cybersecurity training
programme
  Employees, suppliers, applicants, clients   Controlled internal and external communications for employees, clients and public authorities
Help to combat disinformation   Approach – Cercle Pégase think tank, led by the Group   Scope of consolidation   Defence & Security vertical   NIS 2   Employees, clients, general public   Controlled internal and external communications for employees, clients and public authorities
  • (1)Information security management systems
  • (2)Code of practice for information security management
  • (3)Information security risk management
  • (4)European Cyber Security Organisation
  • (5)Club de la Sécurité de l’Information Français
  • (6)Club des Experts de la Sécurité de l’Information et du Numérique
  • (7)General Data Protection Regulation: Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Directive 95/46/EC

The Group considers the total financial resources allocated to the “Cyberprotection and digital sovereignty” policy action plans to be material. In-depth analysis will have to be completed to better quantify and qualify the expenses related to each action plan (see Chapter 4 of this document, Section 1.3.2.1).

5.1.3. TARGETS RELATED TO CYBERSECURITY AND DIGITAL SOVEREIGNTY [MDR-T]

As presented in its policy, Sopra Steria has set qualitative targets, some of which are supplemented by quantitative targets. These targets apply through 2025 and may be reviewed at the end of this period. The cover the entire scope of consolidation.

TARGETS RELATED TO INFORMATION SECURITY AND PROTECTION
Objective  Quantitative target for 2025  Results for 2023  Results or progress in 2024
Guarantee information security within the Group, including personal data  Security Score Card: Keep the score above the industry average  A  A
  CyberVadis score: Maintain a score of at least 795  795  985

The Group considers rating agencies to be an independent and appropriate way for the sector to continuously monitor its ability to manage its impacts, risks and opportunities in this area. Sopra Steria has accordingly set relevant annual targets to maintain and improve the Group’s performance, taking into account its past performance, sector performance, and changes in market context and expectations as reflected in the increasing demands from rating agencies. The agencies periodically assess Sopra Steria’s management system and external assets visible on the internet. The Group Security Department regularly monitors developments in this area, but does not involve other stakeholders in defining these targets. More broadly, each of the policies and processes, along with their associated targets, are monitored on an operational basis by dedicated governance and committee procedures.

For other objectives (Implement a service portfolio covering the entire cybersecurity value chain; Contributing to upholding and strengthening digital sovereignty in Europe; Helping to combat disinformation) that make up the policy, the Group has not defined any quantitative targets.

(1)  European Alliance for Industrial Data
5.1.4. CYBERSECURITY AND DIGITAL SOVEREIGNTY ACTION PLANS AND RESOURCES [MDR-A]

5.1.4.1. Information security and protection

Group information security is detailed in a framework document that is updated annually and sent directly to all Group employees by the Security Department via direct communication and available on the Group intranet. It covers all Group entities and geographies, and is organised around the following principles:

  • Deliver a trust framework via continuous assessment; application of the Group Information Classification and Processing Policy; physical and logical access controls for the workforce and implementation of proportionate measures that aim to mitigate the risks;
  • Protect staff, processes, technology and client interests according to the risks encountered by these assets and in compliance with the applicable standards.
  • Comply with the legal and regulatory requirements of the jurisdiction in which the data is held, stored or processed.
  • Adapt, assess and document when information security measures are defined by clients within the contractual framework and when they differ from Sopra Steria’s fundamental security measures.

In 2024, the priority actions were updated to ensure the following objectives are met:

  • Deliver a trust and compliance framework through a dedicated organisational structure that exists throughout the life cycle of each project and at every hierarchical level: Under the management of their Chief Information Security Officer, each entity and subsidiary determines the organisation, governance, implementation processes and control methods for the security policy in its area of responsibility. These choices are subject to final validation by the Group CISO.
  • Protect by adopting and applying the best practices and standards in the market, such as information security management systems, Requirements (ISO/IEC 27001), Code of good practice for information security management (ISO/IEC 27002) and Information security risk management (ISO/IEC 27005). In particular, the application of these actions is tied to the most recent technological developments, including the growing use of the cloud and new AI models.
  • Adapt by:
    • Raising employee awareness of information security when they join the Group or throughout their careers to develop a culture of security.
    • Leading a monitoring unit – under the joint responsibility of the Security Department and the Cyber Entity – to monitor the vulnerability assessment. This work is summarised and updated on the Security Information Platform and is available to employees.
    • Working with interprofessional bodies to strive for a better understanding of cyber risks: InterCERT, CLUSIF (a French association of information security professionals), CESIN (a French association of digital and information security experts) and the European Cyber Security Organisation (ECSO).

Implementing the action plan requires a significant human effort: As well as applying the processes and setting out the governance structure, stakeholders need to be involved and engaged, including each and every company employee.

The items relating to financial resources allocated to the action plans are detailed in Chapter 4 of this document, Section 5,1.2.

5.1.4.2. Protection of personal data

Sopra Steria Group undertakes to protect the confidentiality and security of the personal data it stores and processes in accordance with applicable laws with regard to data protection, in particular Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data (the “GDPR”).

A governance structure has been defined to ensure compliance, manage the related objectives, clarify stakeholder responsibilities, define relevant policies and procedures, provide the appropriate internal audit capacity and promote an internal data protection culture. All Group employees can access this governance structure via an area on the Group intranet managed by the Group Legal Department. It covers all Group entities and geographies, and is structured as follows:

  • An organisational structure at Group level, adapted at a local level (country/entity):
    • The Group Data Protection Manager determines the compliance policies, creates the action plans, leads and supports at a local level and supervises the implementation of the Group data protection Compliance Programme across all subsidiaries. The Group Manager reports on these activities to the Group Legal Department;
    • Data Protection Officers (DPOs) or Single Points of Contact (SPOCs) have been appointed at each Group subsidiary. They are responsible for the following:
      • For complying with data protection requirements within their respective entities;
      • For sharing their actions and any issues encountered with the Group Manager, especially in the event of a data breach, and;
      • Corresponding with the Personal Data Owners (representatives of the DPO/SPOC in the functions and business units) and supporting them as they apply the legal framework.
  • The Group data protection Compliance Programme is based on these principles:
    • Implementing specific tools to track all personal data processing carried out within the Group;
    • Implementing specific procedures to indicate and manage any presumed or actual personal data breach that may occur within the Group.
    • Communicating information bulletins to every group of people concerned whose data is or may be processed by Sopra Steria (for example employees, applicants, clients and suppliers).
    • Provision of standard contracts and clauses covering the protection of personal data in the context of contractual relationships with clients, subcontractors and suppliers.
    • Defining a specific methodology to assess the risks associated with restricted transfers of data to third countries outside the EU/EEA.
    • Organising controls and periodic audits of the implementation of the compliance programme with regard to data protection.
    • Dedicated training plan:
      • As soon as an employee joins the workforce, in the form of a data protection e-learning module that must be completed within three months of starting their role;
      • For employees who need in-depth training because of their role (e.g. Personal Data Owners).

The governance structure is currently being updated, with publication planned for 2025. The updates will reflect organisational changes and refer to the new regulations in force that may impact personal data (for example, the AI Act).

The Group keeps abreast of the latest personal data processing practices, for example it is a member of the French Association of Data Protection Officers (AFCDP).

The items relating to financial resources allocated to the action plans are detailed in Chapter 4 of this document, Section 5.1.2,

5.1.4.3. Cybersecurity solutions

The Group’s cybersecurity solutions focus on three phases:

  • Prevention: drawing up a cybersecurity strategy that is adapted to the risks of the business and complies with the regulations in force, and spreading a culture of security within the organisation;
  • Protection: Ensuring the continuous monitoring of assets, securing environments and ensuring end-to-end encryption of sensitive data and applications.
  • Detection and response: Adopting an overall defence strategy that mobilises all stakeholders to work together towards a shared goal – recognising attackers and countering cyberattacks.

These solutions are largely based on the ability to integrate solutions from outside the Group. However, it is also possible to develop solutions internally, particularly for the Defence and Security sectors (for example, Mactan Ops, Threat Watch, SEDUCS), as well as the Financial Services sector within the DORA regulatory framework.

During 2024, the Group used this approach to integrate the French Cybersecurity Agency (ANSSI) requirement frameworks for security incident response service providers (PRIS) and security incident detection service providers (PDIS).

Since 2023, an entity dedicated to cyber solutions for Group clients has had responsibility for:

  • Reinforcing Sopra Steria’s business model based around value centres and products. It can be rolled out locally, through service centres (in France, nearshore in Poland and offshore in India) or in hybrid form, with a “follow-the-sun” capability to help our clients at all times;
  • Ensuring the Group’s ability to deliver its services, particularly by strengthening an internal Cyber Academy;
  • Constructing and delivering the rollout of this service portfolio to all of its clients across all of the Group’s geographic areas of business.

The relevance and progress of the implemented actions are monitored using training and certification indicators in Sopra Steria’s business areas.

5.1.4.4. Digital sovereignty

The idea of sovereignty applies firstly at a state level, relating to the powers of a nation and the state administration. However, it also involves the companies that contribute to this sovereignty through their key role in the socioeconomic fabric of a state (energy, telecoms, transport, defence & security). With its clients and throughout its ecosystem, Sopra Steria strives to:

  • Share a common framework for thinking about concepts connected with digital sovereignty;
  • Shed light on the risks inherent in digital dependency;
  • Propose action plans incorporating best practice and tools that support sovereignty and facilitate their proper use (cloud computing, software, outsourcing of skills, etc.);
  • Adapt the Group to a highly sovereign environment, notably from a regulatory standpoint (national security).

The Group provides day-to-day support on matters of national security in the countries where it operates, through the protection of personal and industrial data and the consideration of the extraterritoriality of laws governing their storage and use, resilience in the face of cyber threats, control over critical technologies and the fight against disinformation. For example, Sopra Steria is a member of Gaia-X and the European Alliance for Industrial Data, Edge and Cloud, which aims to promote the development and implementation of cutting-edge and next-generation cloud technology. The Alliance aims to consolidate Europe’s leading position in industrial data.

As well as designing technological building blocks, Sopra Steria builds digital trust for its clients, public and private organisations with high societal impact, in other areas, including the following:

  • Expertise in hardware and software:
    • In France, Sopra Steria forged a strategic partnership with NumSpot, a sovereign cloud provider, to facilitate the adoption of trusted cloud services by large French organisations and entities. Through this partnership, Sopra Steria offers its clients a secure, agile solution that complies with the highest standards required by public-sector organisations and operators of vital importance (OIV in French).
    • In Germany, the Group has entered into a partnership with supplier Aleph Alpha to jointly develop AI solutions for public authorities. The aim is to help Germany’s public sector boost efficiency, implement stricter security standards and safeguard against technological dependencies.
  • Managing data and the data life cycle:
    • Sopra Steria co-leads the InfrateX consortium under the Simpl framework agreement awarded by DG Connect. Simpl is designed to meet the needs of various data spaces, facilitate the creation of a European cloud federation, support European innovation and help make Europe more competitive.
    • In 2024, Sopra Steria and the CEA (the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission) signed a letter of intent, the first step towards a strategic partnership. The technologies involved include advanced electronics, application software, artificial intelligence, cloud computing (especially secure and trusted), combat cloud, detection, secure communications and instrumentation. Additionally, areas such as digital engineering, safety, command and control (C2) systems, post-quantum cryptography and cybersecurity will also be addressed.
    • Data-centric security: A new way to keep data secure through encryption.
  • Legal and geopolitical aspects and the development of shared standards:
    • Sopra Steria is an active member of the European Cyber Security Organisation (ECSO), which it joined in 2020. ECSO exists to bring together public- and private-sector players from across the European cybersecurity industry and act as the preferred point of contact in its dealings with the European Commission;
    • Sopra Steria has been a member of the Board of Directors of the AeroSpace and Defence Industries Association of Europe since 2023 to support the competitive development of the sector in Europe and around the world.
  • Skills and human resource management:
    • In France, Sopra Steria is a founding member and member of the Board of Directors of Campus Cyber, a cybersecurity hub established by the French national agency for information systems security (ANSSI). This initiative aims to promote France’s excellence in cybersecurity by bringing together experts and national and international stakeholders and developing synergies around innovative projects.

The items relating to financial resources allocated to the action plans are detailed in Chapter 4 of this document, Section 5.1.2,

5.1.4.5. Disinformation

Sopra Steria is committed to working with its clients to combat disinformation and promote the dissemination of reliable data. The aim of this approach is to strike the right balance between using moderation tools, such as algorithmic tools for assessing information, and promoting freedom of expression.

Aware of the information security threat to state sovereignty and backed by its expertise both in terms of technology and consultancy, Sopra Steria and Sopra Steria Next confirmed the creation of the Cercle Pégase think tank in June 2024. This group is dedicated to protecting information, through the fight against disinformation and information manipulation, and cyber influence (L2I).

The Cercle Pégase think tank was created to promote and contribute ideas to the development of a French strategy on the critical issue of disinformation. It aims to support efforts to simplify and frame this new field of research and its scope of application by creating an organisational structure and methods combined with tools and processes. It does this through a collective approach that welcomes all stakeholders: industry, politics, institutions, media and academia.

Also, Sopra Steria is currently working with its partners, many of them startups, to develop an end-to-end detection and response system to help companies combat cyberattacks, particularly those generated using artificial intelligence.

This solution aims to help organisations:

  • Upstream, to produce content at the design stage that is reliable and can be verified;
  • Downstream, to detect and respond to cyberattacks generated using AI.

It employs a number of advanced technologies to analyse the emergence and viral spread of new online information, particularly on public social media through:

  • Cohort analysis system to detect early warning signs;
  • Real-time subject detection system that uses AI to identify subjects brought up by cohort members on social media
  • Influence forecasting to anticipate subjects that are spreading, based on engagement levels;
  • Warning system that the client can set up to suit their needs.

Sopra Steria solutions enable organisations to stay at the forefront of information security. The Group has developed a number of artificial intelligence systems trained in deepfake detection, as well as fact-checking services that combine human and AI analysis.

The items relating to financial resources allocated to the action plans are detailed in Chapter 4 of this document, Section 5.1.2,

5.1.5. INDICATORS RELATED TO CYBERPROTECTION AND DIGITAL SOVEREIGNTY [MDR-M]

Sopra Steria tracks the effectiveness of its initiatives based on the material impacts, risks and opportunities concerning its entities and main departments responsible for implementation by establishing dedicated governance structures and committees and monitoring overviews. For example, the relevance and progress of the implemented actions concerning disinformation are monitored using the following indicators:

  • Events organised by the Cercle Pégase in 2024:
    • Number of events: 5
  • Sopra Steria LinkedIn publications on disinformation in 2024:
    • Number of publications: 6
    • Number of impressions: 73,467
    • Number of engagements generated: 6,532
    • Average engagement rate: 10%
  • (1)The number of impressions is provided by LinkedIn and corresponds to the number of times the post was displayed on a LinkedIn user screen.
  • (2)The number of engagements is provided by LinkedIn and corresponds to the sum of reactions, comments and shares generated by each publication.
  • (3)The average engagement rate is calculated from LinkedIn data and corresponds to the average engagement rate per publication (number of engagements)

6. Certification report on sustainability information

ASSURANCE REPORT ON SUSTAINABILITY REPORTING AND VERIFICATION OF DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENTS SET OUT IN ARTICLE 8 OF REGULATION (EU) 2020/852

Financial year ended 31 December 2024

To the shareholders at the General Meeting,

This report is produced in our capacity as a statutory auditor for ACA Nexia and an independent third party for the Cabinet de Saint Front (part of the Sopra Steria Group). It focuses on sustainability information and the information set out under Article 8 of Regulation (EU) 2020/852. It relates to the financial year ending 31 December 2024 and is included in section 4 of the Group Management Report.

In accordance with Article L. 233-28-488 of the French Commercial Code, Sopra Steria Group is required to include the aforementioned information within a separate section of the Group Management Report. This information has been included as an initial application of the aforementioned Articles, characterised by uncertainty around text interpretation, a substantial reliance on estimates, and the lack of established practices or an established framework, particularly regarding the double materiality assessment. It gives an understanding of the impacts of the Group’s activity on sustainability issues, as well as how these issues influence changes to its business, results and consolidated financial position. Sustainability issues include environmental, social and corporate governance matters.

In accordance with II of Article L. 821-54 and L. 822-24 of the aforementioned code, our mission is to carry out the work required to issue a notice of limited assurance, covering:

  • Compliance with the sustainability information standards adopted by Article 29b of Directive (EU) 2013/34 of the European Parliament and Council dated 14 December 2022 (henceforth referred to as ESRS [European Sustainability Reporting Standards]) of the process implemented by Sopra Steria Group to ascertain the published information, and compliance with the obligation to consult the Works Council laid down in Paragraph 6 and the final Paragraph of Article L. 2312-17 of the French Labour Code;
  • Compliance of sustainability information given in Section 4 of the Group Management Report with the requirements of Article L. 233-28-4 of the French Commercial Code, including the ESRS; and
  • compliance with disclosure requirements set out in Article 8 of Regulation (EU) 2020/852.

This mission is conducted in compliance with the ethical rules, including independence, and the quality rules defined in the French Commercial Code.

It is also covered by the Haute Autorité de l’Audit (French audit regulator) guidelines: “Assurance engagement on sustainability reporting and verification of disclosure requirements set out in Article 8 of Regulation (EU) 2020/852”.

In the three separate parts of the report that follows, we have presented – for each focus area of our mission – the verification method that we have used and the conclusions that we have drawn from this.

To support these conclusions, we have presented – in the annex to this report – the areas to which we have paid particularly close attention and the diligence we have taken in these areas. We would like to draw your attention to the fact that we have not included a conclusion about these elements in isolation and that the areas of diligence described are part of the global context used to draw the conclusions put forward against each of the three focus areas of our mission.

Finally, when we believe it necessary to highlight any of the sustainability information supplied by Sopra Steria Group in the Group Management Report, we include a section with our observations.

LIMITATIONS OF OUR ASSIGNMENT

As our mission is to give limited assurance, the nature of the work (choice of control technique), its extent (scope) and its duration are less than required to give reasonable assurance.

Moreover, this mission does not aim to guarantee the viability or the quality of Sopra Steria Group management. It does not aim to give an assessment, which would go beyond compliance with the ESRS information requirements regarding the suitability of choices made by the Sopra Steria Group in terms of action plans, targets, policies, scenario analyses and transition plans.

However, it does aim to draw conclusions regarding how published sustainability information is ascertained, the information itself, and the information published in accordance with Article 8 of Regulation (EU) 2020/852, as to the lack of identification or indeed the identification of errors, omissions and inconsistencies of a significance such that they could influence decisions taken by those who read the information that we have verified.

Should there be any comparative information, it is not covered by our assignment.

Compliance with the ESRS of the process put in place by Sopra Steria Group to determine the information published, and compliance with the obligation to consult the Works Council provided for by Paragraph 6 and the final Paragraph of Article L. 2312-17 of the French Labour Code

7. Cross-reference table

7.1. Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive/SDG/Global Compact/GRI/TCFD-CDSB cross-reference table

Universal Registration Document  CSRD
(ESRS/DR)
  SDG (1)  10 Principles
of the Global
Compact
  GRI (2)  TCFD-CDSB (3)
(Climate Change
Reporting
Framework)
Chapter/
Section #
  Chapter/Section heading               
1.  General information  ESRS 2            
1.1.  Strategy               
1.1.1.  Strategy, business model and value chain  SBM-1             
1.1.2.  Interests and views of stakeholders   SBM-2            
1.1.3.  Material impacts, risks and opportunities and their interaction with strategy and business model  SBM-3            
1.2.  Sustainability governance               
1.2.1.  Role of the administrative, management and supervisory bodies  GOV-1            
1.2.2.  Information provided to and sustainability matters addressed by the undertaking’s administrative, management and supervisory bodies  GOV-2            
1.2.3.  Integration of sustainability-related  performance in incentive schemes  GOV-3            
1.2.4.  Risk management and internal  controls over sustainability reporting  GOV-5            
1.3.  Impact, risk and opportunity management               
1.3.1.  Double materiality assessment  method  IRO-1            
1.3.2.  Method and mapping of information covered  IRO-2            
1.4.  Methodological note on the drafting of the report               
1.4.1.  General basis for preparation of the sustainability statement  BP-1            REQ-07
REQ-08
1.4.2.  Disclosures in relation to specific circumstances  BP-2            REQ-09
REQ-10
2.  Environmental information               
2.1.  Climate Change  ESRS E1            
2.1.1.  Presentation of the context, material impacts, risks and opportunities  E1.IRO-1
E1.SBM-3
  7, 9, 11, 13  Principles 7-8-9  GRI 102-15 GRI 305-5
GRI 302-5
  REQ-03
REQ-04
REQ-06
2.1.2.  Reducing and mitigating the carbon footprint, and climate change adaptation  E1-2        including
MDR-P

E1-1
E1-4        including
MDR-T
E1-3        including
MDR-A
E1-5        including
MDR-M
E1-8        including
MDR-M
E1-7        including
MDR-M
E1-6        including
MDR-M
  7, 9, 11, 13   Principles 7-8-9  GRI 305-1
GRI 305-2
GRI 305-3 GRI 305-4
GRI 305-5 GRI 302-1 GRI 302-3 GRI 302-4 GRI 302-5 GRI 201-2 GRI 102-12 GRI 308-1 GRI 308-2
  REQ-01
REQ-02
REQ-04
REQ-05
REQ-11
REQ-12
2.2.  Circular economy  ESRS E5            
2.2.1.  Presentation of the context, material impacts, risks and opportunities  E5.IRO-1
E5.SBM-3
  6, 11, 12, 15,  Principles 7-8-9  GRI 102-15
GRI 306-2
GRI 308-2
  REQ-03
REQ-04
REQ-06
2.2.2.  Resource and waste management   E5-1        including
MDR-P
E5-2 including
MDR-A
E5-3 including
MDR-
T E1-4 including
MDR-M
E5-5 including
MDR-M
  6, 11, 12, 15  Principles 7-8-9  GRI 301-1
GRI 306-2
GRI 306-4
GRI 302-3
GRI 303-3
GRI 308-1
GRI 308-2
  REQ-01
REQ-02
REQ-04
REQ-05
REQ-11
REQ-12
2.3.  Information beyond materiality     14, 15  Principles 7-8-9  GRI 304-1   
2.4.  Information on the EU Taxonomy                
3.  Social information               
3.1.  Sopra Steria employees  ESRS S1            
3.1.1.  Introduction to the context, material impacts, risks and opportunities  S1-SBM-3  4, 5, 8, 10         
3.1.2.  General Human Resources policy  S1-1        including
MDR-P
S1-5        including
MDR-T
S1-4
S1-6
  4, 5, 8, 10   Principles 1 to 6      
3.1.3  Priority to training and skills  S1-1        including
MDR-P
S1-4        including
MDR-A
S1-13      including
MDR-T
  4, 8   Principles 1-2  GRI 404-1 GRI 404-3   
3.1.4.  Equal opportunities and diversity  S1-1        including
MDR-P
S1-4        including
MDR-A
S1-9        including
MDR-M
S1-16      including
MDR-M
  4, 5, 10,   Principles 1-2-6  GRI 405-1   
3.1.5.  Employee protection and trust (including “Health and safety at work”)  S1-1        including
MDR-P
S1-4        including
MDR-A
S1-15      including
MDR-M
S1-17      including
MDR-M
  3, 8   Principle 1   GRI 403-1
GRI 403-9
   
3.1.6.  Social dialogue  S1-1        including
MDR-P
S1-4        including
MDR-A
S1-8        including
MDR-M
  8   Principle 3  GRI 102-41   
3.2.  Affected communities [S3]  ESRS S3            
3.2.1.  Presentation of the context, material impacts, risks and opportunities  S3. SBM-3  1, 3, 4, 5, 8, 10, 11         
3.2.3.  Solidarity and volunteering               
3.2.2.1.  Policy related to solidarity and volunteering  S3-1 including
MDR-P
  1, 3, 4, 5, 8, 10         
3.2.2.2.  Targets related to solidarity and volunteering  S3-5 including
MDR-T
  1, 3, 4, 5, 8, 10         
3.2.2.3.  Solidarity and volunteering initiatives  S3-4  including
MDR-A
  1, 3, 4, 5, 8, 10         
3.2.2.4.  Solidarity and volunteering indicators  MDR-M  1, 3, 4, 5, 8, 10         
3.2.3.  Regional presence               
3.2.3.1.  Regional presence policy  S3-1 including
MDR-P
  4, 8, 11         
3.2.2.2.  Targets related to regional presence  S3-5 including
MDR-T
  4, 8, 11         
3.2.2.3.  Regional presence actions  S3-4 including
MDR-A
  4, 8, 11         
3.2.2.4.  Indicators related to regional presence  MDR-M  4, 8, 11         
3.3.  Consumers and end-users  ESRS S4            
3.3.1.  Presentation of material impacts, risks and opportunities  S4.SBM-3  7, 9         
3.3.2.1.  Policy related to contribution to essential public services  S4-1 including
MDR-P
  7, 9         
3.3.2.2.  Targets related to the contribution to essential services  S4-5 including
MDR-T
  7, 9         
3.3.2.3.  Actions regarding contribution to essential public services  S4-4 including
MDR-A
  7, 9         
3.3.2.4.  Performance indicators relating to contribution to essential public services  MDR-M  7, 9         
4.  Information on business conduct               
4.1.  Business conduct and compliance  ESRS G1            
4.1.1.  Presentation of material impacts, risks and opportunities  G1.SBM-3  8, 10, 16         
4.1.2.  Governance of business conduct  GOV-1  8, 10, 16         
4.1.3.  Policies related to business conduct  G1-1 including
MDR-P
G1-2
G1-3
  8, 10, 16         
4.1.4.  Action plans related to business conduct  G1-2 including
MDR-A
G1-3 including MDR-A
  8, 10, 16         
4.1.5.  Performance indicators related to business conduct  G1-4 including MDR-M  8, 10, 16         
4.2.  Due diligence  S1-2
S3-2
S4-2
S4-3
  8, 10, 16         
4.2.2  Statement on due diligence  GOV-4
S1-2
S3-2
S4-2
S1-3
S4-3
S1-17
  8, 10, 16         
5.  Business- and segment-specific information             
5.1.  Cyberprotection and digital sovereignty               
5.1.2.  Policy related to cyberprotection and digital sovereignty  MDR-P  16, 17         
5.1.3.  Targets related to cyberprotection and digital sovereignty  MDR-T  16, 17         
5.1.4.  Cyberprotection and digital sovereignty action plans and resources  MDR-A  16, 17         
5.1.5.  Indicators related to cyberprotection and digital sovereignty  MDR-M  16, 17         
5.2.  Developing responsible digital technology               
5.2.2.  Responsible digital technology policy  MDR-P  8, 10, 16         
5.2.3.  Action plans and resources for responsible digital technology  MDR-T
MDR-A
MDR-M
  8, 10, 16         

8. Workforce and environmental indicators

Information marked with the ü symbol has been audited by an Independent Third Party to provide reasonable assurance opinion. The figures presented are rounded, which may result in slight discrepancies in some totals.

Summary of workforce indicators

WORKFORCE

WORKFORCE BY GEOGRAPHIC AREA (INCLUDING ACQUISITIONS) ü
  2024   2023    
Scope/Topic   Absolute value   %   Absolute value   %
Group   50,988   100%   55,833   100%
France   19,949   39.1%   21,756   39.0%
International (excluding France)   31,039   60.9%   34,077   61.0%
Of which: United Kingdom   7,002   13.7%   7,768   13.9%
Of which: India   5,294   10.4%   6,095   10.9%
Of which: Spain   4,334   8.5%   4,355   7.8%
Of which: Germany   3,452   6.8%   3,842   6.9%
Of which: Norway   3,355   6.6%   3,238   5.8%
Of which: Poland   811   1.6%   936   1.7%
Of which: Italy   1,040   2.0%   1,069   2.9%
Of which: Belgium   1,872   3.7%   2,262   4.1%
BREAKDOWN OF WORKFORCE BY GENDERü
Scope/Topic   2024   2023 (1)
Group   50,988   51,768
Women   16,589   17,131
Men   34,399   34,637
France   19,949   20,370
Women   5,922   5,981
Men   14,027   14,389
International (excluding France)   31,039   31,398
Women   10,667   11,151
Men   20,372   20,247
  • (1)Excluding Sopra Banking Software
WORKFORCE BY GEOGRAPHIC AREA (EXCLUDING ACQUISITIONS) ü
Scope/Topic 2024   2023 (1)
    Absolute value   %   Absolute value   %
Group   50,645   100%   46,485   100%
France   19,949   39.4%   19,210   41.3%
International (excluding France)   30,696   60.6%   27,275   58.7%
Of which: United Kingdom   6,977   13.8%   7,227   15.5%
Of which: India   5,294   10.5%   4,967   10.7%
Of which: Spain   4,334   8.6%   4,087   8.8%
Of which: Germany   3,452   6.8%   3,533   7.6%
Of which: Norway   3,345   6.6%   3,236   7.0%
Of which: Poland   811   1.6%   907   2.0%
Of which: Italy   1,040   2.1%   1,053   2.3%
Of which: Belgium   1,872   3.7%   462   1.0%
  • (1)Excluding Sopra Banking Software
FULL-TIME EQUIVALENT (FTE) WORKFORCE (EXCLUDING INTERNS) ü
Scope/Topic   2024   2023
Group   49,803   48,959
Women   15,849   16,088
Men   33,954   32,871
France   19,684   19,407
Women   5,754   5,780
Men   13,930   13,626
International (excluding France)   30,119   29,552
Women   10,096   10,308
Men   20,024   19,244
Of which: United Kingdom   6,662   7,378
Of which: India   5,293   6,094
Of which: Spain   4,299   4,298
Of which: Germany   3,316   3,393
Of which: Norway   3,331   3,221
Of which: Poland   807   900
Of which: Italy   1,028   1,040
Of which: Belgium   1,835   744
WORKFORCE BY TYPE OF EMPLOYMENT CONTRACT ü
Scope/Topic 2024   2023
Permanent contracts   Absolute value   %   Absolute value   %
Group   49,456   97.7%   48,348   96.5%
France   19,157   96.0%   18,790   95.5%
International (excluding France)   30,299   98.7%   29,558   97.2%
Of which: United Kingdom   6,722   96.3%   7,301   94.4%
Of which: India   5,260   99.4%   6,055   99.3%
Of which: Spain   4,333   99.9%   4,321   99.4%
Of which: Germany   3,410   98.7%   3,470   93.6%
Of which: Norway   3,337   99.8%   3,230   99.8%
Of which: Poland   795   98.0%   885   94.6%
Of which: Italy   1,030   99.0%   1,043   97.6%
Of which: Belgium   1,872   100%   756   99.0%
Temporary contracts                
Group   1,189   2.3%   1,463   2.9%
France   792   4.0%   871   4.4%
International (excluding France)   397   1.3%   592   1.9%
Of which: United Kingdom   255   3.7%   434   5.6%
Of which: India   34   0.6%   40   0.7%
Of which: Spain   1   0.0%   9   0.2%
Of which: Germany   42   1.2%   63   1.7%
Of which: Norway   8   0.2%   6   0.2%
Of which: Poland   16   2.0%   22   2.4%
Of which: Italy   10   1.0%   10   0.9%
Of which: Belgium   -   -   -   -
BREAKDOWN BY TYPE OF CONTRACT AND BY GENDER ü
Scope/Topic   2024   2023
Permanent contracts        
Group   97.7%   96.5%
Women   31.7%   32.4%
Men   66.0%   64.6%
France   96.0%   95.4%
Women   28.7%   29.1%
Men   67.3%   66.3%
International (excluding France)   98.7%   97.2%
Women   33.6%   34.3%
Men   65.1%   62.9%
Temporary contracts        
Group   2.3%   2.9%
Women   0.8%   1.0%
Men   1.6%   1.9%
France   4.0%   4.4%
Women   1.0%   1.1%
Men   3.0%   3.3%
International (excluding France)   1.3%   1.9%
Women   0.7%   1.0%
Men   0.6%   0.9%
INTERNSHIPS AND WORK-LINKED TRAINING STUDENTS
Scope/Topic   2024   2023
Internships        
Group   279   272
Women   104   87
Men   175   185
Work-linked training students        
Group   1,189   1,463
Women   397   522
Men   792   941
LENGTH OF SERVICE
AVERAGE LENGTH OF SERVICE FOR EMPLOYEES ON PERMANENT CONTRACTS (IN YEARS)
Scope/Topic   2024   2023
Group   7.5   7.3
Women   7.4   7.1
Men   7.6   7.4
France   8.8   8.9
Women   8.7   8.8
Men   8.8   9.0
International (excluding France)   6.7   6.3
Women   6.6   5.1
Men   6.8   5.7
Of which: United Kingdom   8.6   8.2
Of which: India   5.2   4.7
Of which: Spain   6.3   6.0
Of which: Germany   8.4   7.9
Of which: Norway   4.0   3.7
Of which: Poland   7.4   6.4
Of which: Italy   7.6   6.9
Of which: Belgium   6.3   10.2
AVERAGE AGE OF EMPLOYEES ON PERMANENT CONTRACTS
Scope/Topic   2024   2023
Group   39.4   38.9
Women   38.9   38.4
Men   39.6   39.2
France   39.4   39.1
Women   38.9   38.7
Men   39.6   39.3
International (excluding France)   39.4   38.8
Women   38.8   38.2
Men   39.7   39.1
Of which: United Kingdom   44.5   43.9
Of which: India   32.4   32.3
Of which: Spain   39.5   39.2
Of which: Germany   42.7   42.2
Of which: Norway   37.7   37.5
Of which: Poland   36.2   35
Of which: Italy   41.1   40.3
Of which: Belgium   37.4   41
RECRUITMENT
NEW HIRES – ALL TYPES OF CONTRACTS ü
Scope/Topic   2024   2023 (1)
Group   7,436   9,629
Women   2,283   3,378
Men   5,153   6,251
France   2,947   3,557
Women   843   1,137
Men   2,104   2,420
International (excluding France)   4,489   6,072
Women   1,440   2,241
Men   3,049   3,831
Of which: United Kingdom   849   1,681
Of which: India   998   829
Of which: Spain   809   1,011
Of which: Germany   309   587
Of which: Norway   748   936
Of which: Poland   75   116
Of which: Italy   86   160
Of which: Belgium   198   91
  • (1)Including internships
NEW HIRES – PERMANENT CONTRACTS ONLY ü

Scope/Topic   2024   2023
Group   6,634   7,251
Women   2,014   2,511
Men   4,620   4,740
France   2,415   2,167
Women   704   734
Men   1,711   1,433
International (excluding France)   4,219   5,084
Women   1,310   1,777
Men   2,909   3,307
Of which: United Kingdom   740   1,343
Of which: India   990   807
Of which: Spain   802   940
Of which: Germany   293   456
Of which: Norway   678   857
Of which: Poland   35   4
Of which: Italy   79   65
Of which: Belgium   198   72
EMPLOYEE TURNOVER
TURNOVER – BY GENDER
Scope/Topic   2024
Group   14.1%
Women   13.9%
Men   14.3%
France   13.7%
Women   12.9%
Men   14.1%
International (excluding France)   14.4%
Women   14.4%
Men   14.4%
TURNOVER – BY SCOPE
Scope/Topic   2024
Group   14.1%
France   13.7%
International (excluding France)   14.4%
Of which: United Kingdom   12.0%
Of which: India   16.5%
Of which: Spain   15.4%
Of which: Germany   14.8%
Of which: Norway   16.9%
Of which: Poland   16.2%
Of which: Italy   8.9%
Of which: Belgium   15.3%
TRAINING
AVERAGE NUMBER OF HOURS OF TRAINING (MANDATORY AND NON-MANDATORY) PER EMPLOYEE ü
Scope/Topic   2024   2023
Total   29   29
Women   31   31
Men   28   27
AVERAGE NUMBER OF HOURS OF TRAINING (MANDATORY) PER EMPLOYEE ü
Scope/Topic   2024   2023
Total   1.08   1.06
Women   1.04   1.01
Men   1.09   1.09
NUMBER OF HOURS OF TRAINING PROVIDED DURING THE FINANCIAL YEAR ü
Scope/Topic   2024   2023
Group   1,466,587   1,654,050
France   564,062   636,419
International (excluding France)   902,525   1,017,632
Of which: United Kingdom   268,706   217,793
Of which: India   208,380   212,804
Of which: Spain   93,743   120,940
Of which: Germany   48,945   73,491
Of which: Norway   171,544   239,916
Of which: Poland   25,717   40,212
Of which: Italy   39,394   40,634
Of which: Belgium   10,661   17,632
NUMBER OF HOURS OF TRAINING PROVIDED DURING THE FINANCIAL YEAR – WOMEN ü
Scope/Topic   2024   2023
Group   513,135   581,205
France   177,954   200,568
International (excluding France)   335,181   380,637
Of which: United Kingdom   125,824   105,698
Of which: India   58,768   64,205
Of which: Spain   26,477   32,461
Of which: Germany   16,843   24,304
Of which: Norway   58,172   84,435
Of which: Poland   15,743   23,627
Of which: Italy   12,602   16,217
Of which: Belgium   3,759   4,486
NUMBER OF HOURS OF TRAINING PROVIDED DURING THE FINANCIAL YEAR – MEN ü
Scope/Topic   2024   2023
Group   953,452   1,072,845
France   386,108   435,851
International (excluding France)   567,344   636,994
Of which: United Kingdom   142,882   112,095
Of which: India   149,612   148,598
Of which: Spain   67,265   88,479
Of which: Germany   32,102   49,186
Of which: Norway   113,372   155,481
Of which: Poland   9,974   16,585
Of which: Italy   26,792   24,417
Of which: Belgium   6,902   13,146
AVERAGE NUMBER OF HOURS OF TRAINING PER EMPLOYEE ü
Scope/Topic   2024   2023
Group   28.8   34.0
France   28.3   33.0
International (excluding France)   29.1   34.7
Of which: United Kingdom   38.4   29.9
Of which: India   39.4   34.4
Of which: Spain   21.6   28.2
Of which: Germany   14.2   21.3
Of which: Norway   51.1   80.6
Of which: Poland   31.7   43.2
Of which: Italy   37.9   39.7
Of which: Belgium   5.7   22.9
AVERAGE NUMBER OF HOURS OF TRAINING PER EMPLOYEE – WOMEN ü
Scope/Topic   2024   2023
Group   30.9   36.6
France   30.0   35.1
International (excluding France)   31.4   37.5
Of which: United Kingdom   37.5   32.3
Of which: India   36.7   34.6
Of which: Spain   21.7   26.0
Of which: Germany   16.1   24.7
Of which: Norway   58.9   92.3
Of which: Poland   33.4   46.4
Of which: Italy   39.4   53.7
Of which: Belgium   8.2   29.4
AVERAGE NUMBER OF HOURS OF TRAINING PER EMPLOYEE – MEN ü
Scope/Topic   2024   2023
Group   27.7   32.8
France   27.5   32.1
International (excluding France)   27.8   33.3
Of which: United Kingdom   39.1   27.9
Of which: India   40.5   34.4
Of which: Spain   21.6   29.0
Of which: Germany   13.4   19.9
Of which: Norway   47.9   75.4
Of which: Poland   29.3   39.5
Of which: Italy   37.2   33.9
Of which: Belgium   4.9   21.3
DIVERSITY

Gender equality

WORKFORCE – WOMEN ü
Scope/Topic   2024   2023 (1)
    Absolute value   %   Absolute value   %
Group   16,589   32.5%   16,775   33.5%
France   5,922   29.7%   5,959   30.3%
International (excluding France)   10,667   34.4%   10,816   35.6%
Of which: United Kingdom   3,351   47.9%   3,622   46.8%
Of which: India   1,603   30.3%   1,821   29.9%
Of which: Spain   1,219   28.1%   1,279   29.4%
Of which: Germany   1,048   30.4%   1,118   30.2%
Of which: Norway   987   29.4%   997   30.8%
Of which: Poland   471   58.1%   525   56.1%
Of which: Italy   320   30.8%   318   29.7%
Of which: Belgium   457   24.4%   150   19.6%
  • (1)Excluding acquisitions, including Sopra Banking Software
FULL-TIME EQUIVALENT (FTE) WORKFORCE (EXCLUDING INTERNS) – WOMEN ü
Scope/Topic   2024   2023
Group – Women   15,849   16,088
France – Women   5,754   5,780
International (excluding France) – Women   10,096   10,308
Of which: United Kingdom – Women   3,081   3,348
Of which: India – Women   1,602   1,821
Of which: Spain – Women   1,196   1,252
Of which: Germany – Women   963   970
Of which: Norway – Women   979   991
Of which: Poland – Women   467   502
Of which: Italy – Women   311   306
Of which: Belgium – Women   438   144
WORKFORCE BY TYPE OF EMPLOYMENT CONTRACT – WOMEN ü
Scope/Topic   2024   2023
    Absolute value   %   Absolute value   %
Permanent contracts                
Group – Women   16,032   31.7%   16,155   33.4%
France – Women   5,727   28.7%   5,733   30.5%
International (excluding France) – Women   10,305   33.6%   10,422   35.3%
Of which: United Kingdom – Women   3,183   45.6%   3,369   46.1%
Of which: India – Women   1,590   30.0%   1,805   29.8%
Of which: Spain – Women   1,218   28.1%   1,272   29.4%
Of which: Germany – Women   1,032   29.9%   1,038   29.9%
Of which: Norway – Women   932   29.4%   994   30.8%
Of which: Poland – Women   464   57.2%   501   56.6%
Of which: Italy – Women   314   30.2%   311   29.8%
Of which: Belgium – Women   457   24.4%   149   19.7%
                 
Temporary contracts                
Group – Women   397   0.8%   522   35.7%
France – Women   195   1.0%   216   24.8%
International (excluding France) – Women   202   0.7%   306   51.7%
Of which: United Kingdom – Women   151   2.2%   253   58.3%
Of which: India – Women   13   0.2%   16   40.0%
Of which: Spain – Women   1   0.0%   3   33.3%
Of which: Germany – Women   16   0.5%   18   28.6%
Of which: Norway – Women   4   0.1%   3   50.0%
Of which: Poland – Women   7   0.9%   7   31.8%
Of which: Italy – Women   6   0.6%   4   40.0%
Of which: Belgium – Women   -   -   -   -
AVERAGE LENGTH OF SERVICE FOR EMPLOYEES ON PERMANENT CONTRACTS – WOMEN
Scope/Topic   2024   2023
Group – Women   7.4   7.1
France – Women   8.7   8.8
International (excluding France) – Women   6.6   6.2
Of which: United Kingdom – Women   8.0   7.5
Of which: India – Women   4.7   4.3
Of which: Spain – Women   7.6   7.2
Of which: Germany – Women   7.8   7.1
Of which: Norway – Women   3.7   3.2
Of which: Poland – Women   8.3   7.5
Of which: Italy – Women   8.1   7.4
Of which: Belgium – Women   5.3   7.4
AVERAGE AGE OF EMPLOYEES ON PERMANENT CONTRACTS – WOMEN
Scope/Topic   2024   2023
Group – Women   38.9   38.4
France – Women   38.9   38.7
International (excluding France) – Women   38.8   38.2
Of which: United Kingdom – Women   43.2   42.8
Of which: India – Women   31.0   30.9
Of which: Spain – Women   41.3   40.6
Of which: Germany – Women   40.7   39.8
Of which: Norway – Women   36.8   36.4
Of which: Poland – Women   36.6   35.3
Of which: Italy – Women   41.3   40.5
Of which: Belgium – Women   35.8   38.6
NEW HIRES – WOMEN ü
Scope/Topic   2024   2023 (1)
    Absolute value   %   Absolute value   %
Group   2,283   30.7%   3,378   35.1%
France   843   28.6%   1,137   32.0%
International (excluding France)   1,440   32.1%   2,241   36.9%
Of which: United Kingdom – Women   386   45.5%   853   50.7%
Of which: India – Women   311   31.2%   270   32.6%
Of which: Spain – Women   171   21.1%   212   21.0%
Of which: Germany – Women   96   31.1%   214   36.5%
Of which: Norway – Women   214   28.6%   297   31.7%
Of which: Poland – Women   37   49.3%   53   45.7%
Of which: Italy – Women   32   37.2%   39   24.4%
Of which: Belgium – Women   47   23.7%   32   35.2%
  • (1)Includes all types of contracts, including internships
WORKFORCE – MEN ü
Scope/Topic   2024   2023 (1)
    Absolute value   %   Absolute value   %
Group   34,399   67.5%   37,464   67.1%
France   14,027   70.3%   15,345   70.5%
International (excluding France)   20,372   65.6%   22,119   64.9%
Of which: United Kingdom   3,651   52.1%   4,126   53.1%
Of which: India   3,691   69.7%   4,274   70.1%
Of which: Spain   3,115   71.9%   3,076   70.6%
Of which: Germany   2,404   69.6%   2,682   69.8%
Of which: Norway   2,368   70.6%   2,240   69.2%
Of which: Poland   340   41.9%   411   43.9%
Of which: Italy   720   69.2%   751   70.3%
Of which: Belgium   1,415   75.6%   1,530   67.6%
  • (1)Excluding acquisitions, including Sopra Banking Software
FULL-TIME EQUIVALENT (FTE) WORKFORCE (EXCLUDING INTERNS) – MEN ü
Scope/Topic   2024   2023
Group – Men   33,954   32,870
France – Men   13,930   13,326
International (excluding France) – Men   20,024   19,244
Of which: United Kingdom – Men   3,582   4,029
Of which: India – Men   3,690   4,273
Of which: Spain – Men   3,103   3,045
Of which: Germany – Men   2,353   2,422
Of which: Norway – Men   2,351   2,229
Of which: Poland – Men   340   397
Of which: Italy – Men   717   733
Of which: Belgium – Men   1,397   600
WORKFORCE BY TYPE OF EMPLOYMENT CONTRACT – MEN ü
Scope/Topic   2024   2023
    Absolute value   %   Absolute value   %
Permanent contracts                
Group – Men   33,424   66.0%   32,193   64.3%
France – Men   13,430   67.3%   13,057   66.3%
International (excluding France) – Men   19,994   65.1%   29,558   97.2%
Of which: United Kingdom – Men   3,539   50.7%   7,301   94.4%
Of which: India – Men   3,670   69.3%   6,055   99.3%
Of which: Spain – Men   3,115   71.9%   4,321   99.4%
Of which: Germany – Men   2,378   68.9%   3,470   93.6%
Of which: Norway – Men   2,355   70.4%   3,230   99.8%
Of which: Poland – Men   331   40.8%   885   94.6%
Of which: Italy – Men   716   68.8%   1,043   97.6%
Of which: Belgium – Men   1,415   75.6%   756   99.0%
                 
Temporary contracts                
Group – Men   792   1.6%   941   1.9%
France – Men   597   3.0%   655   3.3%
International (excluding France) – Men   195   0.6%   286   0.9%
Of which: United Kingdom – Men   104   1.5%   181   2.3%
Of which: India – Men   21   0.4%   24   0.4%
Of which: Spain – Men   -   -   6   0.1%
Of which: Germany – Men   26   0.8%   45   1.2%
Of which: Norway – Men   4   0.1%   3   0.1%
Of which: Poland – Men   9   1.1%   15   1.6%
Of which: Italy – Men   4   0.4%   6   0.6%
Of which: Belgium – Men   -   -   -   -
AVERAGE LENGTH OF SERVICE FOR EMPLOYEES ON PERMANENT CONTRACTS – MEN
Scope/Topic   2024   2023
Group – Men   7.6   7.4
France – Men   8.8   9.0
International (excluding France) – Men   6.8   6.4
Of which: United Kingdom – Men   9.1   8.8
Of which: India – Men   5.4   4.9
Of which: Spain – Men   5.8   5.5
Of which: Germany – Men   8.7   8.2
Of which: Norway – Men   4.1   3.9
Of which: Poland – Men   6.1   5.0
Of which: Italy – Men   7.5   6.7
Of which: Belgium – Men   6.6   10.9
AVERAGE AGE OF EMPLOYEES ON PERMANENT CONTRACTS – MEN
Scope/Topic   2024   2023
Group – Men   39.6   39.2
France – Men   39.6   39.3
International (excluding France) – Men   39.7   39.1
Of which: United Kingdom – Men   45.6   44.8
Of which: India – Men   33.0   32.9
Of which: Spain – Men   38.8   38.6
Of which: Germany – Men   43.6   43.2
Of which: Norway – Men   38.1   37.9
Of which: Poland – Men   35.8   34.5
Of which: Italy – Men   40.9   40.1
Of which: Belgium – Men   37.9   41.6
NEW HIRES – MEN ü
Scope/Topic   2024   2023 (1)
    Absolute value   %   Absolute value   %
Group   5,153   69.3%   6,251   64.9%
France   2,104   71.4%   2,420   68.0%
International (excluding France)   3,049   67.9%   3,831   63.1%
Of which: United Kingdom – Men   463   54.5%   828   49.3%
Of which: India – Men   687   68.8%   559   67.4%
Of which: Spain – Men   638   78.9%   799   79.0%
Of which: Germany – Men   213   68.9%   373   63.5%
Of which: Norway – Men   534   71.4%   639   68.3%
Of which: Poland – Men   38   50.7%   63   54.3%
Of which: Italy – Men   54   62.8%   121   75.6%
Of which: Belgium – Men   151   76.3%   59   64.8%
  • (1)Includes all types of contracts, including internships

Disability

PERCENTAGE OF EMPLOYEES WITH A DISABILITY
Scope/Topic   2024   2023
France   3.94%   3.60%

Intergenerational policy

PROPORTION OF YOUNGER AND OLDER EMPLOYEES (1)
Scope/Topic   2024   2023 (2)
Group        
Under 30   22.5%   29.1%
Between 30 and 50   55.8%   53.0%
Over 50   21.7%   17.9%
France        
Under 30   24.1%   31.4%
Between 30 and 50   53.5%   49.7%
Over 50   22.4%   18.9%
International (excluding France)        
Under 30   21.5%   27.6%
Between 30 and 50   57.3%   55.1%
Over 50   21.2%   17.3%
Of which: United Kingdom        
Under 30   13.5%   18.9%
Between 30 and 50   50.0%   48.7%
Over 50   36.5%   32.5%
Of which: India        
Under 30   39.1%   44.2%
Between 30 and 50   57.9%   54.0%
Over 50   3.0%   1.8%
Of which: Spain        
Under 30   17.2%   22.4%
Between 30 and 50   64.4%   63.0%
Over 50   18.4%   14.6%
Of which: Germany        
Under 30   11.5%   18.9%
Between 30 and 50   58.9%   54.6%
Over 50   29.6%   26.5%
Of which: Norway        
Under 30   24.6%   31.1%
Between 30 and 50   60.0%   56.3%
Over 50   15.5%   12.6%
Of which: Poland        
Under 30   21.1%   29.7%
Between 30 and 50   75.9%   68.1%
Over 50   3.0%   2.2%
Of which: Italy        
Under 30   19.1%   25.2%
Between 30 and 50   54.7%   52.8%
Over 50   26.3%   22.1%
Of which: Belgium        
Under 30   25.6%   16.8%
Between 30 and 50   58.9%   65.3%
Over 50   15.6%   17.9%
  • (1)The method for calculating these figures did not incorporate employees hired in financial year 2024; (2) Including interns
PROPORTION OF OLDER EMPLOYEES IN FRANCE (ALL CONTRACTS, EXCLUDING ACQUISITIONS)
Scope/Topic   2024   2023
Number of employees aged 50 and older   4,026   3,722
Proportion of employees aged 50 and older relative to the total workforce at 31/12   20.2%   18.9%

WORKING CONDITIONS

ORGANISATION OF WORK AND WORKING HOURS / PART-TIME WORK – EMPLOYEES ON PERMANENT CONTRACTS FROM 1 JANUARY TO 31 DECEMBER
Scope/Topic   2024   2023
Group   5.9%   5.9%
France   6.2%   6.3%
International (excluding France)   5.7%   5.7%
Of which: United Kingdom   12.9%   12.4%
Of which: India   0.0%   0.0%
Of which: Spain   3.3%   3.6%
Of which: Germany   12.0%   11.2%
Of which: Norway   1.0%   1.1%
Of which: Poland   2.0%   2.9%
Of which: Italy   3.8%   4.2%
Of which: Belgium   7.9%   6.2%
ABSENTEEISM RATE, NUMBER OF OCCUPATIONAL ILLNESSES, FREQUENCY RATE AND SEVERITY RATE (SCOPE: FRANCE)
Indicators – France (1)   2024 (2)   2023
Absenteeism rate (%)   2.7   2.5
Occupational illnesses (number)   1   1
Frequency rate of workplace accidents   2.10   2.62
Severity rate of workplace accidents   0.055   0.047
  • (1)39.1% of scope: France; (2) Excluding Sopra Banking Software

5. 2024 consolidated financial statements

This document is a free translation into English of the original French “Comptes consolidés 2024”, referred to as the “2024 consolidated financial statements”. It is not a binding document. In the event of a conflict of interpretation, reference should be made to the French version, which is the authentic text.

Consolidated statement of net income

(in millions of euros) Notes Financial year 2024 Financial year 2023
Revenue 4.1 5,776.8 5,469.0
Staff costs 5.1 -3,611.7 -3,345.4
External expenses and purchases 4.2.1 -1,387.3 -1,419.0
Taxes and duties   -42.8 -39.4
Depreciation, amortisation, provisions and impairment   -186.8 -165.7
Other current operating income and expenses 4.2.2 16.5 26.5
Operating profit on business activity   564.7 526.0
as % of revenue   9.8% 9.6%
Expenses related to stock options and related items 5.4 -17.3 -34.3
Amortisation of allocated intangible assets 8.2 -32.5 -28.9
Profit from recurring operations   514.9 462.8
as % of revenue   8.9% 8.5%
Other operating income and expenses 4.2.3 -54.7 -78.5
Operating profit   460.3 384.3
as % of revenue   8.0% 7.0%
Cost of net financial debt 12.1.1 -35.4 -19.5
Other financial income and expenses 12.1.2 -3.2 6.1
Tax expense 6.1 -96.8 -114.2
Net profit from associates 10.1 -6.7 6.7
Net profit from continuing operations   318.2 263.5
Net profit from discontinued operations 2.2 -58.3 -74.4
Consolidated net profit   259.9 189.1
as % of revenue   4.5% 3.5%
Non-controlling interests 14.1.5 9.0 5.4
NET PROFIT ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE GROUP   251.0 183.7
as % of revenue   4.3% 3.4%
EARNINGS PER SHARE (IN EUROS) NOTES    
Basic earnings per share 14.2 12.46 9.08
Diluted earnings per share 14.2 12.34 8.94
Basic earnings per share from continuing operations 14.2 15.36 12.76
Diluted earnings per share from continuing operations 14.2 15.21 12.56
Basic earnings per share from discontinued operations 14.2 -2.90 -3.68
Diluted earnings per share from discontinued operations 14.2 -2.87 -3.62

Consolidated statement of comprehensive income

(in millions of euros) Notes Financial year
2024
Financial year
2023
Consolidated net profit   259.9 189.1
Other comprehensive income:      
Actuarial gains and losses on pension plans 5.3.1 3.1 -29.6
Tax impact   2.6 6.2
Related to associates 10.2 0.0 -0.4
Change in fair value of financial assets (non-consolidated securities)   -3.6 1.2
Subtotal of items not reclassifiable to profit or loss   2.1 -22.6
Translation differences 14.1.4 45.8 9.7
Change in net investment hedges   -15.2 -10.6
Tax impact on net investment hedges   4.2 1.9
Change in cash flow hedges   6.1 -5.1
Tax impact on cash flow hedges   -2.0 1.4
Related to associates   2.1 -2.3
Subtotal of items reclassifiable to profit or loss   41.0 -5.0
Other comprehensive income, total net of tax   43.1 -27.6
COMPREHENSIVE INCOME   303.0 161.4
Non-controlling interests 14.1.5 10.9 9.3
Attributable to the Group   292.2 152.2

Consolidated statement of financial position

ASSETS (in millions of euros) Notes 31/12/2024 31/12/2023
Goodwill 8.1 2,348.2 2,586.2
Intangible assets 8.2 238.5 322.6
Property, plant and equipment 8.3 148.7 164.6
Right-of-use assets 9.1 384.4 457.1
Equity-accounted investments 10.2 1.0 185.9
Other non-current assets 7.1 224.6 135.2
Retirement benefits and similar obligations 5.3 47.1 40.6
Deferred tax assets 6.3 115.1 184.1
Non-current assets   3,507.6 4,076.4
Trade receivables and related accounts 7.2 1,291.4 1,372.4
Other current assets 7.3 419.8 454.2
Cash and cash equivalents 12.2 423.4 191.7
Current assets   2,134.5 2,018.3
Assets held for sale 2.2 0.0 -
TOTAL ASSETS   5,642.2 6,094.6
       
LIABILITIES AND EQUITY (in millions of euros) Notes 31/12/2024 31/12/2023
Share capital   20.5 20.5
Share premium   531.5 531.5
Consolidated reserves and other reserves   1,375.4 1,324.7
Equity attributable to the Group   1,927.4 1,876.7
Non-controlling interests   57.1 48.4
TOTAL EQUITY 14.1 1,984.5 1,925.1
Financial debt – Non-current portion 12.3 616.7 619.5
Lease liabilities – Non-current portion 9.2 322.1 392.9
Deferred tax liabilities 6.3 42.0 114.1
Retirement benefits and similar obligations 5.3 199.7 226.2
Non-current provisions 11.1 88.3 59.4
Other non-current liabilities 7.4 19.4 21.6
Non-current liabilities   1,288.3 1,433.6
Financial debt – Current portion 12.3 188.8 518.2
Lease liabilities – Current portion 9.2 105.1 110.0
Current provisions 11.1 36.8 53.9
Trade payables and related accounts   354.2 354.5
Other current liabilities 7.5 1,684.5 1,699.2
Current liabilities   2,369.4 2,735.9
Liabilities held for sale 2.2 -0.0 -
TOTAL LIABILITIES   3,657.7 4,169.5
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND EQUITY   5,642.2 6,094.6

Consolidated statement of changes in equity

(in millions of euros) Share
   capital
Share
        premium
        Treasury
shares
Consolidated
reserves and
retained
earnings
Other
comprehensive
income
Total
attributable to
the Group
Non-
        controlling
interests
                Total
AT 31/12/2022 20.5 531.5 -68.6 1,364.2 2.7 1,850.3 43.1 1,893.4
Share capital transactions - - - - - - - -
Share-based payments - - - 38.1 - 38.1 0.1 38.2
Transactions in treasury shares - - -26.9 -11.5 - -38.4 - -38.4
Ordinary dividends - - - -87.6 - -87.6 -7.0 -94.6
Changes in scope - - - -37.9 -0.0 -37.9 3.0 -34.9
Other movements - - - -0.0 -0.0 -0.0 - -0.0
Shareholder transactions - - -26.9 -98.9 -0.0 -125.8 -3.9 -129.7
Net profit for the period - - - 183.7 - 183.7 5.4 189.1
Other comprehensive income - - - - -31.5 -31.5 3.9 -27.6
Comprehensive income for the period - - - 183.7 -31.5 152.2 9.3 161.4
AT 31/12/2023 20.5 531.5 -95.5 1,449.0 -28.8 1,876.7 48.4 1,925.1
Share capital transactions - - - - - - - -
Share-based payments - - - 16.1 - 16.1 0.1 16.2
Transactions in treasury shares - - -115.4 -44.5 - -159.9 - -159.9
Ordinary dividends - - - -93.9 - -93.9 -2.3 -96.2
Changes in scope - - - 10.4 -12.8 -2.4 - -2.4
Other movements - - - 1.0 -2.2 -1.2 -0.1 -1.3
Shareholder transactions - - -115.4 -111.0 -15.0 -241.4 -2.2 -243.7
Net profit for the period - - - 251.0 - 251.0 9.0 259.9
Other comprehensive income - - - - 41.2 41.2 1.9 43.1
Comprehensive income for the period - - - 251.0 41.2 292.2 10.9 303.0
AT 31/12/2024 20.5 531.5 -210.9 1,589.0 -2.7 1,927.4 57.1 1,984.5

Consolidated cash flow statement

(in millions of euros) Notes Financial year 2024 Financial year 2023
Consolidated net profit (including non-controlling interests)   259.9 189.1
Net increase in depreciation, amortisation and provisions   251.2 291.6
Unrealised gains and losses related to changes in fair value   -2.8 5.4
Expenses and income related to stock options and related items 5.4 15.4 37.1
Gains and losses on disposal   3.2 1.3
Share of net profit/(loss) of equity-accounted companies 10.1 6.7 -6.7
Cost of net financial debt (including cost related to lease liabilities) 12.1.1 49.3 31.0
Dividends from non-consolidated securities   -0.3 -0.0
Tax expense 6.1 98.2 111.7
Cash from operations before change in working capital requirement (A)   680.8 660.3
Tax paid (B)   -93.9 -82.6
Change in operating working capital requirement (C) 13.2 69.5 44.9
Net cash from operating activities (D) = (A+B+C)   656.4 622.6
Purchase of property, plant and equipment and intangible assets   -74.8 -100.6
Proceeds from sale of property, plant and equipment and intangible assets   0.7 6.9
Purchase of financial assets   -5.4 -8.6
Proceeds from sale of financial assets   6.2 -0.0
Cash impact of changes in scope   194.7 -912.4
Dividends received (equity-accounted companies, non-consolidated securities)   0.3 2.7
Proceeds from/(Payments on) loans and advances granted   1.9 -3.2
Net interest received   4.6 4.3
Net cash from/(used in) investing activities (E)   128.0 -1,010.9
Proceeds from shareholders for capital increases   0.0 0.0
Purchase and sale of treasury shares   -132.4 -26.1
Dividends paid to shareholders of the parent company 14.1.3 -93.9 -87.5
Dividends paid to the minority interests of consolidated companies   -2.3 -7.0
Proceeds from/(Payments on) borrowings 13.1 -139.0 492.6
Lease payments   -133.3 -106.0
Net interest paid (excluding interest on lease liabilities)   -38.6 -24.4
Additional contributions related to defined-benefit pension plans   -10.0 -12.3
Other cash flows relating to financing activities   -0.9 -0.9
Net cash from/(used in) financing activities (F)   -550.4 228.4
Impact of changes in foreign exchange rates (G)   -2.6 -4.8
NET CHANGE IN CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS (D+E+F+G)   231.4 -164.7
Opening cash position   191.5 356.2
Closing cash position 12.2 422.9 191.5

Notes to the consolidated financial statements

The Group’s consolidated financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024 were approved by the Board of Directors at its meeting held on 26 February 2025. Data in the consolidated statement of financial position and the notes to it were restated to take account of the effect of the Ordina acquisition as described in Note 2.1. Data in the consolidated statement of net income and the notes to it were restated to take account of the presentation as a discontinued operation of Sopra Banking Software as described in Note 2.2.

NOTE 1 ACCOUNTING POLICIES

The main accounting policies applied in the preparation of the consolidated financial statements are presented below. They have been applied consistently for all of the financial years presented.

1.1. Basis of preparation

The consolidated financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024 have been prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) as published by the IASB and adopted by the European Union. Information on these standards is provided on the European Commission website: http://ec.europa.eu/finance/company-reporting/ifrs-financial-statements/index_fr.htm.

Statutory Auditors’ report on the consolidated financial statements

Financial year ended 31 December 2024

To the General Meeting of Sopra Steria Group SA,

Opinion

In compliance with the engagement entrusted to us by the shareholders at your General Meeting, we have audited the accompanying consolidated financial statements of Sopra Steria Group SA for the financial year ended 31 December 2024.

We certify that the consolidated financial statements are, with respect to IFRS as adopted in the European Union, true and fair and provide an accurate view of the results of your Company’s operations for the financial year under review and of the financial position and assets and liabilities, at the end of the financial year, of the group formed by the persons and entities included in the scope of consolidation.

The opinion expressed above is consistent with our report to the Audit Committee.

6. 2024 parent company financial statements

Income statement

(in thousands of euros) Notes 2024 2023
Net revenue 4.1.1 1,984,730 1,965,561
Other operating income   53,892 123,196
Operating income   2,038,621 2,088,757
Purchases consumed   767,318 773,773
Staff costs   1,078,835 1,060,956
Other operating expenses   2,265 39,909
Taxes and duties   29,492 25,688
Depreciation, amortisation, provisions and impairment   38,079 70,296
Operating expenses   1,915,988 1,970,622
Operating profit   122,633 118,134
Financial income and expenses 4.3 315,350 -95,689
Pre-tax profit on ordinary activities   437,983 22,446
Exceptional income and expenses 4.4 -255,839 -1,610
Employee profit-sharing and incentives 4.2.1 -22,068 -19,533
Corporate income tax 4.5 16,567 30,407
NET PROFIT   176,642 31,709

Balance sheet

ASSETS (in thousands of euros)   Notes   Gross value   Depreciation,
amortisation and
impairment
2024 2023
Intangible assets   5.1.1   338,063   84,756 253,307 209,623
Property, plant and equipment   5.1.2   200,672   132,243 68,428 73,768
Financial investments   5.1.3   3,522,333   575,590 2,946,743 2,619,442
Non-current assets       4,061,067   792,589 3,268,479 2,902,833
Inventories and work in progress   5.2.1   4,476   - 4,476 2,961
Trade receivables and related accounts   5.2.2   427,158   96 427,062 465,800
Other receivables, prepayments and accrued income   5.2.3   318,486   14,857 303,629 716,754
Cash and cash equivalents       349,130   - 349,130 130,175
Current assets       1,099,251   14,953 1,084,298 1,315,690
Debt issuance costs   5.2.5   193   - 193 289
Foreign currency translation losses   5.2.5   7,681   - 7,681 2,244
TOTAL ASSETS       5,168,192   807,542 4,360,650 4,221,056
LIABILITIES AND EQUITY (in thousands of euros)   Notes 2024 2023
Share capital     20,548 20,548
Share premium     531,477 531,477
Reserves     794,447 857,433
Profit for the year     176,642 31,709
Regulated provisions     - -
Equity   5.3 1,523,114 1,441,167
Provisions   5.4 171,545 194,006
Financial debt   5.5.1 1,289,552 1,470,936
Trade payables and related accounts   5.5.3 169,919 186,946
Tax and social security payables   5.5.4 386,675 320,247
Other liabilities, accruals and deferred income   5.5.5 811,862 605,515
Liabilities     2,658,009 2,583,644
Foreign currency translation gains   5.5.7 7,982 2,239
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND EQUITY     4,360,650 4,221,056

Cash flow statement

(in thousands of euros)   Notes 2024 2023
Profit for the year     176,642 31,709
Non-monetary items with no cash impact        
■  Depreciation and amortisation of property, plant and equipment, intangible assets and financial investments   5.1 -185,355 213,442
■  Gains and losses on disposal of assets   4.4 259,579 -
Change in working capital requirement        
■  Change in provisions and other non-monetary items     -25,359 30,948
■  Change in inventories     -1,515 -347
■  Change in trade receivables     38,691 -62,546
■  Change in other receivables (excluding receivables on disposals of assets)     45,839 -15,759
■  Change in trade payables (excluding payables on purchases of assets)     -17,027 15,122
■  Change in other payables     41,508 -28,104
Net cash from operating activities     333,003 184,466
Purchase of property, plant and equipment and intangible assets   5.1.1 and 5.1.2 -54,506 -24,413
Change in trade payables on fixed assets     -926 79
Proceeds from sale of property, plant and equipment and intangible assets     - -
Purchase of long-term investment securities   5.1.3 -487,244 -814,730
Change in payables on securities   5.5.5 837 12,416
Proceeds from sale of equity interests and capital repayment on investments   4.4 227,526 -
Change in other financial investments     232 -11,864
Net cash from/(used in) investing activities     -314,081 -838,512
Issuance of long-term borrowings   5.5.1 60,000 407,000
Repayment of long-term borrowings   5.5.1 -128,753 -
Increase/(Decrease) in short-term borrowings   5.5.1 -256,490 182,180
Shares bought back to be retired     -106,535 -
Dividends paid   5.3.1 -94,695 -88,176
Change in Group current accounts and cash accounts related to the notional cash pool   5.5.5 756,617 -29,844
Change in long-term financial receivables   5.1.3 - -29,000
Net cash from/(used in) financing activities     230,145 442,160
NET CHANGE IN CASH (EXCLUDING CASH ACCOUNTS RELATED TO THE NOTIONAL CASH POOL)     249,067 -211,886
Opening cash position (excluding cash accounts related to the notional cash pool)     65,137 277,023
Closing cash position (excluding cash accounts related to the notional cash pool)     314,204 65,137

1. Company description

Sopra Steria Group SA is the parent company of Sopra Steria group.

Its registered office is located at 3 Rue du Pré Faucon in Annecy-le-Vieux (France), where its consolidated financial statements may be consulted.

It performs a number of roles:

  • it operates as a holding company, holding financial interests through which it has direct or indirect control over Group companies;
  • it implements the Group’s financing policy, and as such ensures that the financing requirements of its subsidiaries are met. It also centrally manages market risks to which it and its subsidiaries are exposed;
  • it operates in consulting, systems integration, software and other solutions mainly delivered in France.

2. Significant events

 

2.1. Disposal of the activities of Sopra Banking Software

On 21 February 2024, the Company announced the planned sale of most of Sopra Banking Software’s activities to 74Software (formerly Axway Software). This decision was accompanied by the plan to sell 3.619 million 74Software shares held by the Company to Sopra GMT.

The purpose of this plan was to expand Sopra Steria’s development of digital services and solutions in Europe and focus its investments on consulting and digital technology in its strategic markets.

The plan was brought to completion on 2 September 2024.

For the Group, this project consisted of a number of stages involving carving out the businesses to be sold and then selling the 74Software and Sopra Banking Software shares.

The impacts on Sopra Steria Group were as follows:

2.1.1. CARVE-OUT OF THE ACTIVITIES OF SOPRA BANKING SOFTWARE
  • Acquisition by Sopra Steria Group from Sopra Banking Software of two businesses relating to:
    • dedicated banking IT services (“PS T1”);
    • a “Financial Services Centre” (FSC).

The amount of this acquisition was €43,684 thousand.

  • Acquisition of Sopra Solutions SAS shares for €13,387 thousand.
  • Acquisition of Sopra Financial Software GmbH shares for €1.
2.1.2. SALE OF 74SOFTWARE SHARES TO SOPRA GMT

On 19 July 2024, the Company sold 3,619,423 74Software shares to Sopra GMT for €95,914 thousand and 3,293,637 pre-emptive subscription rights to Sopra GMT for €10,243 thousand.

2.1.3. SALE OF SOPRA BANKING SOFTWARE SHARES

On 2 September 2024, the Company sold its Sopra Banking Software shares to 74Software for €115,201 thousand.

3. Accounting policies

3.1. Principles

The financial statements for the period under review were prepared and are presented in accordance with the accounting methods in force within the Group and in compliance with the principles laid down in Articles 121-1 and 121-5 et seq. of France’s 2014 National Chart of Accounts (Plan Comptable Général).

Accounting conventions have been applied in accordance with the provisions of the French Commercial Code and ANC Regulation 2020-05 on the revision of the National Chart of Accounts applicable at the period-end.

Generally accepted accounting principles were applied on a prudent basis and in accordance with the following underlying assumptions:

  • going concern basis;
  • consistency of accounting methods from one period to the next;
  • accrual basis; and
  • in accordance with general guidelines for the preparation and presentation of parent company financial statements.

No changes were made to accounting policies during the periods under review.

Foreign currency income and expense items are recorded at their euro equivalent at the transaction date.

Foreign currency receivables and payables are recorded in the balance sheet at their euro equivalent determined using the closing exchange rate. Any gains or losses arising on the retranslation of foreign currency receivables and payables are recorded in the balance sheet under Translation adjustments.

The Company also prepares consolidated financial statements. The Group consists of Sopra Steria Group SA (the parent company) and its subsidiaries.

4. Notes to the income statement

4.1. Operating income

4.1.1. Revenue
REVENUE BREAKS DOWN AS FOLLOWS BY VERTICAL MARKET:
  2024 2023
Aeronautics, Space, Defence & Security 28.9% 29.6%
Energy, Utilities, Transport, Other 24.6% 24.6%
Public Sector 19.6% 19.4%
Financial Services, Insurance 17.7% 16.0%
Telecoms, Media & Entertainment 6.6% 7.2%
Retail 2.6% 3.1%
TOTAL 100.0% 100.0%

Of the €1,984,730 thousand in revenue generated in 2024, €157,677 thousand derived from international operations.

Revenue consists of services recognised on a percentage-of-completion basis. They include implementation, consulting and assistance services provided on a time-and-materials basis; outsourcing; infrastructure management; third-party application maintenance; and solution-building services. Revenue from the sale of right-of-use assets and access permissions is very marginal.

Costs of obtaining and fulfilling a contract
The costs of obtaining a contract are capitalised in assets if two conditions are met: they would not have been incurred had the contract not been obtained, and they are recoverable. They can include sales commissions if these are specifically and solely linked to obtaining a contract and were not therefore granted in a discretionary manner.
Costs of fulfilling a contract: Transition/transformation phases of third-party application maintenance, infrastructure management and outsourcing contracts, preparatory phase for licences in SaaS mode.
The costs of fulfilling or implementing a contract are costs directly related to the contract, which are necessary to satisfying performance obligations in the future and are expected to be recovered. They do not meet the criteria defined in the general principles to constitute a distinct performance obligation.
Certain third-party application maintenance, infrastructure management or outsourcing contracts may include transition and transformation phases. In basic contracts, these activities are combined for the purpose of preparing the operating phase. They are not distinct from subsequent services to be rendered. In this case, they represent costs to implement the contract. They are capitalised and recognised in Inventories and work in progress.
Conversely, in more complex or sizeable contracts, the transformation phase is often longer and more significant. This generally occurs prior to operations or parallel to temporary operations to define a target operating model. In these situations, it represents a distinct performance obligation.
Licences in SaaS mode require preparatory phases (functional integration, set-up of the technical environment) in order to reach a target operating phase. These are not distinct performance obligations but represent costs to implement the contract that are capitalised and recognised in Inventories and work in progress.
The costs of fulfilling or implementing a contract capitalised in Inventories and work in progress are released to profit or loss in a pattern consistent with revenue recognition and never give rise to the recognition of revenue.
Implementation, consulting and assistance services provided on a time-and-materials basis; outsourcing; infrastructure management; and third-party application maintenance (corrective maintenance)
Revenue from implementation, consulting and assistance services provided on a time-and-materials basis; outsourcing; infrastructure management; and third-party application maintenance (corrective maintenance) is recognised, in accordance with the general principles, when the customer simultaneously receives and consumes the benefits of the service. Revenue is recognised based on time spent or another billable unit of work.
Services covered by fixed-price contracts, including solution-building contracts
Revenue from services performed under fixed-price contracts is recognised over time (rather than at a specific date), in accordance with general revenue recognition principles, using the percentage-of-completion method in the following two situations:
  the services are performed in the customer’s environment or enhance a customer’s asset. The customer obtains control as the asset is created or developed;
  the contract provides for the development of highly specific assets in the Company’s environment (e.g. solutions) prior to implementation in the customer’s infrastructure. The contract also provides for settlement of the value of such services in the event of termination for convenience (where the customer is entitled to do so). The Company has no alternative use for the asset created and has an enforceable right to payment for performance completed to date.
Revenue and profit generated gradually by services performed under fixed-price contracts are recognised based on a technical estimate of the degree of completion, which is measured taking into account the person-days remaining to be performed.
Licences
Should the analysis of a contract in accordance with the general principles identify the delivery of a licence as a distinct performance obligation, control is transferred to the customer either at a point in time (grant of a right to use), or over time (grant of a right to access).
A right to access corresponds to the development of solutions in SaaS mode. Changes at any time made by the developer to the solution that expose the customer to any positive or negative effects do not represent a service for the customer. In this situation, revenue is recognised as and when the customer receives and consumes the benefits provided by performance. If the nature of the licence granted to the customer does not correspond to the definition of a right to access, it is a right to use. In this situation, revenue from the licence shall be recognised on delivery when all the obligations stipulated in the contract have been met.
Principal/Agent distinction
Should the analysis of a contract identify the resale of goods or services as a separate performance obligation, it must be determined whether the Company is acting as an agent or a principal. It is acting as an agent if it is not responsible to the customer for satisfying the performance obligation and for the customer’s acceptance, if there is no transformation of the goods or services and there is no inventory risk. In this situation, revenue is recognised for a net amount corresponding to the agent’s margin or a commission. Otherwise, where it obtains control of the good or service prior to its transfer to the end-customer, it is acting as a principal. Revenue is recognised for the gross amount and external purchases are recorded in full as an operating expense.
4.1.2. Expenses transferred

Expenses transferred in financial year 2024 amounted to €4,260 thousand.

They mainly consisted of transfers from one expense account to another, as well as intercompany rebilling of structure costs initially recognised by Sopra Steria as part of its management of certain contracts and Group employee share ownership plans.

5. Notes to the balance sheet

5.1. Non-current assets

5.1.1. INTANGIBLE ASSETS
(in thousands of euros) Gross value
(beginning of
period)
Acquisitions Disposals Gross value
(end of period)
Research and development expenses 253 - - 253
Concessions, patents and similar rights 27,289 - - 27,289
Goodwill 264,587 43,684 - 308,271
Other intangible assets 2,250 - - 2,250
TOTAL FIXED ASSETS 294,379 43,684 - 338,063
(in thousands of euros) Amortisation and
provisions
(beginning of
period)
Charges Reversals Amortisation and
provisions
(end of period)
Research and development expenses 253 - - 253
Concessions, patents and similar rights 27,199 - - 27,199
Goodwill 55,161 - - 55,161
Other intangible assets 2,142 - - 2,142
TOTAL AMORTISATION AND PROVISIONS 84,756 - - 84,756

Intangible assets comprise:

  • software acquired or contributed,
  • goodwill and technical merger losses acquired or contributed during mergers.

Research and development costs for software and solutions, which totalled €20,708 thousand in financial year 2024, are recognised as expenses.

Software development costs

All research costs are charged to the income statement for the financial year during which they are incurred.

Development costs for software and solutions may be capitalised if all of the following can be demonstrated:

  • the technical feasibility of completing the intangible asset for use or sale;
  • the intent to complete the intangible asset and use or sell it;
  • he ability to use or sell the intangible asset;
  • the manner in which the intangible asset will generate probable future economic benefits;
  • the availability of adequate technical, financial and other resources to complete the development and to use or sell the intangible asset;
  • the ability to reliably measure the expenditure attributable to the intangible asset during its development. The only research and development costs recognised are from companies acquired and subsequently merged.

Software acquired

Software is recognised at cost. It is amortised on a straight-line basis over one to ten years.

Goodwill

Goodwill consists of acquired assets of a business that cannot be shown in any other balance sheet item. As such, it is calculated by deducting from the total value of a business those elements of that business that can be recognised separately in the balance sheet.

The Company conducts goodwill impairment tests every year.

The duration of use of goodwill is presumed to be unlimited.

The Company writes down the value of an asset if its current value (the higher of market value and value in use) is less than its carrying amount.

Goodwill is allocated to a group of assets so that it can be tested at a level of relevance that enables its performance to be tracked.

Recognised write-downs are definitive and may not be reversed.

Technical merger losses allocated to goodwill

After allocation, technical losses on mergers are recognised in a specific account by the relevant asset category to facilitate their monitoring over time.

Technical losses on mergers are depreciated using the same rules and under the same terms as the assets to which they relate.

Each share of the merger loss allocated to an underlying asset is tested for impairment and written down whenever the current value of the underlying asset falls below its carrying amount plus the share of the merger loss allocated. The impairment loss is charged firstly to the share of the technical merger loss.

Goodwill impairment therefore also includes impairment losses charged to the portion of the technical merger loss allocated to goodwill.

5.1.2. PROPERTY, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT
(in thousands of euros) Gross value
(beginning of
period)
Acquisitions Disposals Line-item
transfers
Gross value
(end of period)
Land 323 - - - 323
Buildings 6,883 - - - 6,883
Technical installations 4,148 2,553 1,015 - 5,686
Sundry fittings 128,906 4,537 468 3,918 136,893
Vehicles 137   - - 137
Office furniture and equipment 56,101 2,034 11,072 1,901 48,963
Other property, plant and equipment 14 - - - 14
Fixed assets in progress 5,893 1,699 - -5,819 1,773
TOTAL FIXED ASSETS 202,404 10,822 12,554 - 200,672
           
(in thousands of euros) Depreciation and
provisions
(beginning of
period)
Charges Reversals Line-item
transfers
Depreciation and
provisions
(end of period)
Land 205 10 - - 215
Buildings 6,596 76 - - 6,672
Technical installations 2,437 1,872 1,015 - 3,294
Sundry fittings 83,692 10,312 468 - 93,536
Vehicles 85 27 - - 112
Office furniture and equipment 35,621 3,783 10,990 - 28,414
Other property, plant and equipment - - - - -
Fixed assets in progress - - - - -
TOTAL DEPRECIATION AND PROVISIONS 128,636 16,079 12,472 - 132,243

Property, plant and equipment consists of the following:

  • land and buildings: Sopra Steria Group owns three buildings at the Annecy-le-Vieux site;
  • office furniture, fixtures and equipment: This item refers to equipment on premises leased by Sopra Steria Group in major French cities.

Some IT equipment is acquired on three- or four-year finance leases and is not included under Property, plant and equipment in the parent company financial statements.

All properties other than the buildings at the Annecy-le-Vieux site are leased.

 

Property, plant and equipment is recognised in the balance sheet at cost.

Depreciation is calculated using the straight-line method over the useful lives assigned to each category of fixed assets.

 
       
  Category Useful life  
  Buildings 25 years  
  Fixtures and fittings 9 years  
  Hardware and equipment 3 to 5 years  
  Vehicles 5 years  
  Office furniture and equipment 5 to 10 years  
       
5.1.3. FINANCIAL INVESTMENTS
(in thousands of euros) Note Gross value
(beginning of
period)
Acquisitions/
Increases
Disposals/
Decreases
Line-item
transfers
Gross value
(end of
period)
Equity interests and long-term investment securities 5.1.3.c 2,601,115 474,679 461,717 2,969 2,617,045
Other financial investments   797,888 126,597 16,229 -2,969 905,287
TOTAL FIXED ASSETS   3,399,002 601,275 477,945 - 3,522,333
             
(in thousands of euros) Note Impairment
(beginning of
period)
Charges Reversals Line-item
transfers
Impairment
(end of
period)
Equity interests and long-term investment securities   773,506 12,940 214,465 - 571,981
Other financial investments   6,054 1,203 3,649 - 3,608
TOTAL IMPAIRMENT 5.1.3.B 779,561 14,143 218,115 - 575,589

Equity interests and other long-term investment securities are recognised at cost.

At the financial year-end, an impairment loss is recognised whenever the carrying amount exceeds the value in use.

Value in use is equal to enterprise value less net debt. Enterprise value is determined on the basis of:

  • the share of equity that the securities represent;
  • or discounted future cash flows derived from five-year business plans drawn up by management. The discount rate is calculated using the weighted average cost of capital in the geographical region in which the subsidiary is located.

The loans made to subsidiaries and the current account advances are recognised at nominal value. At each reporting date, an impairment loss may be recognised taking into account the equity interests if the discounted expected future cash flows after net debt are negative.

These estimates are prepared using the information available at that point in time and may be reviewed if the circumstances on which they were based change.

a. Breakdown of changes in the gross amounts recognised for equity interests and other financial investments

  • Increases are as follows:
(in thousands of euros)    
Securities concerned Transaction type Amount
Sopra Steria Belgium (formerly Ordina Belgium) Purchase of shares 195,800
Sopra Banking Software Capital increases 180,000
Treasury shares purchased with a view to cancelling them Purchase of shares 109,344
Sopra Steria Benelux Capital increases 69,843
Sopra Solutions Purchase of shares 13,387
InProcess Purchase of shares 2,848
Eva Singapour Purchase of shares 2,400
Ordina BV Purchase of shares 9,901
Other   17,753
TOTAL   601,275

The “Other” line includes:

  • increase in financial receivables and investment fund capital in the amount of €9,940 thousand;
  • implementation of liquidity agreement pour €7,230 thousand.
  • The main decreases of this item are in relation to the following operations:
    • the sale of Sopra Banking Software shares for €418,619 thousand
    • the sale of 74Software shares and pre-emptive subscription rights attached to the shares retained in the amount of €42,649 thousand;
    • the repayment of financial receivables and investment fund capital in the amount of €8,450 thousand;
    • implementation of liquidity agreement for €7,554 thousand.

 

b. Impairment of equity interests

(in thousands of euros) Impairment
(beginning of
period)
Charges Reversals Impairment
(end of period)
Sopra Steria A/S (Denmark) 12,221 - - 12,221
Sopra Steria Asia (Singapore) 9,994 - - 9,994
Ordina BV 507,690 9,901 - 517,591
COMECO 4,400 - - 4,400
Sopra Financial Technology 22,624 - - 22,624
Sopra Banking Software 214,428 - 214,428 -
Other 8,203 4,243 3,686 8,760
TOTAL 779,561 14,143 218,115 575,590

In accordance with CRC Regulation 2002-10, issued by the Comité de la Réglementation Comptable (the French accounting regulation committee), on the depreciation, amortisation and impairment of fixed assets, additional impairment charges amounting to €14,143 thousand were recognised in financial year 2024, including €9,901 thousand for the Ordina BV shares.

Reversals of impairment totalling €218,115 thousand principally relate to the Sopra Banking Software securities.

c. Subsidiaries and equity interests

        Other   % of   Carrying amount of
shares held (including
merger deficit)
  Loans and
advances
granted by
the
Company
  Guarantees
and
securities
given
  Revenue
excluding
VAT
      Dividends
received
by the
Company
Company (in thousands of euros)   Share
capital
  shareholders’
equity
  capital
held
  Gross   Net         Results  
Subsidiaries                                        
Sopra HR Software (France)   13,110   54,003   100   3,171   3,171   -   4,200   206,434   27,210   29,497
Sopra Solutions SAS (France)   32,783   -57,383   100   13,387   13,387   28,937   10,000   29,510   6,030   -
Sopra Steria Infrastructure & Security Services (France)   27,025   30,356   100   40,648   40,648   -   -   316,884   20,326   10,000
CS Group France (France)   4,892   -12,925   100   283,315   283,315   71,782   -   248,007   16,080   -
CIMPA (France)   152   19,729   100   100,000   100,000   -   -   136,903   17,479   15,000
Galitt (France)   2,668   18,703   100   45,478   45,478   -   -   39,310   2,521   5,002
SSG 1 (France)   10   -1   100   10   10   -   -   -   -1   -
XYZ 12 2016 (France)   10   -0   100   19   19   -   -   -   1   -
InProcess (France)   40   -2,567   100   2,848   -   2,479   -   1,069   -2,506   -
CS Electronics (France)   N/A   N/A   100   4,192   -   -   -   N/A   N/A   -
Sopra Steria Polska Sp. z o.o. (Poland)   4,312   1,375   100   10,800   10,800   -   -   45,000   690   2,304
Sopra Steria Holdings Ltd (United Kingdom)   21,518   185,025   100   388,753   388,753   -   -   -   17,856   -
Sopra Steria UK Corporate Ltd (United Kingdom)   21,507   237,604   100   389,600   389,600   -   -   -   10,449   -
Sopra Steria Group SpA (Italy)   3,660   7,551   100   12,503   12,503   -   500   104,821   6,671   5,067
Sopra Steria España SAU (Spain)   24,000   28,128   100   116,747   116,747   -   -   264,236   15,990   30,000
Sopra Steria AS (Norway)   1,696   77,138   100   126,303   126,303   -   11,430   507,783   41,864   26,565
Sopra Steria AB (Sweden)   611   28,774   100   33,673   33,673   -   -   -   1,648   -
Sopra Steria A/S (Denmark)   134   -402   100   12,220   -   -   -   7,285   -318   -
Ordina BV (Netherlands)   9,002   -7,967   100   517,591   -   -   -   -   117   -
Sopra Steria Holding BV (Netherlands)   11,561   271,746   100   517,591   517,591   -   -   53   156,881   -
Sopra Steria Benelux (Belgium)   78,981   7,978   100   115,599   115,599   -   -   199,700   -3,003   -
Sopra Steria Belgium (Belgium)   24,520   26,477   100   195,800   195,800   -   -   124,603   6,613   -
Sopra Steria SE (Germany)   10,000   44,548   100   183,153   183,153   -   31,440   366,385   18,080   30,000
Sopra Financial Technology GmbH (Germany)   22,940   -9,965   51   22,624   -   35,000   30,600   150,741   -664   -
Sopra Financial Software GmbH (Germany)   25   6,298   100   0   0   -   198   34,089   -6,235   -
Sopra Steria AG (Switzerland)   4,893   5,747   99   37,561   37,561   -   -   37,022   3,065   3,044
Sopra Steria Asia (Singapore)   8,472   -7,108   100   9,994   -   328   -   173   -321   -
EVA Singapore (Singapore)   56   839   100   2,400   2,400   -   108   1,729   -437   -
Sopra Steria Réassurance   4,750   24,429   100   23,121   23,121   -   10,000   -   6,129   -
Equity interests                                        
COMECO   N/A   N/A   10   4,400   -   -   -   N/A   N/A   -
Particeep   N/A   N/A   7   742   550   -   -   N/A   N/A   -
74Software (formerly Axway)   59,492   264,769   11   31,210   31,210   -   -   217,672   3,758   -

d. Other financial investments

At the balance sheet date, this item mainly comprised the following:

  • liquidity agreement (shares and cash): €7,170 thousand;
  • €109,343 thousand in treasury shares purchased with a view to cancelling them;
  • intercompany loans: €128,868 thousand;
  • units in FCPI investment funds for €22,430 thousand;
  • merger loss allocated to financial assets: €632,497 thousand.

6. Other information

6.1. Information on finance leases

6.1.1. ASSETS HELD UNDER FINANCE LEASES
    Depreciation charge  
(in thousands of euros) Original value For the period Accumulated Net value
IT equipment 35,673 9,681 18,647 17,025
6.1.2. Finance lease commitments
  Lease payments made Lease payments remaining Residual
purchase
price
(in thousands of euros) For the
period
Accumulated Less than
1 year
1 to 5 years 5+ years Total
payable
IT equipment 8,923 17,597 9,232 9,490 - 18,723 357

Statutory Auditors’ report on the parent company financial statements

Financial year ended 31 December 2024

To the General Meeting of Sopra Steria Group SA,

Opinion

In compliance with the engagement entrusted to us by the shareholders at your General Meeting, we have audited the accompanying parent company financial statements of Sopra Steria Group SA for the financial year ended 31 December 2024.

We certify that the parent company financial statements are, with respect to French accounting principles, true and fair and provide an accurate view of your Company’s operations for the financial year under review and of the Company’s financial position, assets and liabilities at the end of the financial year.

The opinion expressed above is consistent with our report to the Audit Committee.

Statutory Auditors’ special report on related-party agreements

General Meeting to approve the financial statements for the financial year ended 31 December 2024

In our capacity as Statutory Auditors of your Company, we hereby submit to you our report on related-party agreements.

We are required to inform you, on the basis of the information provided to us, of the principal terms and conditions as well as the grounds for the benefit to the Company of those agreements brought to our attention or that we may have discovered in the course of our audit. We are not required to express an opinion on their usefulness and appropriateness or ascertain whether any other such agreements exist. In accordance with the terms of Article R. 225-31 of the French Commercial Code, it is your responsibility to assess the benefit of entering into such agreements when they are submitted for your approval.

Where applicable, it is also our responsibility to provide you with the information required by Article R. 225-31 of the French Commercial Code in relation to the implementation during the financial year under review of agreements already approved by the shareholders at a General Meeting.

We have carried out the procedures we deemed necessary in accordance with the professional guidelines of the Compagnie Nationale des Commissaires aux Comptes (CNCC, the French national institute of statutory auditors) relating to this engagement. These procedures consisted in verifying that the information given to us was consistent with the underlying documents.

I – AGREEMENTS SUBMITTED FOR APPROVAL AT THE GENERAL MEETING

Agreements authorised and entered into during the financial year under review

In accordance with Article L. 225-40 of the French Commercial Code, the following agreements concluded during the financial year under review, which received prior approval from the Board of Directors, were brought to our attention.

At its meeting on 21 May 2024, as part of your Company’s stated desire to refocus its strategy on digital services and solutions, the Board of Directors authorised the following three agreements:

  • Agreement concerning the sale of Sopra Banking Software (now SBS Software) shares to Axway Software (now 74Software)
  • Agreement concerning the sale of Axway Software shares to Sopra GMT
  • Agreement concerning the sale of Axway Software’s pre-emptive subscription rights to Sopra GMT
THE RELEVANT INDIVIDUALS IN THESE THREE AGREEMENTS ARE AS FOLLOWS:
Name   Functions
Pierre Pasquier  

Chairman of the Board of Directors of Sopra Steria Group and Axway Software

Chairman and CEO of Sopra GMT

Éric Pasquier  

Vice-Chairman and Director of Sopra Steria Group

Managing Director and Director of Sopra GMT

Kathleen Clark  

Permanent representative of Sopra GMT for the Board of Directors of Sopra Steria Group

Vice-Chairwoman of the Board of Directors and Director of Axway Software

Marie-Hélène Rigal-Drogerys   Director on the Board of Directors of Sopra Steria Group and Axway Software
Michael Gollner   Director on the Board of Directors of Sopra Steria Group and Axway Software
Yves de Talhouët   Director on the Board of Directors of Sopra Steria Group and Axway Software

5.  Agreement concerning the sale of Sopra Banking Software shares to Axway Software

The sale of most of Sopra Banking Software’s business reflects your Company’s aim to expand its development of digital services and solutions in Europe and focus its investments on consulting and digital technology in its strategic markets: financial services, defence & security, aeronautics, space and the public sector.

The scope of this sale represented revenue of €336.3 million in financial year 2023, or approximately 80% of Sopra Banking Software’s revenue. The business activities that have been retained by your Company are the services or projects for major banks or financial institutions that will continue to contribute to Sopra Steria Group’s strategic goals in the financial services vertical. The valuation of Sopra Banking Software’s activities was the subject of a fairness opinion issued by an independent expert.

Under the sale agreement, the company recognised €115,201,000 in income, as well as receiving repayment of the €195,346,000 of the current account advance from Sopra Banking Software, a liability vis-à-vis Sopra Steria Group, representing €310,547,000 in total inflows.

6.  Agreement concerning the sale of Axway Software shares to Sopra GMT

The agreement for the sale of Sopra Banking Software shares to Axway Software also involved an agreement for your Company to sell 3.619 million of its 6.914 million Axway Software shares to Sopra GMT.

The sale went ahead at 26.5 euros per Axway Software share. An independent expert prepared a fairness opinion concerning this price. The proceeds from the sale represented total income of €95,914,709 in the financial year ended 31 December 2024.

 

7.  Agreement concerning the sale of Axway Software’s pre-emptive subscription rights to Sopra GMT

The acquisition of Sopra Banking Software’s assets by Axway Software will be partially funded by a capital increase with pre-emptive subscription rights for existing shareholders. As a result of its drive to refocus on digital services and solutions, the Company did not participate in this capital increase. Accordingly, the Board of Directors authorised the sale of the pre-emptive subscription rights to Sopra GMT.

Pursuant to the agreement to sell Axway Software’s pre-emptive subscription rights to Sopra GMT, the Company recognised income of €10,243,211 at 31 December 2024.

7. Share ownership structure

1. General information

The Group was listed on the Paris Stock Exchange on 27 March 1990.

At 31 December 2024, Sopra Steria Group had a share capital of €20,547,701. It was made up of 20,547,701 shares with a par value of €1 each.

Codes and classification of the Sopra Steria Group share

ISIN/Euronext code: FR0000050809

Ticker symbol: SOP

Market: Euronext Paris

CFI: ESVUFN

(E = Equities, S = Common/ordinary shares, E = Enhanced voting, U = Free,

F = Fully paid, B = Bearer)

Type of instrument: Stock

Compartment: A (Large Cap)

Characteristics of the Sopra Steria Group share

Industry: 9000, Technology

Supersector: 9500, Technology

Sector: 9530, Software & Computer Services

Subsector: 9533, Computer Services

Eligible for Share Savings Plan (PEA)

Eligible for Deferred Settlement Service

Main tickers for the Sopra Steria Group share

Euronext: SOP

Bloomberg: SOP:FP

Reuters: SOPR.PA

Main financial indices including the Sopra Steria Group share

SBF 120

CAC All-Tradable

CAC ALL SHARES

CAC MID & SMALL

CAC MID 60

CAC TECHNOLOGY

Euronext Developed Market

Euronext Developed Market USD

NEXT 150

Euronext FAS IAS

Main non-financial indices including the Sopra Steria Group share

Dow Jones Best-in-Class Indices

Euronext Eurozone ESG Large 80

Euronext Eurozone 300

Euronext Vigeo Europe 120

Euronext Vigeo Euro 120

CDP ENVIRONNEMENT ESG FR EW

EURONEXT CDP ENVIRONNEMENT FR EOGE

EURONEXT CDP ENVIRONNEMENT FR EW

Gaïa Index

Euronext CAC SBT 1.5° Index

2. Share ownership structure

    At 31/12/2024   At 31/12/2023   At 31/12/2022
Shareholders   Shares   % of
capital
  % of
theoretical
voting
rights
  % of
exercisable
voting
rights
  Shares   % of
capital
  % of
theoretical
voting
rights
  % of
exercisable
voting
rights
  Shares   % of
capital
  % of
theoretical
voting
rights
  % of
exercisable
voting
rights
Sopra GMT (1)   4,035,669   19.6%   29.9%   30.7%   4,035,669   19.6%   29.8%   30.0%   4,035,669   19.6%   29.8%   30.0%
Pasquier family   121,929   0.6%   0.9%   0.9%   112,479   0.5%   0.8%   0.8%   112,479   0.5%   0.8%   0.8%
Odin family   210,693   1.0%   1.6%   1.6%   211,653   1.0%   1.6%   1.6%   212,928   1.0%   1.6%   1.6%
Management   198,160   1.0%   1.3%   1.4%   206,361   1.0%   1.4%   1.4%   215,671   1.0%   1.4%   1.5%
Total agreements: Agreement between Sopra GMT, Pasquier and Odin families, and management   4,566,451   22.2%   33.6%   34.6%   4,566,162   22.2%   33.7%   33.9%   4,576,747   22.3%   33.7%   33.9%
Shares managed on behalf of employees   1,274,315   6.2%   8.2%   8.4%   1,341,402   6.5%   8.1%   8.2%   1,321,912   6.4%   8.1%   8.1%
o/w Company mutual funds (FCPE), We Share employee share ownership plan and SIP Trust(2)   1,092,107   5.3%   7.5%   7.7%   1,148,774   5.6%   7.4%   7.5%   1,115,630   5.4%   7.3%   7.4%
o/w Other UK trusts(3)   182,208   0.9%   0.7%   0.7%   192,628   0.9%   0.7%   0.7%   206,282   1.0%   0.8%   0.8%
Free float   13,978,679   68.0%   55.4%   57.0%   14,482,737   70.5%   57.6%   57.9%   14,537,777   70.8%   57.8%   58.0%
Treasury shares   728,256   3.5%   2.7%   0.0%   157,400   0.8%   0.6%   0.0%   111,265   0.5%   0.4%   0.0%
TOTAL   20,547,701   100.0%   100.0%   100.0%   20,547,701   100.0%   100.0%   100.0%   20,547,701   100.0%   100.0%   100.0%
  • (1)Sopra GMT, a French société anonyme, s the holding company that manages and controls Sopra Steria Group and 74Software(1).
  • (2)SIP Trust is a UK trust that manages shares purchased by employees under a share incentive plan (SIP).
  • (3)The other UK trusts hold assets for the benefit of employees in the United Kingdom and India, for example via employee share ownership plans.

 

SOPRA GMT’S OWNERSHIP STRUCTURE IS AS FOLLOWS:
Sopra GMT ownership structure   31/12/2024   31/12/2023   31/12/2022
Shareholders   Shares   %

of capital
  % of
voting rights
  Shares   %

of capital
  % of
voting rights
  Shares   %

of capital
  % of
voting rights
Pasquier family   318,050   53.2%   59.8%   318,050   68.5%   68.7%   318,050   68.5%   68.7%
Odin family   132,050   22.1%   25.1%   132,050   28.4%   28.5%   132,050   28.4%   28.5%
One Equity Partners (OEP SGMT BV)   133,445   22.3%   12.7%   -   -   -   -   -   -
Group managers (active and retired)   13,106   2.2%   2.4%   12,604   2.7%   2.7%   12,604   2.7%   2.7%
Treasury shares   1,321   0.2%   0.0%   1,823   0.4%   0.0%   1,823   0.4%   0.0%
TOTAL   597,972   100.0%   100.0%   464,527   100.0%   100.0%   464,527   100.0%   100.0%

At 31 December 2024, Sopra GMT had thirty shareholders: twenty-eight natural persons and two legal entities.

  • The Pasquier family group consists of nine natural persons, all of whom are related to the founder of Sopra, Pierre Pasquier.
  • The Odin family group consists of one natural person and one legal entity, Régence SAS, which is wholly owned by the shareholders related to Sopra co-founder François Odin.
  • OEP SGMT BV is a Dutch legal entity.
  • The group of active and retired managers consists of eighteen natural persons.

At that date, all Sopra GMT shareholders with the exception of Dutch registered company OEP SGMT BV were French nationals. The company’s beneficial owner, as defined by French regulations, is Pierre Pasquier.

(1) Following the acquisition of Sopra Banking Software, the shareholders of Axway Software decided on 6 December 2024 to change the company’s name to 74Software (with the latter continuing to use Axway Software as one of its trademarks).

3. Employee share ownership

Sopra Steria has always aimed to give employees a stake in the corporate plan and the Company’s financial performance.

At 31 December 2024, the investments managed on behalf of employees accounted for 6.2% of the share capital (1,274,315 shares) and 8.2% of voting rights.

The investments managed on behalf of company mutual funds (FCPEs) and UK share incentive plans (SIPs) made up 5.3% of the share capital (1,092,107 shares) and 7.5% of voting rights.

The shares held by UK trusts, namely SSET and XEBT, for the benefit of employees in the UK and India, accounted for 0.9% of the share capital (182,208 shares) and 0.7% of the voting rights. In 2024, the shares held by these trusts were used to make matching contributions to the SIPs.

The We Share employee share ownership plans enable employees to invest in the Company’s shares, in addition to their voluntary payments into FCPE company mutual funds and Share Incentive Plans (SIPs).

The most recent We Share plans (2022 and 2023) were implemented under the same conditions as the previous We Share plans (2016, 2017 and 2018), given their success.

Employees received a matching contribution of one free share for every share purchased. The offer was limited to a total of 200,000 shares: 100,000 shares purchased by employees and 100,000 matching free shares granted by Sopra Steria.

The shares granted under these plans are purchased on the market by the Group. They give employees the opportunity to share in the success of the Group’s corporate plan and performance over the long term. In addition to their motivational power, employee share ownership plans help foster a sense of belonging and inclusion, since around 96% of the total workforce is eligible for these Group-wide programmes.

At 31 December 2024, 30.0% of the Group’s employees (including 48.2% of employees in France) owned shares in Sopra Steria Group through an employee share ownership plan (FCPE, SIP, registered shares acquired through a company savings plan or free share awards).

In addition, many former employees continue to hold their FCPE units or registered shares over the long term after leaving the company.

    2024   2023
    Group   France   Group   France
Number of employee shareholders   15,313   9,613   17,836   10,747
Total workforce at 31/12   50,988   19,949   55,833   21,756
EMPLOYEE SHAREHOLDERS AS % OF TOTAL WORKFORCE   30.0%   48.2%   31.9%   49.4%

4. Voting rights

At 31 December 2024, the total number of exercisable voting rights was 25,824,389 and the total number of theoretical voting rights was 26,552,645.

Pursuant to the Articles of Association, double voting rights are awarded to all shares that can be shown to have been held in registered form by the same shareholder for at least two years.

At 31 December 2024, 6,004,944 shares (representing 29.2% of the share capital) held double voting rights.

5. Threshold crossings

 

In 2024, the following statutory shareholding thresholds were crossed, requiring a report to be filed with the Autorité des Marchés Financiers:

Date
threshold(s)
crossed
  AMF
declaration
no.
  Shareholder(s)
having
crossed the
threshold(s)
  Crossing of
threshold(s)
in capital
  Crossing of
threshold(s)
in
voting rights
  Type   Number
of shares
  % of
capital
held
  Number
of voting
rights
  % voting
rights
held
13/12/2024   224C2782   FMR LLC   5%   -   Exceeded   1,078,420   5.25%   1,078,420   4.06%

Article 30, “Rights to shareholder information – Disclosure obligations” of the Company’s Articles of Association states:

“All shareholders are entitled to obtain the documents necessary to enable them to make informed decisions regarding the management and operations of the Company.

The documentation required and the conditions under which it is sent or made available to shareholders is established by law and in regulations.

Any shareholder whose equity stake exceeds the thresholds of 3% or 4% of the share capital shall inform the Company in the same manner and based on the same methods of calculation as required by law for higher equity stakes.”

6. Shareholder agreements

 

Agreement between Sopra GMT, Pasquier and Odin families, and management

A shareholders’ agreement constituting an action in concert was entered into, for a two-year term, on 7 December 2009 between the Pasquier and Odin family groups, Sopra GMT and a group of senior managers. It is automatically renewable for subsequent terms of two years. Sopra GMT’s share ownership structure is presented in Section 2 of this chapter (P. 367).

This agreement includes the following main provisions:

  • an undertaking by the parties to act in concert so as to implement shared strategies and, in general, to approve any significant decisions;
  • an undertaking by the parties to act in concert in connection with the appointment of the members of Sopra Steria Group’s management bodies and the renewal of these appointments, by which the senior managers agree to facilitate the appointment of any individuals proposed by the Pasquier and Odin family groups and Sopra GMT;
  • an undertaking by the parties to act in concert in order to ensure that they always jointly hold at least 30% of the capital and voting rights of Sopra Steria Group;
  • an undertaking by the parties to act in concert in connection with any proposed acquisition or disposal corresponding to more than 0.20% of the capital or voting rights of Sopra Steria Group;
  • an undertaking by the parties to act in concert in order to adopt a shared strategy in the event of any takeover bid relating to Sopra Steria Group shares;
  • a pre-emptive right to the benefit of the Pasquier and Odin family groups and Sopra GMT in the event of any disposal by a senior manager of Sopra Steria Group shares (right of first refusal for Sopra GMT, right of second refusal for the Pasquier family group, right of third refusal for the Odin family group). The exercise price for the pre-emptive right shall be equal to (i) the price agreed between the transferor and the transferee in the event of an off-market transfer, (ii) the average share price over the 10 trading days preceding the announcement of the disposal in the event of a sale on the market, or (iii) the value determined for the shares in the context of the transaction, in all other cases.

The senior managers shall refrain from carrying out any transaction likely to entail the filing of a mandatory takeover bid.

7. Control

 

An analysis of Sopra GMT’s influence over a series of structurally significant decisions, notably relating to governance and compensation payable to company officers and senior management, the definition of strategy and operational policy, oversight of external growth, and allocation of capital leads to the conclusion that Sopra GMT exercises de facto control over Sopra Steria Group.

There are three principal mechanisms through which this control is exercised:

  • Sopra GMT’s role as holding company and the Group management agreement entered into with Sopra Steria Group;
  • the significance of its shareholding; and
  • its membership of a group acting in concert within which Sopra MT is clearly predominant, accounting for over a third of exercisable voting rights; its representation on the Board of Directors and its representatives’ knowledge of the company, making them the main driving force in relation to Executive Management.

7.1. Holding company

Sopra GMT, the holding company that takes an active role in managing the Group, takes part in conducting Group operations through:

  • its presence on the Board of Directors and the Board committees;
  • a tripartite assistance agreement entered into with Sopra Steria and 74Software, concerning services relating to strategic decision-making, coordination of general policy between Sopra Steria and 74Software, and the development of synergies between these two companies, as well as consulting and assistance services, particularly with respect to finance and control. This agreement is described in Section 1.1.5, “Agreement with Sopra GMT, the holding company that manages and controls Sopra Steria Group” of Chapter 3 of this document (P. 63).

8. Share buyback programme

 

8.1. Implementation of the share buyback programme in 2024

This description of the implementation of the share buyback programme is provided pursuant to Article L. 225-211 of the French Commercial Code.

Through Resolution 20 of the Combined General Meeting of 21 May 2024, the shareholders renewed the authorisation granted to the Board of Directors to buy back the Company’s shares as set out in Article L. 22-10-62 et seq. of the French Commercial Code and the AMF’s General Regulation, for an 18-month period expiring 31 December 2025.

During the financial year ended 31 December 2024, this share buyback programme was used as follows:

8.1.1. LIQUIDITY AGREEMENT

At 31 December 2023, 11,024 shares were allocated to the liquidity agreement.

Between 1 January 2024 and 31 December 2024, Sopra Steria Group bought back 677,355 shares under the liquidity agreement at an average price of €198.24 and sold 670,390 shares at an average price of €198.50.

On 9 September 2022, pursuant to the provisions of Article 4 of AMF Decision No. 2021-01 of 22 June 2021 (the “AMF Decision”), Sopra Steria Group increased, by 4,000,000 (four million) euros, the resources allocated to the implementation of the liquidity agreement with ODDO BHF SCA.

At 31 December 2024, 17,989 shares were still held by the Company for the purposes of the liquidity agreement. Their unit cost is €166.22.

8.1.2. SHARE OWNERSHIP PROGRAMMES FOR EMPLOYEES AND COMPANY OFFICERS

At 31 December 2023, 146,376 shares were allocated in order to “allot or sell shares in the Company to employees and/or company officers of the Group, in order to cover share purchase option plans and/or free share plans (or similar plans) for the benefit of Group employees and/or company officers as well as any allotments of shares in connection with a company or Group savings plan (or similar plan), in connection with company profit-sharing and/or any other forms of share allotment to the Group’s employees and/or company officers”.

During financial year 2024, the Company acquired 131,223 shares at an average price of €188.13.

183,239 free shares were distributed as part of the delivery and vesting of free performance shares under the 2021 LTI plan approved at Sopra Steria’s General Meeting of 12 June 2018 and granted on 26 May 2021, to recipients meeting all the plan’s conditions following the application of performance conditions.

Taking into account these items, the Company held 94,360 shares allocated for this purpose at 31 December 2024. Their cost price is €177.72.

8.1.3. SHARES BOUGHT BACK TO BE RETIRED

During financial year 2024, the Company acquired 615,907 shares for retirement at a cost price of €177.53 through the €150 million share buyback programme announced on 2 October 2024.

These buybacks were carried out under the authorisation granted at the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders held on 21 May 2024, which authorised share buybacks of up to a maximum of 10% of the share capital (Resolution 20) and their retirement (Resolution 21).

Taking into account this information, at 31 December 2024, Sopra Steria Group held 728,256 treasury shares, including 17,989 shares under the liquidity agreement, representing 3.54% of the share capital.

9. Changes in share capital

At 31 December 2024, Sopra Steria Group had a share capital of €20,547,701. It was made up of 20,547,701 shares with a par value of €1 each. Since 2011, the share capital has changed as shown below:

        Amount of       Number of shares   Contributions
Year   Description   capital post-
operation
  Nominal value   Created   Total   Nominal value   Premiums or
reserves
2011   Capital increase through the exercise of options   €47,415,780   €4   9,300   11,863,245   €37,200   €265,050
2011   Capital reduction not motivated by losses   €11,863,245   €1   0   11,863,245   -€35,589,735   €35,589,735
2011   Capital increase through the exercise of options   €11,893,486   €1   30,241   11,893,486   €30,241   €962,041
2012   None   €11,893,486   €1   -   -   -   -
2013   Capital increase through the exercise of options   €11,919,583   €1   26,097   11,919,583   €26,097   €811,966
2014   Capital increase during the first phase of Sopra’s public exchange offer for Steria   €18,531,485   €1   6,611,902   18,531,485   €6,611,902   €517,976,403
2014   Capital increase during the second phase of Sopra’s public exchange offer for Steria   €19,429,720   €1   898,235   19,429,720   €898,235   €66,128,061
2014   Capital increase through the exercise of options   €19,456,285   €1   26,565   19,456,285   €26,565   €1,450,489
2014   Capital increase through the issuance of free shares for employees   €19,585,300   €1   129,015   19,585,300   €129,015   -€129,015
2014   Capital increase at the time of the merger by absorption of Steria by Sopra   €20,371,789   €1   786,489   20,371,789   €786,489   €58,941,611
2015   Capital increase through the exercise of options   €20,434,841   €1   63,052   20,434,841   €63,052   €2,216,615
2015   Capital increase through the issuance of free shares for employees   €20,446,723   €1   11,882   20,446,723   €11,882   -€11,882
2016   Capital increase through the issuance of free shares for employees   €20,468,033   €1   21,310   20,468,033   €21,310   -€21,310
2016   Capital increase through the exercise of options   €20,531,795   €1   63,762   20,531,795   €63,762   €3,727,171
2017   Capital increase through the issuance of free shares for employees   €20,542,701   €1   10,906   20,542,701   €10,906   -€10,906
2017   Capital increase through the exercise of options   €20,547,701   €1   5,000   20,547,701   €5,000   €211,100
2018   None   €20,547,701   €1   -   -   -   -
2019   None   €20,547,701   €1   -   -   -   -
2020   None   €20,547,701   €1   -   -   -   -
2021   None   €20,547,701   €1   -   -   -   -
2022   None   €20,547,701   €1   -   -   -   -
2023   None   €20,547,701   €1   -   -   -   -
2024   None   €20,547,701   €1   -   -   -   -

10. Securities giving access to the share capital – Potential dilution

There are no securities giving access to the share capital other than those mentioned in Note 5.4, “Share-based payments” in Chapter 5, “2024 consolidated financial statements” of this Universal Registration Document (pages 285 to 286).

11. Information on transactions in securities by senior executives or persons mentioned in Article L. 621-18-2 of the French Monetary and Financial Code

 

Pursuant to Article 223-26 of the AMF’s General Regulation, the transactions referred to in Article L. 621-18-2 of the French Monetary and Financial Code and relating to Sopra Steria Group shares during financial year 2024 were the following:

Category (1)   Name   Function   Description(2)   Date   Number of
shares
  Unit price   Amount
a   Astrid Anciaux   Director   A*   01/07/2024   377   €0.00   €0.00
a   Cyril Malargé   Chief Executive Officer   A*   01/07/2024   2,354   €0.00   €0.00
a   Éric Pasquier   Director   A*   01/07/2024   2,354   €0.00   €0.00
a   Éric Hayat   Director   C   31/10/2024   1,000   €176.8560   €176,856.00
  • (1)Category a: members of the Board of Directors, Chief Executive Officer.
  • (2)Description: A: acquisition; C: disposal; S: subscription; E: exchange; D: gift; SO: exercise of stock options.
  • (*)Allotment of free performance shares under the 2021 LTI plan.

 

12. Authorisations to issue securities granted to the Board of Directors at the Combined General Meeting of 21 May 2024

12.1. Issue with pre-emptive subscription rights

Securities transaction concerned   Date of GM
and resolution
  Duration of
delegation
(Expiry)
  Maximum
issue amount
  Maximum amount
of capital increase
  Use
during the
financial
year
Capital increase (ordinary shares and other securities giving access to the share capital)   21 May 2024
Resolution 22
  26 months
(July 2026)
  Nominal amount of €3 billion, if securities giving access to the share capital are to be issued   50% of the nominal share capital   None
Capital increase (ordinary shares and other securities giving access to the share capital) in the event of oversubscription in accordance with Resolution 22   21 May 2024
Resolution 26
  26 months
(July 2026)
  15% of the amount of the capital increase under Resolution 22, up to a maximum of €3 billion   15% of the amount of the capital increase under Resolution 22, up to a maximum of 50% of the total nominal share capital   None
Capital increase through the capitalisation of reserves or the issue of new shares   21 May 2024
Resolution 29
  26 months
(July 2026)
  Amount of discretionary reserves   Amount of discretionary reserves   None

13. Information required by Article L. 22-10-11 of the French Commercial Code relating to public tender or exchange offers

 

Pursuant to Article L. 22-10-11 of the French Commercial Code, the elements mentioned in this article are detailed below:

1. The Company’s ownership structure is presented in Section 2, “Share ownership structure” of this chapter (page 367);
2. There are no restrictions in the Articles of Association:
  • on the exercise of voting rights, it being specified that fully paid-up shares held in registered form for at least two years have double voting rights (Article 29 of the Articles of Association),
  • on transfers of shares: Shares are freely tradable, other than as specified by applicable laws or regulations (Article 11 of the Articles of Association).

The Company has not been informed of any clauses of agreements pursuant to Article L. 233-11 of the French Commercial Code other than those set out in Section 6, “Shareholders’ agreements” of this chapter (pages 369 to 370);

3. Any direct or indirect interests in the capital of the Company of which the latter is aware pursuant to Articles L. 233-7 and L. 233-12 of the French Commercial Code are presented in Section 2, “Share ownership structure” of this chapter (page 367);
4. There are no holders of securities conferring special controlling rights;
5. There is no control mechanism provided under an employee share ownership scheme;
6. Agreements between shareholders of which the Company is aware and which may give rise to restrictions on share transfers and the exercise of voting rights are presented in Sections 2, “Share ownership structure” and 7.2, “Breakdown of voting rights” of this chapter (pages 367 and 370, respectively);
7. The rules applicable to the appointment and replacement of the members of the Board of Directors are set forth in Article 14 of the Articles of Association. The rules relating to the amendment of the Company’s Articles of Association are contained within Article 33 of the Articles of Association, which states that “only shareholders voting at an Extraordinary General Meeting shall be authorised to amend any and all provisions of the Articles of Association”;
8. The powers of the Board of Directors concerning the issuance and repurchase of shares are stated in Article 17 of the Articles of Association: “the Board of Directors shall establish the Company’s business policies and ensure they are carried out in accordance with its corporate interest, while taking into account its social and environmental priorities. Subject to the powers expressly conferred by law to shareholders’ meetings and within the limits of the corporate purpose, the Board of Directors may consider any matter relating to the proper operation of the Company and shall resolve matters that concern the Company by its decisions”. In addition, the Board of Directors was granted authority by the Combined General Meeting of 21 May 2024 under Resolutions 20 to 31;
9. Agreements entered into by the Company that might be amended or cease to apply in the event of a change in control of the Company mainly concern the syndicated loan agreement signed on 22 February 2022, the drawn bank credit facility agreement signed on 19 December 2023 and the Euro PP bond issued in July 2019;
10. There are no agreements providing for indemnities payable to members of the Board of Directors or employees if they resign or are dismissed without just cause or if their position is terminated due to a public tender or exchange offer.

14. Monthly share prices and trading volumes on Euronext Paris

  • (Source: Euronext Paris)

 

15. Share price performance

 

        Price (in €)   Trading volumes
Month   Number of trading
days
  High   Low   Average closing
price
  Number of
shares traded
  Capital
(in millions of euros)
2024 - 01   22   220.40   187.00   198.59   538,700   108.04
2024 - 02   21   238.80   209.60   221.16   815,479   182.12
2024 - 03   20   239.60   216.20   229.54   673,488   154.50
2024 - 04   21   236.20   205.80   222.22   668,566   148.75
2024 - 05   22   227.20   204.00   218.99   517,236   113.01
2024 - 06   20   222.60   181.00   203.01   711,466   142.57
2024 - 07   23   199.40   165.60   183.08   818,645   148.19
2024 - 08   22   174.90   159.50   168.31   688,489   115.84
2024 - 09   21   196.00   172.20   183.80   753,341   138.87
2024 - 10   23   195.00   166.30   183.05   913,969   166.80
2024 - 11   21   185.60   174.80   180.04   799,646   143.94
2024 - 12   20   186.30   163.20   172.91   889,125   152.83
2025 - 01   22   180.10   158.40   169.36   920,371   155.22
  • (Source: Euronext Paris)

16. Dividend per share

Financial year   Number of shares bearing a dividend   Dividend per share
2014   20,062,614   €1.90
2015   20,324,093   €1.70
2016   20,517,903   €2.20
2017   20,516,807   €2.40
2018   20,514,876   €1.85
2019 (1)   0   €0
2020   20,539,743   €2.00
2021   20,527,488   €3.20
2022   20,511,261   €4.30
2023   20,547,701   €4.65
  • (1)Given the context of the Covid-19 pandemic and in a spirit of responsibility, at its meeting on 9 April 2020, Sopra Steria Group’s Board of Directors decided to propose to shareholders at the General Meeting of 9 June 2020 not to distribute a dividend for financial year 2019.

The Board of Directors decides each year on the amount of the dividend to be proposed to the Shareholders General Meeting. The Company has indicated that it plans to distribute around 35% of net profit (Group share) each year for the period 2025-2028.

At its meeting of 26 February 2025, the Board of Directors of Sopra Steria Group decided to propose at the General Meeting of the Shareholders to be held on 21 May 2025 that a dividend of €4.65 per share be distributed. The ex-dividend date will be 3 June 2025. The dividend will be paid as of 5 June 2025.

Dividends not collected before the five-year prescription period expires are paid to the French state.

8. Additional information

1. Memorandum and Articles of Association

The Articles of Association and internal rules and regulations of Sopra Steria Group are available in full on the website https:// www.soprasteria.com/investors/governance

1.1. Board of Directors

ARTICLE 14 (ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION) – BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The Company is administered by a Board of Directors comprising a minimum of three members and a maximum of eighteen, subject to the exception provided for by law in the event of a merger.

The Directors representing the employees and employee shareholders are not taken into account when determining the minimum and maximum number of Directors.

1.   Directors appointed by shareholders at the General Meeting

1.a.   General provisions

Directors are appointed, reappointed or dismissed by the shareholders at Ordinary General Meetings.

No one may be appointed a Director if, having exceeded the age of seventy-five years, his/her appointment results in more than one third of Board members exceeding this age. Once this limit is exceeded, the oldest Director is deemed to have resigned from office.

Directors may be natural persons or legal entities, with the exception of the Director representing employee shareholders, who must be a natural person. When a legal entity is appointed as Director, it names a permanent representative who is personally subject to the same conditions, obligations and liabilities as all other Board members, without prejudice to the joint and several liability of the legal entity thus represented.

Each Director must own at least one share in the Company.

1.b.   Specific provisions concerning the Director representing employee shareholders

When the legal requirements are met, a Director representing employee shareholders is elected by the Ordinary General Meeting from two candidates nominated by the employee shareholders referred to in Article L. 225-102 of the French Commercial Code.

Both candidates for election as the Director representing employee shareholders are nominated according to the following process:

a) The rules for nominating candidates are approved by the Chairman of the Board of Directors. These rules include provisions relating to the timetable for the various stages in the nomination process, the procedure for identifying and reviewing all preselected candidates, the methods used to nominate the representatives of employee shareholders exercising voting rights attached to shares that they own, in addition to all provisions that may be useful for the smooth execution of the abovementioned process. These rules are brought to the attention of members of the supervisory boards of employee investment funds and, where applicable, employee shareholders exercising directly their voting right, by any means, and notably, without these means of communication being considered exhaustive, by affixing posters and/or using electronic communication, with a view to nominating their candidates;
b) A call for candidates is used to draw up a list of preselected candidates from among those persons meeting the criteria laid down in Articles L. 225-23 and L. 225-102 of the French Commercial Code;
c) Where voting rights attached to shares held by employees are exercised by members of the supervisory boards of employee shareholding investment funds, those supervisory boards may together nominate a candidate. Each supervisory board shall meet to choose its preferred candidate from a list of preselected candidates. Representatives of the Company sitting on the supervisory board are not entitled to vote on this decision. Under the nomination process, each preselected candidate shall be allocated a score equal to the number of shares held by employee shareholding investment funds that voted for him/her. The preselected candidate with the highest score shall be nominated as the candidate;
d) Where voting rights attached to shares held by employees are exercised directly by those employees, the elected or appointed representatives of those employee shareholders may nominate a candidate in accordance with procedures laid down in the rules for candidate nomination. Where a candidate is nominated by appointed representatives, the rules for candidate nomination may stipulate that a voting threshold must be met. In such cases, the required threshold may not exceed 0.05% of the Company’s share capital. Each elected or appointed representative of the employee shareholders shall choose his or her preferred candidate from a list of preselected candidates. Under the nomination process, each preselected candidate shall be allocated a score equal to the number of shares held by those employees who elected or appointed the representatives that voted for him/her. The preselected candidate with the highest score shall be nominated as the candidate;
e) Members of supervisory boards of employee shareholding investment funds and elected or appointed representatives of employee shareholders may nominate the same candidate. In such cases, that single candidate shall be presented at the General Meeting of Shareholders. The same shall apply if either nomination process should fail to nominate a candidate.

The Director representing employee shareholders shall be elected from among the nominated candidates by the shareholders voting at a General Meeting under the quorum and majority requirements applicable to resolutions submitted at Ordinary General Meetings. The Board of Directors shall present each candidate to the shareholders at the General Meeting by way of a separate resolution and shall, as the case may be, approve the resolution concerning its own preferred candidate.

The candidate receiving the most votes shall be elected Director representing the employee shareholders provided that he/she has secured at least 50% of the votes of the shareholders present or represented by proxy holders at the General Meeting. In the event of a tied vote, the candidate who has served longest as an employee of the Company or one of its subsidiaries shall be appointed.

If no candidate secures at least 50% of the votes of the shareholders present or represented by proxy holders at the General Meeting, two new candidates shall be put forward at the next Ordinary General Meeting.

Should the Director representing employee shareholders cease to be an employee, he/she will automatically be deemed to have stepped down and his/her appointment will terminate immediately. The same applies in the event of the loss of status of shareholder within the meaning of Article L. 225-102 of the French Commercial Code.

The Board of Directors may validly meet and vote in the absence of the Director representing employee shareholders until such time as the latter is appointed at a General Meeting of Shareholders.

The provisions laid down in this article cease to apply if, at the close of a given financial year, the percentage of the share capital held by employees of the Company and any affiliated companies accounts for less than 3% of the total share capital. The term of office in progress will continue for its full duration.

2.   Director representing the employees

When the requirements laid down in paragraph I of Article L. 225-27-1 of the French Commercial Code are met, one or two Directors representing the employees sit on the Board of Directors in accordance with the provisions of paragraph II of Article L. 225-27-1 of the French Commercial Code.

The Directors representing the employees on the Companys Board of Directors are appointed as follows:

2.1. the first of them is appointed by the trade union that won the most votes in the first round of the elections referred to in Articles L. 2122-1 and L. 2122-4 of the French Labour Code of the Company and its direct and indirect subsidiaries having their registered offices in France,

2.2. the second of them is appointed by the European Works Council.

When a vacancy for a Director representing the employees arises during their term of office, the Director chosen as an alternate under the arrangements set out in 2.1 and 2.2 performs the duties for the remainder of the term of office of the individual previously serving in this position.

The Director or Directors representing the employees are not required to hold shares in the Company.

Further to the provisions set out in paragraph 2 of Article L. 225- 29 of the French Commercial Code, should the Company body mentioned in these Articles of Association fail to nominate a Director representing the employees, the decisions of the Board of Directors shall still be deemed to be valid.

3.   Term of office of Directors

Directors are appointed for a term of office of four years.

In the year of expiry, Directors terms of office shall expire at the close of the Ordinary General Meeting convened to approve the financial statements for the previous financial year. They may be reappointed immediately.

By exception, upon their first appointment following the modification of the Articles of Association taking effect on 9 June 2020, Directors terms of office appointed by the General Meeting may be set at 1, 2 or 3 years such that the renewal of directorships is staggered evenly from year to year.

Should one or more seats held by Board members appointed at the General Meeting become vacant between two General Meetings, with the exception of that held by the Director representing employee shareholders, the Board may make temporary appointments, in accordance with the requirements of Article L. 225-24 of the French Commercial Code. A Director appointed to replace another Director performs his/her duties for the remainder of the term of office of the individual previously serving in this position.

When a vacancy for a Director representing the employees arises during their term of office, the Director chosen as an alternate under the arrangements set out in 2.1 and 2.2 performs the duties for the remainder of the term of office of the individual previously serving in this position.

ARTICLE 15 (ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION) – ORGANISATION OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The Board of Directors elects from among its members a Chairman, who must be a natural person in order for the appointment to be valid. The Board determines the Chairmans compensation.

The Chairman shall be appointed for a term that may not exceed his/her term of office as Director. The Chairman may be reappointed. The Board may remove the Chairman from office at any time.

No one over the age of ninety-five may be appointed Chairman. If the Chairman in office exceeds this age, he/she shall automatically be deemed to have resigned.

The Board may appoint one or two Vice-Chairmen from among the Directors.

It can also appoint a secretary who need not be a Director or shareholder.

In the event of the Chairmans absence, Board meetings shall be chaired by any person specifically delegated for this purpose by the Chairman. In the absence of this individual, the Board meeting shall be chaired by one of the Vice-Chairmen.

ARTICLE 16 (ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION) – DECISIONS OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The Board of Directors shall meet as often as required by the Companys interests, pursuant to a notice of meeting given by its Chairman. The Chief Executive Officer or, if the Board has not met for at least two months, at least one third of the Directors, may request the Chairman to convene a Board of Directors meeting to deliberate on a specific agenda. The Chairman shall be required to comply with such request.

Notices of meetings may be issued by any means, including orally, in principle at least twenty-four hours in advance.

Meetings shall be held at the registered office or at any other place specified in the notice of meeting.

In exceptional cases, the Board of Directors may adopt, by means of a written consultation, certain decisions provided for by the regulations in force.

The Board can only validly conduct business in the presence of at least half the Directors. Decisions shall be adopted by a majority vote of the members present or represented.

In the event of a tie, the Chairman of the Board of Directors shall have the casting vote. If the Chairman of the Board of Directors is not present, the meeting Chairman shall have no casting vote in the event of a tie.

An attendance sheet is signed by the Directors taking part in the Board meeting, either in person or by proxy.

Internal rules and regulations shall be defined for the Board of Directors.

These internal rules and regulations may include a provision whereby Directors who participate in the Board meeting by videoconference or any other means of telecommunication that enables them to be identified and effectively participate, as required by law, shall be considered to be present for the purpose of calculating the quorum and majority.

This provision shall not apply for the adoption of any of the following decisions:

  • approving the parent company financial statements and the consolidated financial statements, and preparing the Management Report and the Group Management Report.

The decisions of the Board of Directors shall be recorded in minutes prepared in accordance with legal provisions in force and signed by the Chairman of the meeting and at least one Director. If the Chairman of the meeting is unable to act, the minutes shall be signed by at least two Directors.

Copies or extracts of these minutes shall be certified by the Chairman of the Board of Directors, the Chief Executive Officer, a Director temporarily appointed to act as Chairman or an agent authorised for such purpose.

ARTICLE 17 (ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION) – POWERS OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The Board of Directors shall establish the Company’s business policies and ensure they are carried out in accordance with its corporate interest, while taking into account its social and environmental priorities. Subject to the powers expressly conferred by law to shareholders’ meetings and within the limits of the corporate purpose, the Board of Directors may consider any matter relating to the proper operation of the Company and shall resolve matters that concern the Company by its decisions.

In its dealings with third parties, the Company is bound even by the actions of the Board of Directors falling outside the scope of the corporate purpose, unless it can prove that the third party knew that such action exceeded the corporate purpose or that it could not ignore it in the circumstances, it being excluded that publication of the Articles of Association alone constitutes such proof.

The Board of Directors shall carry out all controls and verifications it deems necessary. Each Director is entitled to be provided with all documents and information necessary for the performance of his/her duties.

The Board may grant all agents of its choice all delegations of powers, within the limits of the powers it holds pursuant to law and these Articles of Association.

The Board may create committees charged with studying matters that the Board or the Chairman submits for their opinion and review. It determines the composition and remit of the committees, which operate under its responsibility.

Under a delegation of powers granted at an Extraordinary General Meeting, the Board of Directors may amend the Company’s Articles of Association to ensure compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, subject to ratification at the following Extraordinary General Meeting.

ARTICLE 18 (ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION) – POWERS OF THE CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The Chairman of the Board of Directors organises and directs the work of the Board of Directors, on which he/she reports to the General Meeting. He/she ensures the smooth running of the Company’s management bodies and, in particular, that the Directors are able to carry out their duties.

ARTICLE 2 (INTERNAL RULES AND REGULATIONS OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS) – ROLE OF THE CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

A. Organisation and steering of the work of the Board of Cross-directorships

The Chairman of the Board of Directors organises and directs the work of the Board of Directors.

He/she sets the schedule and agenda for meetings of the Board of Directors.

In the absence of the Chairman of the Board of Directors:

  • Board meetings are chaired by the individual delegated for this purpose by the Chairman of the Board of Directors. In the absence of this individual, the Board meeting is chaired by one of the two Vice-Chairmen;
  • the meeting Chairman does not have a casting vote in the event of a tie.

B. Operating procedures of the Company, governance and control of Executive Management

The Chairman of the Board of Directors ensures the proper functioning of the Board of Directors and its committees, the relations of these bodies with Executive Management and the implementation of best practices in corporate governance.

The Chairman of the Board of Directors ensures that the Group’s values are upheld.

He/she makes sure that Directors are able to carry out their duties, and that they have adequate information.

The Chairman of the Board of Directors ensures open lines of communication at all times between the Board of Directors and Executive Management. As such, the Chairman also keeps abreast of, and must be informed of, the Group’s circumstances and any decisions being considered whenever they are likely to have a significant impact on the conduct of business activities. To this end, the Chairman is kept informed of developments throughout the preparation of planned operations that are subject to prior approval by the Board of Directors and may offer comments on such plans.

He/she may draw on the expertise of the Board committees and their chairmen and has unrestricted access to Executive Management and functional and operational departments.

C.   Relations with shareholders

The Chairman reports to the shareholders on the composition and the manner in which the work of the Board of Directors is prepared and organised, as well as on the internal control and risk management procedures put in place by the Group.

The Chairman presides over General Meetings.

Together with the Chief Executive Officer, he/she supervises the Company’s relations with major shareholders.

D.   Support for Executive Management

In agreement with the Chief Executive Officer, the Chairman of the Board of Directors may take part in actions to address any matters of interest to the Company or the Group, notably those relating to business activities, strategic decisions or projects (in particular involving investments or divestments), partnership agreements and relations with employee representative bodies, risks and financial disclosures.

In agreement with the Chief Executive Officer, he/she may also take part in any meetings.

E.   Representation of the Company and the Group

The Chairman of the Board of Directors represents the Board in its relations with third parties, apart from exceptional circumstances or in the case of specific assignments conferred upon individual Directors. In coordination with the Chief Executive Officer, the Chairman of the Board of Directors makes every effort to promote the values and image of the Group in all circumstances. In agreement with the Chief Executive Officer, the Chairman of the Board of Directors may represent the Group in its high-level relations, particularly with major partners or clients and government authorities, on the domestic and international fronts, and in terms of both internal and external communications.

Conditions for the exercise of the Chairman of the Board of Directors’ prerogative powers

The duties assumed by the Chairman of the Board of Directors require the Chairman to devote his/her time to the Company. The initiatives undertaken and the actions carried out by the Chairman in the performance of his/her duties are taken into consideration by the Board of Directors in determining the Chairman’s compensation.

The Chairman of the Board of Directors fulfils his/her responsibilities in recognition of those assumed by the Chief Executive Officer and the Board of Directors.

ARTICLE 20 (ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION) – COMPENSATION OF CORPORATE OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS
1. The shareholders at a General Meeting may grant the Directors an annual fixed compensation, the amount of which shall be booked as operating expenses. Such amount shall be maintained until a new decision is adopted. The Board of Directors shall determine the allocation thereof among the Directors, in accordance with applicable laws.
2. The Board of Directors determines the compensation of the Chairman of the Board of Directors, the Chief Executive Officer and any Deputy Chief Executive Officers, in accordance with applicable laws.
3. The Board of Directors may also grant exceptional compensation for missions or assignments entrusted to Directors, in accordance with applicable laws. Directors shall not receive any compensation from the Company, whether permanent or otherwise, other than the remuneration specified in the preceding paragraphs, unless they have entered into an employment contract with the Company, in accordance with applicable laws.
ARTICLE 21 (ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION) – MULTIPLE OFFICES

An individual shall not simultaneously hold more than five offices as a Director or a member of the Supervisory Board of sociétés anonymes that have their registered offices in France.

By exception to the foregoing provisions and for the purposes of applying this article, offices held by a person as a Director or member of the Supervisory Board of a company that is controlled, within the meaning of Article L. 233-16 of the French Commercial Code, by the company in which that person is a Director shall not be taken into account for these purposes.

Pursuant to the above provisions, the positions of Directors of companies whose shares are not traded on a regulated market or are controlled, within the meaning of Article L. 233-16 of the French Commercial Code, by the same company only count as one position, provided the number of such positions held does not exceed five.

An individual may not simultaneously hold more than one position as Chief Executive Officer, member of a management board or sole executive officer of sociétés anonymes that have their registered offices in France. In derogation of the foregoing, a second position as Chief Executive Officer, member of a management board or sole executive officer may be held in a company that is controlled, within the meaning of Article L. 233-16 of the French Commercial Code, by the company of which he/she is Chief Executive Officer. Another position as Chief Executive Officer, member of a management board or sole executive officer may be held in a company if the shares of neither of these two companies are admitted to trading on a regulated market.

Without prejudice to the conditions above or to other legal requirements, an individual shall not simultaneously hold more than five offices as a Chief Executive Officer, member of a management board, sole executive officer, Director or member of the Supervisory Board of sociétés anonymes having their registered offices in France. For the purposes of this article, where a Director acts as Chief Executive Officer, this shall count as a single office.

This number shall be reduced to three for offices held within companies, even where registered outside France, whose shares are traded on a regulated market for persons acting as Chief Executive Officer, member of a management board or sole executive officer in a company whose shares are traded on a regulated market and which employs at least 5,000 permanent employees in the company and its direct or indirect subsidiaries, and whose registered offices are located in France, or at least 10,000 employees in the company and its direct or indirect subsidiaries, and whose registered offices are located in France and elsewhere.

For the purposes of applying this latter limit, positions as Director or member of the Supervisory Board held by the Chief Executive Officer, member of a management board or sole executive officer of companies whose main business is the acquisition and management of investment holdings, within the meaning of Article L. 233-2 of the French Commercial Code, shall be disregarded for these purposes.

Any individual in breach of the provisions concerning multiple offices shall resign one of the positions within three months of his/her appointment or, in the event of a derogation, from the position at issue within three months of the event that causes the person to cease complying with the conditions set by law. On expiry of the three-month period, the person is automatically dismissed and must return the compensation received, although the validity of the deliberations in which he/ she took part is not called into question.

2. Person responsible for the Universal Registration Document and information on the auditing of the Company’s financial statements

2.1. Person responsible for the Universal Registration Document

Name and position of the person responsible for the Universal Registration Document

Cyril Malargé, Chief Executive Officer.

3. Provisional reporting timetable

Publication date   Event   Meeting date
Thursday, 27 February 2025 before market open   FY 2024 revenue and earnings   27 February 2025
Wednesday, 30 April 2025 before market open   Q1 2025 revenue   30 April 2025
Wednesday, 21 May 2025 at 2:30 p.m.   Annual General Meeting of Shareholders   21 May 2025
Friday, 25 July 2025 before market open   H1 2025 revenue and earnings   25 July 2025
Wednesday, 29 October 2025 before market open   Q3 2025 revenue   29 October 2025

The full-year and half-year results are published in press releases and are presented at meetings, which are also made available as bilingual webcasts in French and English. Q1 and Q3 revenue is published in press releases and presented on bilingual (French and English) conference calls.

4. Regulatory disclosures in 2024

4.1. Press releases for ongoing disclosure obligation

Document title   Publication date   Publication time
         
         
Capital Markets Day 2024   12/12/2024   7:00 a.m.
Q3 2024 revenue   31/10/2024   7:00 a.m.
Sopra Steria Group: 2025 financial calendar   30/10/2024    
Sopra Steria launches a €150m share buyback programme   02/10/2024    
Finalisation of the sale of most of Sopra Banking Software’s activities, reflecting Sopra Steria’s refocusing on digital services and solutions   02/09/2024    
Sopra Steria Group: Publication of the 2024 Half-Year Financial Report   26/07/2024   5:45 p.m.
2024 Half-year results   24/07/2024   5:45 p.m.
Preliminary results for H1 2024   18/07/2024    
Sopra Steria wins the Transparency Awards 2024 in the CAC Mid 60 category   09/07/2024    
A significant milestone achieved in the Group’s strategy to refocus its activities on digital services and solutions   03/06/2024    
Report of the independent appraiser on the value of the scope of activities sold by Sopra Banking Software to Axway   03/06/2024    
Report of the independent appraiser in connection with the reorganisation of the company’s share capital   03/06/2024    
Q1 2024 revenue   26/04/2024   7:00 a.m.
Combined General Meeting of 21 May 2024 – Documents and preparatory information available   12/04/2024   5:45 p.m.
Press release announcing the publication of the 2023 Universal Registration Document / Annual Financial Report   15/03/2024   5:45 p.m.
2023 Full-year results   22/02/2024    
Clarification of the Group’s strategy and project to focus its activities on digital services and solutions   21/02/2024    

5. Documents available to the public

The legal documents relating to the Company – in particular its Articles of Association, financial statements and reports presented to shareholders at its General Meetings by the Board of Directors and the Statutory Auditors – may be requested from the Communications Department at 6 Avenue Kléber, 75116 Paris, France. All published financial information is available on the Group’s website: https://www.soprasteria.com.

INFORMATION INCLUDED BY REFERENCE

In accordance with Article 19 of Regulation (EU) 2017/1129, the following information is included by reference in this Universal Registration Document:

1. Relating to financial year 2023:

  • the Management Report, included in the Universal Registration Document filed on 15 March 2024 under number D.24-0121, is detailed in the cross-reference table (pages 372 to 373) – “Information regarding the Management Report”;
  • the consolidated financial statements and the Statutory Auditors’ report on those financial statements, included in the Universal Registration Document filed on 15 March 2024 under number D.24-0121 (pages 211 to 277 and 278 to 282, respectively);
  • the parent company financial statements of Sopra Steria and the Statutory Auditors’ report on those financial statements, included in the Universal Registration Document filed on 15 March 2024 under number D.24-0121 (pages 283 to 310 and 311 to 314, respectively);
  • the Statutory Auditors’ special report on related-party agreements and commitments, included in the Universal Registration Document filed on 15 March 2024 under number D.24-0121 (pages 315 to 316).

2. Relating to financial year 2022:

  • the Management Report, included in the Universal Registration Document filed on 17 March 2023 under number D.23-0111, is detailed in the cross-reference table (pages 345 to 347) – “Information regarding the Management Report”;
  • the consolidated financial statements and the Statutory Auditors’ report on those financial statements, included in the Universal Registration Document filed on 17 March 2023 under number D.23-0111 (pages 189 to 252 and 253 to 257, respectively);
  • the parent company financial statements of Sopra Steria and the Statutory Auditors’ report on those financial statements, included in the Universal Registration Document filed on 17 March 2023 under number D.23-0111 (pages 259 to 287 and 288 to 291, respectively);
  • the Statutory Auditors’ special report on related-party agreements and commitments, included in the Universal Registration Document filed on 17 March 2023 under number D.23-0111 (pages 291 to 293).

9. General Meeting

1. Agenda

On the date that this Universal Registration Document is filed, the shareholders of Sopra Steria Group are invited to attend the Combined General Meeting to be held on Wednesday, 21 May 2025, at 2:30 p.m., at Pavillon Dauphine, Place du Maréchal de Lattre de Tassigny, 75116 Paris (France), to vote on the following agenda.

1.1. Item on the agenda without a resolution subject to a vote by the shareholders

Presentation of the Group’s climate strategy and the main initiatives taken;

2. Summary of resolutions

The Group’s climate strategy, described in Chapter 4 of the 2024 Universal Registration Document, will be presented during the next General Meeting. This presentation will not be followed by a vote by the shareholders.

2.1. Ordinary General Meeting

2.1.1. APPROVAL OF THE PARENT COMPANY AND CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF SOPRA STERIA GROUP, GRANTING OF FINAL DISCHARGE TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND APPROPRIATION OF EARNINGS (RESOLUTIONS 1 TO 4)

The Board of Directors submits for your approval:

  • the parent company financial statements (Resolution 1) of Sopra Steria Group for the year ended 31 December 2024, showing net profit of €176,642,331.67, and proposes that it be discharged from its management duties for the financial year 2024 (Resolution 2);
  • the consolidated financial statements (Resolution 3) of Sopra Steria Group for the year ended 31 December 2024, showing net profit attributable to the Group of €250,958,068;
  • the list of non-deductible expenses totalling €919,310 and the corresponding tax charge (Resolution 1). These expenses consist of rental or lease payments and depreciation in respect of the Company’s vehicle fleet.

The Statutory Auditors’ reports on the parent company financial statements and the consolidated financial statements of Sopra Steria Group are presented respectively in Chapter 6 and Chapter 5 of the Universal Registration Document of the Company for the financial year ended 31 December 2024.

The Board of Directors proposes that a dividend per share of €4.65 be distributed (versus €4.65 in 2023), i.e. a total amount of €95,546,809.65 (Resolution 4), from distributable profit for the financial year. The proposed dividend payment amounts to 38% of net profit attributable to the Group.

This amount would be adjusted in the event of a change in the number of shares with dividend rights, it being understood that treasury shares confer no entitlement to dividend rights. The amount of dividends not paid on treasury shares shall be appropriated to retained earnings.

It should be noted that on 2 October 2024, Sopra Steria Group launched a share buyback programme which came to a close on 28 January 2025. This resulted in a buyback of 858,163 shares, which are added to treasury shares.

In accordance with tax regulations in force, when paid to individual shareholders with tax residence in France, this dividend distribution is subject to mandatory lump-sum withholding at the rate of 30% (while remaining subject to income tax reporting requirements – non libératoire), in respect of income tax (12.8%) and social security contributions (17.2%).

When filing their income tax return, shareholders may opt either to maintain the withholding amount as indicated on the return or to have this dividend taxed instead at the progressive income tax rate (as an overall taxpayer option for all income subject to lump-sum withholding), after deducting the withholding amount already paid and after applying relief equal to 40% of the gross amount received (Article 158, 3. 2° of the French General Tax Code), and the deduction of a portion of the CSG (6.8%).

The ex-dividend date would be 3 June 2025, before the market opens. The dividend would be payable as from 5 June 2025.

2.1.2. RELATED-PARTY AGREEMENTS (RESOLUTION 5)

Under Resolution 5, the Board of Directors submits for your approval, pursuant to the provisions of Article L. 225-40 of the French Commercial Code, the agreements covered by Article L. 225-38 of the French Commercial Code entered into during the financial year ended 31 December 2024, as well as the Statutory Auditors’ special report on said agreements.

These three agreements submitted for appoval at the General Meeting make up one larger transaction, with two of these agreements being indivisible: the sale by Sopra Steria to Axway Software of most of Sopra Banking Software’s activities on the one hand, and the sale of 3.619 million Axway Software shares to Sopra GMT by Sopra Steria Group on the other, as well as the sale to Sopra GMT of the pre-emptive subscription rights attached to Axway Software shares held by Sopra Steria Group.

The project to sell most of Sopra Banking Software’s business reflects Sopra Steria’s aim to expand its development of digital services and solutions in Europe and focus its investments on consulting and digital technology in its strategic markets: financial services, defence & security, aeronautics, space and the public sector.

The divested scope represented revenue of around €335 million in 2023, or approximately 80% of Sopra Banking Software’s revenue. The business activities that have been retained are the services or projects for major banks or financial institutions that will continue to contribute to Sopra Steria’s strategic goals in the financial services vertical. The transaction gave rise to €310.5 million in inflows.

Additionally, Sopra Steria Group sold to Sopra GMT 3.619 million of the 6.914 million Axway Software shares it held at that time. The sale was priced at 26.50 euros per Axway Software share, or a total of €95.9 million, representing a premium of 4.7% to Axway Software’s 6-month VWAP and a discount of 2.9% to the 3-month VWAP when the deal was announced.

Axway Software decided to provide partial funding for the acquisition of Sopra Banking Software’s assets via a capital increase with pre-emptive subscription rights for existing shareholders. As a result of its drive to refocus on digital services and solutions, Sopra Steria did not participate in this capital increase and sold its pre-emptive subscription rights to Sopra GMT for the amount of €10.2 million (unit share price of €3.11).

The valuation of Sopra Banking Software’s activities and the price per share of Axway Software share were the subject of a fairness opinion issued by an independent expert (Crowe HAF).

The total amount received by Sopra Steria Group in respect of these various sales amounted to approximately €416.7 million.

Pursuant to the provisions of Article L. 225-40 of the French Commercial Code, the following proposals are submitted for approval at the General Meeting:

  • the agreement for the sale by Sopra Steria Group to Axway Software of most of Sopra Banking Software’s activities,
  • the agreement for the sale by Sopra Steria Group to Sopra GMT of 3.619 million Axway Software shares,
  • the agreement for the sale by Sopra Steria Group to Sopra GMT of its pre-emptive subscription rights held as part of the capital increase with pre-emptive subscription rights by Axway Software,
  • the Statutory Auditors’ special report on the aforementioned agreements.

As a reminder, Sopra Steria Group’s Board of Directors gave its prior approval for the signing of these agreements at its meeting on 21 May 2024; the Directors affected did not take part in either the discussion or the vote.

2.1.3. COMPENSATION OF COMPANY OFFICERS (RESOLUTIONS 6 TO 12)

The compensation policy for company officers, which was decided on by the Board of Directors on the recommendation of the Compensation Committee, is set out in Chapter 3 of the Company’s Universal Registration Document for the financial year ended 31 December 2024.

  • Under Resolution 6 and in accordance with the provisions of Section I of Article L. 22-10-34 of the French Commercial Code, you are asked to approve the disclosures relating to the compensation of company officers mentioned in Section I of Article L. 22-10-9 of the French Commercial Code.
  • Under Resolutions 7 and 8 and in accordance with the provisions of Section II of Article L. 22-10-34 of the French Commercial Code, you are asked to approve the fixed, variable and exceptional items of compensation making up the total compensation and benefits of any kind paid during the financial year ended 31 December 2024 or allotted in respect of that period to the executive company officers, namely Pierre Pasquier, in his capacity as Chairman of the Board of Directors, and Cyril Malargé, in his capacity as Chief Executive Officer. These details are disclosed in the report on corporate governance prepared by the Board of Directors in accordance with Article L. 22-10-34 of the French Commercial Code. They are in line with the compensation policy approved by the shareholders at the General Meeting on 21 May 2024. Pursuant to Section II of Article L. 22-10-34 of the French Commercial Code, the payment to Cyril Malargé of the variable components of his compensation in respect of financial year 2024 is contingent upon shareholder approval of Resolution 8.
  • Under Resolutions 9, 10 and 11 and in accordance with the provisions of Article L. 22-10-8 of the French Commercial Code, you are asked to approve the compensation policies applicable respectively to the Chairman of the Board of Directors (Resolution 9), the Chief Executive Officer (Resolution 10) and the members of the Board of Directors (Resolution 11). The compensation policy defined for the Chief Executive Officer would be applicable in the event of the appointment of a Deputy CEO. On this matter, to take into account the position expressed by certain shareholders, the Board of Directors has decided to amend the compensation policy for the Chief Executive Officer to include the principle of a reduction in the rights to performance shares should the term of office expire before the end of the plan.
  • Under Resolution 12, you are asked to set the total annual amount of compensation to be awarded to Directors for their service, as referred to in Article L. 225-45 of the French Commercial Code, at €700,000, which remains unchanged since the figure was approved by the General Meeting of 21 May 2024. It is agreed that this amount shall be divided up in full in accordance with the compensation policy (pursuant to Article L. 22-10-14 of the French Commercial Code) set out in Section 2, “Compensation policy” of Chapter 3 of this Universal Registration Document.
2.1.4. MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS (RESOLUTIONS 13 TO 17)

Three Directors’ terms of office are due to expire at the close of the General Meeting of 21 May 2025. The Directors concerned are: Sonia Criseo, Yves de Talhouët and Rémy Weber.

On the recommendation of the Nomination, Governance, Ethics & Corporate Responsibility Committee, the Board of Directors proposes that:

  • Sonia Criseo (Resolution 13), Yves de Talhouët (Resolution 14) and Rémy Weber (Resolution 15) be reappointed as Directors for a term of office of four years as provided for in the Articles of Association;
  • Charlotte Dennery be appointed as a Director for a term of office of two years to allow for a staggered renewal of the Board of Directors (Resolution 16).

The biographies of Sonia Criseo, Yves de Talhouët, Rémy Weber and Astrid Anciaux are presented in Chapter 3, Section 1.2.8 of the Company’s Universal Registration Document for the financial year ended 31 December 2024. Charlotte Dennery’s biography is presented opposite.

CHARLOTTE DENNERY Number of shares in the Company owned personally
New appointment (Independent Director) : N/A

 

Date of first appointment: 21/05/2025

Business address:

BNP PARIBAS PERSONAL FINANCE

1, boulevard Haussmann

75009 PARIS – FRANCE

 

Nationality: French

Age: 59

Date term of office ends: AGM 2027
 
 
 
 
       Appointments
Main positions and appointments currently held Outside
the Group
Outside France Listed company
■   Director and Chief Executive Officer of BNP PARIBAS PERSONAL FINANCE ü    
Members of the BNP PARIBAS Group Executive Committee: ü    
Company officer of subsidiaries of the BNP PARIBAS Group      
  ●   Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of STELLANTIS FINANCIAL SERVICES ü    
  Member of the Board of Directors of ARVAL SERVICE LEASE ü    
  Member of the Board of Directors of BNP PARIBAS PERSONAL FINANCE ü    
  Members of the Board of Directors of FINDOMESTIC BANCA (Italy) ü ü  
Other directorships and offices held during the last five years
Members of the Board of Directors of FLOA
Members of the Board of Directors of BANCO CETELEM in Spain
Chief Executive Officer and Director of BNP PARIBAS LEASING SOLUTIONS
Member of the Supervisory Board of BNP PARIBAS REAL ESTATE
Members of the Board of Directors INETUM (formerly GFI)
Expert member of the Board of Directors of Réunion des Musées Nationaux
Grand Palais (RMN GRAND PALAIS)

Biography

Charlotte Dennery began her career as a senior civil servant at the French national institute for statistical and economic studies (INSEE), the French ministry of the economy and finance and then the budget directorate.

She joined BNP Paribas as Head of Strategy and Development, Corporate and Investment Banking (2001-2002), Head of US Strategy and Development (2002-2004), Chief Financial Officer and Head of Asset Management, BNP Paribas Cardif (2004-2009), then, with BNP Paribas lnvestment Partners between 2009 to 2015 served as CEO of FundQuest until 2013 and as Chief Operating Officer from 2010 to 2015.

In 2015, she was appointed Director and Chief Executive Officer of BNP Paribas Leasing Solutions, the Group’s subsidiary specialising in financing solutions for business equipment. In 2021, Ms Dennery was appointed Director and Chief Executive Officer of BNP Paribas Personal Finance.

During her career, she has been responsible for overseeing major strategic transformations, IT migrations and IT harmonisation and she is recognised for her corporate governance expertise. Charlotte Dennery also actively champions diversity female leadership.

The experience she has gained in senior operational roles mean that her perspective on issues of concern to the Group will add value to the Board’s discussions. The Board of Directors considers Charlotte Dennery independent under the independence criteria set out in the AFEP-MEDEF Code.

Each of the Directors contributes to the diversity necessary to the proper functioning of the Board of Directors and the quality of its discussions. The key competencies represented by the Directors whose terms of office are up for renewal are set out in the table below.

Expertise    Knowledge of
the digital
sector and
consulting,
ability to
promote
technological
innovation
   Knowledge
of one of
the Group’s
main
vertical
markets
   Entrepreneurial
experience
   CEO of a
major group
   Finance, risk

management
and
control
  

CSR

   International
teams and
organisations
   Mergers
and
acquisitions
   Operational
experience
within Sopra
Steria
Group
                        Human
resources and
labour
relations
   Environmental
and climate-
related issues
   Social issues            
Charlotte Dennery                              
Sonia Criseo                                  
Yves de Talhouët                                    
Rémy Weber                                  

In addition, the directorship of Astrid Anciaux, Director representing employee shareholders, will end at the close of the General Meeting of 21 May 2025.

The Company’s Articles of Association require that two candidate Directors representing the employees be appointed:

  • one candidate, appointed by members of the supervisory boards of FCPE company mutual funds, where voting rights attached to Sopra Steria Group shares held by employees are exercised by the elected members of the supervisory boards,
  • and one candidate, appointed via a vote by the elected or appointed representatives of employee shareholders of Sopra Steria Group, whose shares are held in registered form as part of a company savings plan or from a free share award authorised by a decision by the Extraordinary General Meeting after 6 August 2015.

A process to appoint a candidate was carried out between 3 and 14 February 2025 by the first electoral group, with Astrid Anciaux being selected as a candidate by the supervisory board of the Sopra Steria Actions FCPE, while the second electoral group’s selection process did not successfully produce a candidate.

In accordance with the rules for nominating candidates of 22 October 2024, a single candidate is presented and the shareholders of the General Meeting are therefore asked to elect Astrid Anciaux as a Director representing the employee shareholders for a term of office of four years, which would expire at the end of the General Meeting convened in 2029 to approve the financial statements for the financial year ending 31 December 2028 (Resolution 17).

Subject to shareholder approval at the General Meeting of the resolutions concerning the appointment of Charlotte Dennery and the renewal of the terms of office coming to an end, the composition of the Company’s Board of Directors will change as follows:

      Number of
members
    Female Directors*      Independent
Directors*
     Nationalities      Average age
At 31 December 2024:   17   6, i.e. 43%   10, i.e. 71%   5   65
After the General Meeting of 21 May 2025   18   7, i.e. 47%   11, i.e. 73%   5   64
  • Out of 14 and subsequently 15 members, excluding Directors representing the employees and employee shareholders.
2.1.5. BUYBACK BY SOPRA STERIA GROUP OF ITS OWN SHARES (RESOLUTION 18)

You are asked to renew the authorisation granted to the Board of Directors at the General Meeting of 21 May 2024 permitting the Company to buy back its own shares, in accordance with applicable laws and regulations (Articles L. 22-10-62 et seq. of the French Commercial Code).

Under this authorisation, the number of shares bought back is subject to an upper limit of 10% of the share capital; as an indication, this would equate to 2,054,770 shares on the basis of the current share capital. The maximum price per share that can be paid for the shares bought back is set at €300; this price may be adjusted as a result of an increase or decrease in the number of shares representing the share capital, in particular due to capitalisation of reserves, free share awards or reverse stock splits.

Shares may be bought back for the following purposes:

  • to obtain market-making services from an investment services provider acting independently under the terms of a liquidity agreement entered into in compliance with the AMF’s accepted market practice;
  • to award, sell or transfer shares in the Company to employees and/or company officers of the Group, in order to cover share purchase option plans and/or free share plans (or similar plan) as well as any allotments of shares under a company or Group savings plan (or similar plans) in connection with a profit-sharing mechanism, and/or any other forms of share allotment to the Group’s employees and/or company officers;
  • to retain the shares bought back in order to exchange them or tender them as consideration at a later date for a merger, spin-off or contribution of assets and, more generally, for external growth transactions. Shares bought back for such purposes are not to exceed, in any event, 5% of the number of shares making up the share capital;
  • to deliver the shares bought back, upon the exercise of rights attaching to securities giving access to the Company’s share capital through redemption, conversion, exchange, tender of warrants or any other means, as well as to execute any transaction covering the Company’s obligations relating to those securities;
  • to retire shares bought back by reducing the share capital, pursuant to Resolution 21 submitted for approval at the General Meeting of 21 May 2024;
  • to implement any market practice accepted by the AMF, and in general, to perform any operation that complies with regulations in force.

The Board of Directors would have full powers, with the option to subdelegate these powers, to implement this authorisation and decide on the arrangements, under the conditions and within the limits set by law.

This authorisation would supersede the previous authorisation given at the General Meeting of 21 May 2024 and would be granted for a period of 18 months with effect from this General Meeting. It would not be usable during a public tender offer for the Company’s shares.

For information, the use made of the previous authorisation is discussed in Section 8 of Chapter 7, “Share ownership structure”, of the Company’s Universal Registration Document for the financial year ended 31 December 2024. It should be noted that on 2 October 2024, Sopra Steria Group launched a share buyback programme which came to a close on 28 January 2025. This resulted in a buyback of 858,163 shares at a total cost of €150 million. These buybacks were covered by the authorisation granted at the General Meeting of Shareholders of 21 May 2024, which authorised share buybacks of up to a maximum of 10% of the share capital (Resolution 20) and their retirement (Resolution 21).

3. Text of the resolutions

3.1. Requiring the approval of the Ordinary General Meeting

Resolution 1

Approval of the parent company financial statements for financial year 2024

The shareholders at the General Meeting, having fulfilled the quorum and majority requirements for Ordinary General Meetings, and having reviewed the Board of Directors’ reports and the Statutory Auditors’ report, approve the parent company financial statements for the financial year ended 31 December 2024 as they were presented, which show a net profit of €176,642,331.67.

The shareholders at the General Meeting also approve the transactions reflected in these financial statements and/or summarised in the reports. The shareholders at the General Meeting also approve the amount of expenses not deductible for corporate income tax purposes, as defined in Article 39-4 of the French General Tax Code, which amounted to €919,310, and the corresponding tax expense of €237,412.

Resolution 2

Granting of final discharge to the Board of Directors

The shareholders at the General Meeting, having fulfilled the quorum and majority requirements for Ordinary General Meetings, and having reviewed the Board of Directors’ reports and the 2024 parent company financial statements, discharge the Board of Directors with regard to its management for the 2024 financial year.

Resolution 3

Approval of the consolidated financial statements for financial year 2024

The shareholders at the General Meeting, having fulfilled the quorum and majority requirements for Ordinary General Meetings, and having reviewed the Board of Directors’ reports and the Statutory Auditors’ report, approve the consolidated financial statements for the financial year ended 31 December 2024, which show a consolidated net profit (attributable to the Group) of €250,958,068, as well as the transactions reflected in these consolidated financial statements and/or summarised in the reports.

Resolution 4

Appropriation of earnings for financial year 2024 and setting of the dividend

The shareholders at the General Meeting, having fulfilled the quorum and majority requirements for Ordinary General Meetings, and having reviewed the Board of Directors’ reports and the Statutory Auditors’ report, note that the net profit available for distribution, determined as follows, stands at:

Profit for the year €176,642,331.67
Transfer to the legal reserve €—
Prior unappropriated retained earnings €851,647.50
DISTRIBUTABLE PROFIT €177,493,979.17

and resolve, after acknowledging the consolidated net profit attributable to the Group amounting to €250,958,068, to appropriate this profit as follows:

Dividends (based on a dividend per share of €4.65) €95,546,809.65
Discretionary reserves €81,947,169.52
Retained earnings €—
TOTAL €177,493,979.17

It should be noted that individuals resident in France for tax purposes are subject to a single flat-rate tax of 30% on this dividend, unless they opt to have this income taxed at the progressive income tax rate. In the latter case, the entire amount thus distributed will be eligible for the 40% tax rebate resulting from the provisions of Article 158, 3. 2° of the French General Tax Code.

Since the legal reserve already stands at 10% of the share capital, no allocation to it is proposed.

The ex-dividend date is 3 June 2025 and the dividend will be payable from 5 June 2025.

In the event of a change in the number of shares with dividend rights, the total amount of the dividend will be adjusted and the amount allocated to the discretionary reserves will be determined on the basis of the total dividend amount actually distributed.

Dividends paid in respect of the past three financial years were as follows:

  2021 2022 2023
Dividend per share €3.20 €4.30 €4.65
Number of dividend-bearing shares 20,527,488 20,511,261 20,364,551
Dividends paid* €65,687,961.60 €88,175,683.90 €94,695,162.15
  • *Amount not including the portion of the dividend corresponding to treasury shares not paid out.

Resolution 5

Approval of agreements relating to the provisions of Article L. 225-38 of the French Commercial Code

The shareholders at the General Meeting, having fulfilled the quorum and majority requirements for Ordinary General Meetings, and having reviewed the Statutory Auditors’ special report on the agreements relating to the provisions of Article L. 225-38 of the French Commercial Code, approve these agreements concluded during the financial year ended 31 December 2024 as well as this report in all their provisions.

Resolution 6

Approval of disclosures relating to the compensation of company officers mentioned in Section I of Article L. 22-10-9 of the French Commercial Code, in accordance with Article L. 22-10-34, I of the French Commercial Code

The shareholders at the General Meeting, having fulfilled the quorum and majority requirements for Ordinary General Meetings, in accordance with Article L. 22-10-34, I of the French Commercial Code, and after having reviewed the report on corporate governance prepared by the Board of Directors, approve the disclosures stated in Section I of Article L. 22-10-9 of the French Commercial Code and as presented in the report.

Resolution 7

Approval of the fixed, variable and exceptional items of compensation making up the total compensation and benefits of any kind paid during financial year 2024 or allotted in respect of that period to Pierre Pasquier, Chairman of the Board of Directors

The shareholders at the General Meeting, having fulfilled the quorum and majority requirements for Ordinary General Meetings, in accordance with Article L. 22-10-34, II of the French Commercial Code, and after having reviewed the report on corporate governance prepared by the Board of Directors, approve the fixed, variable and exceptional items of compensation making up the total compensation and benefits of any kind paid during the financial year ended 31 December 2024 or allotted in respect of that period to Pierre Pasquier in his capacity as Chairman of the Board of Directors, and as presented in the report.

Resolution 8

Approval of the fixed, variable and exceptional items of compensation making up the total compensation and benefits of any kind paid during financial year 2024 or allotted in respect of that period to Cyril Malargé, Chief Executive Officer

The shareholders at the General Meeting, having fulfilled the quorum and majority requirements for Ordinary General Meetings, in accordance with Article L. 22-10-34, II of the French Commercial Code, and after having reviewed the report on corporate governance prepared by the Board of Directors, approve the fixed, variable and exceptional items of compensation making up the total compensation and benefits of any kind paid during the financial year ended 31 December 2024 or allotted in respect of that period to Cyril Malargé in his capacity as Chief Executive Officer, and as presented in the report.

Resolution 9

Approval of the compensation policy for the Chairman of the Board of Directors

The shareholders at the General Meeting, having fulfilled the quorum and majority requirements for Ordinary General Meetings, in accordance with Article L. 22-10-8, II of the French Commercial Code, and after having reviewed the report on corporate governance prepared by the Board of Directors, approve the compensation policy for the Chairman of the Board of Directors for his service and as presented in the report.

Resolution 10

Approval of the compensation policy for the Chief Executive Officer

The shareholders at the General Meeting, having fulfilled the quorum and majority requirements for Ordinary General Meetings, in accordance with Article L. 22-10-8, II of the French Commercial Code, and after having reviewed the report on corporate governance prepared by the Board of Directors, approve the compensation policy for the Chief Executive Officer for his service and as presented in the report.

Resolution 11

Approval of the compensation policy for Directors for their service

The shareholders at the General Meeting, having fulfilled the quorum and majority requirements for Ordinary General Meetings, in accordance with Article L. 22-10-8, II of the French Commercial Code, and after having reviewed the report on corporate governance prepared by the Board of Directors, approve the compensation policy for Directors for their service and as presented in the report.

Resolution 12

Decision setting the total annual amount of compensation awarded to Directors for their service at €700,000

The shareholders at the General Meeting, having fulfilled the quorum and majority requirements for Ordinary General Meetings, resolve, pursuant to Article L. 225-45 of the French Commercial Code, to set the total annual amount of compensation awarded to Directors for their service, to be allocated by the Board, at €700,000.

Resolution 13

Reappointment of Sonia Criseo as a Director for a term of office of four years

The shareholders at the General Meeting, having fulfilled the quorum and majority requirements for Ordinary General Meetings, note that the directorship of Sonia Criseo will end at the close of this General Meeting and resolve, on the recommendation of the Board of Directors, to renew her directorship for a term of office of four years ending at the close of the General Meeting to be called to approve the financial statements for the year ending 31 December 2028.

Resolution 14

Reappointment of Yves de Talhouët as a Director for a term of office of four years

The shareholders at the General Meeting, having fulfilled the quorum and majority requirements for Ordinary General Meetings, note that the directorship of Yves de Talhouët will end at the close of this General Meeting and resolve, on the recommendation of the Board of Directors, to renew his directorship for a term of office of four years ending at the close of the General Meeting to be called to approve the financial statements for the year ending 31 December 2028.

Resolution 15

Reappointment of Rémy Weber as a Director for a term of office of four years;

The shareholders at the General Meeting, having fulfilled the quorum and majority requirements for Ordinary General Meetings, note that the directorship of Rémy Weber will end at the close of this General Meeting and resolve, on the recommendation of the Board of Directors, to renew his directorship for a term of office of four years ending at the close of the General Meeting to be called to approve the financial statements for the year ending 31 December 2028.

Resolution 16

Appointment of Charlotte Dennery as a Director for a term of office of two years

The shareholders at the General Meeting, having fulfilled the quorum and majority requirements for Ordinary General Meetings, decide, on the recommendation of the Board of Directors, and as provided for in Article 14 of the Company’s Articles of Association, to appoint Charlotte Dennery as a new Director for a term of office of two years ending at the close of the General Meeting to be called to approve the financial statements for the financial year ending 31 December 2026.

Resolution 17

Appointment of Astrid Anciaux as a Director representing employee shareholders for a term of office of four years

The shareholders at the General Meeting, having fulfilled the quorum and majority requirements for Ordinary General Meetings, note that the directorship of Astrid Anciaux, a Director representing employee shareholders, will end at the close of this General Meeting and resolve, on the recommendation of the Board of Directors, and as provided for in Article 14 of the Company’s Articles of Association, to appoint Astrid Anciaux as a Director representing employee shareholders for a term of office of four years ending at the close of the General Meeting to be called to approve the financial statements for the year ending 31 December 2028.

Resolution 18

Authorisation to be granted to the Board of Directors to trade in the Company’s shares up to a maximum of 10% of the share capital

The shareholders at the General Meeting, having fulfilled the quorum and majority requirements for Ordinary General Meetings, and having reviewed the Board of Directors’ report, in accordance with the provisions of Articles L. 22-10-62 et seq. of the French Commercial Code:

  • 1. authorise the Board of Directors, except during a public tender offer for the Company’s shares, to buy back shares in the Company or arrange to have shares in the Company bought back, on one or more occasions, up to a maximum of 10% of the total number of shares making up the Company’s share capital at the time of the buyback;
  • 2. approve the authorised transactions with the following limits: resolve that the funds set aside for share buybacks may not exceed, for guidance purposes and based on the share capital at 31 December 2024, €616,431,000, corresponding to 2,054,770 ordinary shares, with this maximum amount potentially being adjusted to take into account the amount of the share capital on the day of the General Meeting or subsequent transactions;
  • 3. in the event that the Board makes use of this authorisation:
    • 3.1. resolve that shares may be bought back for the following purposes:
      • 3.1.1. to obtain market-making services from an investment services provider acting independently under the terms of a liquidity agreement entered into in compliance with the AMF’s accepted market practice,
      • 3.1.3. to retain the shares bought back (subject to an upper limit of 5% of the number of shares making up the share capital at the time of the buyback), in order to exchange them or tender them as consideration at a later date for a merger, spin-off or contribution of assets and, more generally, for external growth transactions,
      • 3.1.4. to deliver the shares bought back, upon the exercise of rights attaching to securities giving access to the Company’s share capital through redemption, conversion, exchange, tender of warrants or any other means, as well as to execute any transaction covering the Company’s obligations relating to those securities,
      • 3.1.5. to retire shares bought back by reducing the share capital, pursuant to Resolution 21 submitted for approval at the General Meeting of 21 May 2024,
      • 3.1.6. to implement any market practice accepted by the AMF; and in general, to perform any operation that complies with regulations in force,
    • 3.2. resolve that shares may be bought back by any means, such as on the stock market or over the counter, including block purchases or through the use of derivatives, at any time, subject to compliance with regulations in force;
  • 4. resolve that the maximum price per share paid for shares bought back be set at €300, it being specified that in the event of any share capital transactions, including in particular capitalisation of reserves, free share awards and/or stock splits or reverse stock splits, this price will be adjusted proportionately;
  • 5. grant all powers to the Board of Directors, including the ability to subdelegate these powers, in order to implement this authorisation, to determine the terms and conditions of share buybacks, to make the necessary adjustments, to place any stock market orders, to enter into any and all agreements, to carry out all formalities and file all declarations with the AMF, and generally to take any and all other actions required;
  • 6. set the duration of this authorisation for a period of 18 months with effect from the date of this General Meeting and acknowledge that this authorisation supersedes, in relation to the unused portion, any previous authorisation having the same purpose.

4. Special report of the Board of Directors

SPECIAL REPORT OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS ON ALLOTMENTS OF FREE SHARES – FINANCIAL YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024

In accordance with the provisions of Article L. 225-197-4 of the French Commercial Code, we are pleased to present our report on transactions carried out pursuant to the provisions of Articles L. 225-197-1 to L. 225-197-3 of the aforementioned code relating to allotments of free shares.

Allotment of free shares in financial year 2024

You are reminded that Resolution 19 of the Combined General Meeting of 24 May 2023 and Resolution 30 of the Combined General Meeting of 21 May 2024 authorised the Board of Directors to award free shares to employees and company officers of the Company or the Group to which it belongs, under the following terms and conditions:

  • Recipients: Eligible employees and/or company officers (as defined in Paragraph 1 of Article L. 225-197-1 II and Article L. 22-10-59 III of the French Commercial Code) of the Company or of any affiliated companies as defined in Article L. 225-197-2 of the French Commercial Code, or certain categories of such individuals;
  • Maximum number of shares: The maximum number of shares shall not exceed 1.1% of the share capital at the date of the allotment decision, with a sub-limit of 5% of that 1.1% limit for allotments to executive company officers of the Company, it being specified that this 1.1% limit applies to all authorisations granted to the Board for issues reserved for employees and company officers;
  • Validity of the authorisation: 38 months, with the new authorisation ending the previous authorisation.

The Board of Directors did not vest any free performance shares during financial year 2024.

Acquisitions of free shares in financial year 2024

Acting pursuant to the authority delegated to him by the Board of Directors, the Chief Executive Officer:

  • decided on 1 July 2024, making use of the authority subdelegated by the Board of Directors on 21 May 2024, to vest 183,239 free shares under the Free performance share plan set up by the Sopra Steria Group on 26 May 2021: the vesting of 183,239 shares with a nominal value of one euro to 340 grantees through the award of shares held in treasury.

Note that 2,354 performance shares vested with the Chief Executive Officer pursuant to the office he holds at the Company.

The number of free performance shares vested by the Company in 2024 in the 10 employees of the Company who are not company officers and who were awarded the largest number of free shares was:

  Number of shares Unit value
(share price at the day of grant)
Sopra Steria plan of 26 May 2021 19,302 €188.60

The Board of Directors

Statement by the person responsible for the Universal Registration Document

I hereby declare that, to the best of my knowledge, the information contained in this Universal Registration Document is in accordance with the facts and contains no omission likely to affect its import.

I hereby certify to the best of my knowledge that the annual accounts and the consolidated accounts have been prepared in accordance with the applicable set of accounting standards and give a true and fair view of the assets, liabilities, financial position and profit or loss of the issuer and the undertakings included in the consolidation taken as a whole and that the management report included in the cross-reference table on pages 414 to 415 presents a fair review of the development and performance of the business and the position of the issuer and the undertakings included in the consolidation as a whole, as well as a description of the main risks and uncertainties they face, and that it was prepared in accordance with applicable sustainability reporting standards.

Paris, 14 March 2025

Cyril Malargé

Chief Executive Officer

Glossary

Acronyms

ACV: Analyse de cycle de vie (LCA: Life cycle assessment)
AMF: Autorité des Marchés Financiers (French financial markets authority)
ANSSI: Agence Nationale de la Sécurité des Systèmes d’Information (French IT security agency)
API: Application programming interface
BPS: Business process services
BREEAM: Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method
BVCM: Beyond Value Chain Mitigation
CCB: Compliance Certification Board
CNIL: Commission Nationale de l’Informatique et des Libertés (French data protection authority)
COP21: 2015 Paris climate change conference
CSRD: Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive
WEEE: Waste electrical and electronic equipment
DevSecOps: Development – Security – Operations
DLP: Data loss prevention
DRM: Digital rights management
EAC: Energy Attribute Certificate
DPS: DIGITAL PLATFORM SERVICES
ESRS: European Sustainability Reporting Standards
UES: Unité Économique et Sociale (economic and employee unit)
EVP: Employee Value Proposition
Fédéeh: Fédération Étudiante pour une Dynamique Études et Emploi avec un Handicap (Student Federation for the Promotion of Education and Jobs for People with Disabilities)
FSC: Forest Stewardship Council
GAFA: Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon (“Big Four” tech companies)
IPCC: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
GO: Guarantee of Origin
HQE: Haute Qualité Environnementale (high environmental quality)
IEA: International Energy Agency
ILO: International Labour Organization
IPBES: Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services
I-REC: International Renewable Energy Certificate
IRO: Impacts, Risks and Opportunities
KBA: Key Biodiversity Areas
LEED: Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
LPM: French Military Planning Act (Loi de programmation militaire, French Law No. 2013-1168 of 18 December 2013)
NIS: Network information system
ILO: International Labour Organization
UN: United Nations
PaaS: Platform as a Service
PLM: Product lifecycle management
PUE: Power Usage Effectiveness
RCP: Representative Concentration Pathways
Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) is an EU regulation issued on 18 December 2006.
REGO: Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin
RGE: Responsable Gestion Environnement (Head of Environmental Management)
GDPR: General Data Protection Regulation
HR: Human resources
RoHS: Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive
CSR: Corporate social responsibility
CISO: Chief Information Security Officer
SaaS: Software as a Service
SDS: Sustainable Development Scenario
SFDR: Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation
SLL: Sustainability Linked Loans
EMS: Environmental Management System
SOC: Security operations centre
TCFD: Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures
TNFD: Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures
UX: User experience
VCS: Verified Carbon Standard

Alternative performance measures

Restated revenue: Revenue for the prior year, expressed on the basis of the scope and exchange rates for the current year.
Organic revenue growth: Increase in revenue between the period under review and restated revenue for the same period in the prior financial year.
EBITDA: This measure, as defined in the Universal Registration Document, is equal to consolidated operating profit on business activity after adding back depreciation, amortisation and provisions included in operating profit on business activity.
Free cash flow: Net cash from operating activities; less investments (net of disposals) in property, plant and equipment, and intangible assets; less lease payments; less net interest paid; and less additional contributions to address any deficits in defined-benefit pension plans.
Operating profit on business activity: This measure, as defined in the Universal Registration Document, is equal to profit from recurring operations adjusted to exclude the share-based payment expense for stock options and free shares and charges to amortisation of allocated intangible assets.
Profit from recurring operations: Operating profit before other operating income and expenses, which includes any particularly significant items of operating income and expense that are unusual, abnormal, infrequent or not foreseeable, presented separately in order to give a clearer picture of performance based on ordinary activities.
Basic recurring earnings per share: This measure is equal to basic earnings per share before other operating income and expenses net of tax.
Return on capital employed (RoCE): (Profit from recurring operations after tax + Profit from equity-accounted companies) / (Equity + Net financial debt).
Downtime: Number of days between two contracts (excluding training, sick leave, other leave and pre-sales) divided by the total number of business days.

Corporate responsibility

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) defined by the United Nations: The Sustainable Development Goals are the blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. They address the global challenges we face, including poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, prosperity, peace and justice.
Materiality matrix: A materiality analysis helps identify and prioritise the most relevant issues for a company and its stakeholders, and is presented in the form of a matrix, which plots these issues according to their importance to the company (x-axis) and to its external stakeholders (y-axis).
Materiality: The degree of materiality determined reflects the extent to which an issue is capable of influencing the company’s strategy, reputation or financial health.
Greenhouse gases (GHG): Greenhouse gases are gaseous components that absorb infrared radiation emitted from the earth’s surface and contribute to the greenhouse effect. The increase in their concentration in the earth’s atmosphere is one of the factors causing global warming.
Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi): Science Based Targets is an internationally recognised initiative offering mathematical models for identifying the environmental footprint of activities so as to be able to set ambitious greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets.
CDP: Non-profit organisation that runs the global disclosure system for investors, companies, cities, countries and regions to manage their environmental impact.
Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD): A task force focused on climate-related financial disclosures, created as part of the G20 Financial Stability Board. The TCFD is one of the most important developments in the area of climate reporting by businesses.
Net-zero emissions: For a business, achieving net-zero emissions means reducing the GHG emissions of its entire value chain to zero through a combination of value chain emissions reduction projects (at least 90%) and funding carbon removal offsets for the remainder outside its value chain.
Scope 1 (of the GHG Protocol): Covers direct greenhouse gas emissions arising from the combustion of fossil fuels (petroleum, fuel oil, biodiesel and gas) and the escape of coolants from air conditioning systems in offices and on-site data centres.
Scope 2 (of the GHG Protocol): Covers indirect greenhouse gas emissions associated with consumption of grid electricity and district heating in offices and on-site data centres.
Scope 3 (of the GHG Protocol): Covers indirect greenhouse gas emissions associated with energy-related activities not included in Scopes 1 or 2, purchased goods and services, capital goods, waste, upstream transportation of goods, business travel, upstream leased assets, investments, transportation of visitors and clients, downstream transportation of goods, use of sold products, end-of-life treatment of sold products, downstream franchises, downstream leased assets and employee commuting.
Market-based: Method for calculating greenhouse gas emissions based on emissions factors specific to the energy source used.

Climate Disclosure Standards Board (CDSB): The Climate Disclosure Standards Board is an international consortium of businesses and environmental NGOs that works in particular with the TCFD on these issues. The CDSB has built a reporting framework covering the following 12 recommendations:

CDSB/REQ-01 Governance: Disclosures shall describe the governance of environmental policies, strategy and information.
CDSB/REQ-02 Management’s environmental policies, strategy and targets: Disclosures shall report management’s environmental policies, strategy and targets, including the metrics, plans and timeliness used to assess performance.
CDSB/REQ-03 Risks and opportunities: Disclosures shall explain the material current and anticipated environmental risks and opportunities affecting the organisation.
CDSB/REQ-04 Sources of environmental impact: Quantitative and qualitative results, together with the methodologies used to prepare them, shall be reported to reflect material sources of environmental impact.
CDSB/REQ-05 Performance and comparative analysis: Disclosures shall include an analysis of the information disclosed in REQ-04 compared with any performance targets set and with results reported in a previous period.
CDSB/REQ-06 Outlook: Management shall summarise their conclusions about the effect of environmental impacts, risks, opportunities and policy outcomes on the organisation’s future performance and position.
CDSB/REQ-07 Organisational boundary: Environmental information shall be prepared for the entities within the boundary of the organisation or group for which the mainstream report is prepared and, where appropriate, shall distinguish information reported for entities and activities outside that boundary.
CDSB/REQ-08 Reporting policies: Disclosures shall cite the reporting provisions used for preparing environmental information and shall (except in the first year of reporting) confirm that they have been used consistently from one reporting period to the next.
CDSB/REQ-09 Reporting period: Disclosures shall be provided on an annual basis.
CDSB/REQ-10 Restatements: Disclosures shall report and explain any prior year restatements.
CDSB/REQ-11 Conformance: Disclosures shall include a statement of conformance with the CDSB Framework.
CDSB/REQ-12 Assurance: If assurance has been provided over whether reported environmental information is in conformance with the CDSB Framework, this shall be included in or cross-referenced to the statement of conformance of REQ-11.
CSRD: Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, an EU legislative act on the disclosure and certification of sustainability information and the social, environmental and corporate governance obligations incumbent on commercial companies.
Taxonomy: Regulation constituting one of the key measures in the European Union’s action plan set out in its Green Deal, consisting of a range of initiatives aimed at achieving climate neutrality by 2050.

Cross-reference table for the 2024 Universal Registration Document

Information required for a Universal Registration Document as listed in Annexes 1 and 2 of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/980 of 14 March 2019

      Page Chapter
1. Persons responsible    
  1.1 Identification of all persons responsible 387 8
  1.2 Declaration by those responsible 407 9
  1.3 Statement or report attributed to a person as an expert NA NA
  1.4 Information sourced from a third party NA NA
  1.5 Statement regarding approval by the competent authority 1 -
2. Statutory auditors    
  2.1 Identification of the statutory auditors 387 8
  2.2 Any changes NA 8
3. Risk factors 15; 43-59 Integrated Presentation; 2
4. Information about the issuer    
  4.1 Legal and commercial name 22 1
  4.2 Place of registration, registration number and LEI 22 1
  4.3 Date of incorporation and length of life 22 1
  4.4 Registered office and legal form, legislation under which the issuer operates, country of incorporation, the address, telephone number of its registered office, website and a disclaimer 22 1
5. Business overview    
  5.1 Principal activities 3; 15; 10; 11; 25-31 Integrated Presentation; 1
  5.2 Main markets 8; 24 Integrated Presentation; 1
  5.3 Important events in the development of the issuer’s business 7; 23; 38; 320; 355 Integrated Presentation; 1; 5; 6
  5.4 Strategy and objectives 14; 32-35 Integrated Presentation; 1
  5.5 Extent to which the issuer is dependent on patents, licences, contracts or manufacturing processes 340-341 6
  5.6 Statement regarding the issuer’s competitive position 8; 24 Integrated Presentation; 1
  5.7 Investments    
  5.7.1 Material investments 23; 38; 320; 355; 285 1; 5; 6
  5.7-2 Material investments that are in progress or to come 38; 320; 355 1; 5; 6
  5.7.3 Information on joint ventures and associates 299-300; 318 5
  5.7.4 Environmental issues that may affect the use of tangible fixed assets 4; 16-17; 144-169 Integrated Presentation; 4
6. Organisational structure    
  6.1 Brief description of the Group 39-41 1
  6.2 List of significant subsidiaries 39; 321-322; 344 1; 5; 6
7. Operating and financial review    
  7.1 Financial condition    
  7.1.1 Review of the development and performance of the issuer’s business and financial position, including both financial and, where appropriate, non-financial key performance indicators 3-5; 11; 36-38; 262-323; 230-357 Integrated Presentation; 1; 5; 6
  7.1.2 Issuer’s likely future development and research and development activities 32-35; 38; 222-225; 340-344 Integrated Presentation; 1; 4; 6
  7.2 Operating results    
  7.2.1 Significant factors, unusual or infrequent events or new developments NA N/A
  7.2.2 Reasons for material changes in net sales or revenues NA N/A
8. Capital resources    
  8.1 Information on capital resources 3; 265; 316-317; 347 Integrated Presentation; 5; 6
  8.2 Cash flows 8; 37; 266; 313-315; 332 Integrated Presentation; 1; 5; 6
  8.3 Borrowing requirements and funding structure 302-312 5 (Note 12)
  8.4 Restrictions on the use of capital resources NA N/A
  8.5 Anticipated sources of funds 346-347 6
9. Regulatory environment    
    Description of the regulatory environment that may affect the issuer’s business 51 ; 53 2
10. Trend information    
  10.1 Description of the most significant recent trends and any significant changes in the Group’s financial performance since the end of the last financial year 08; 14; 24; 32-35 Integrated Presentation; 1
  10.2 Events likely to have a material impact on the issuer’s prospects NA N/A
11. Profit forecasts or estimates    
  11.1 Published profit forecasts or estimates 14; 35; 38 Integrated Presentation; 1
  11.2 Statement setting out the principal assumptions upon which the issuer has based its forecast or estimate 14; 35; 38 Integrated Presentation; 1
  11.3 Statement that the forecast or estimate is comparable with historical financial information and consistent with accounting policies 392 8
12. Administrative, management and supervisory bodies and senior management    
  12.1 Information concerning members of such bodies 12-13; 40; 65; 72-88 Integrated Presentation; 1; 3
  12.2 Conflicts of interest 88; 96 3
13. Remuneration and benefits    
  13-1 Remuneration paid and benefits in kind 99-109; 287; 338 3; 5; 6
  13-2 Provisions for pensions, retirement or similar benefits 279–287; 289; 338 5; 6
14. Board practices    
  14.1 Date of expiration of current terms of office 65; 72-88 3
  14.2 Members of the administrative, management or supervisory bodies’ service contracts with the issuer 63-64; 88; 96-97; 362-364 3; 6
  14.3 Information about the issuer’s audit committee and remuneration committee 12; 55-57; 90-91 ; 92-93 Integrated Presentation; 2; 3
  14.4 Statement of compliance with the corporate governance regime applicable to the issuer 62; 115 3
  14.5 Potential material impacts on corporate governance NA N/A
15. Employees    
  15.1 Number of employees 3; 5; 37; 175; 238-153;
280; 338
 Integrated Presentation; 1; 4; 5; 6
  15.2 Shareholdings and stock options 285-286; 336-338; 368 5; 6; 7
  15.3 Arrangements for involving employees in the capital of the issuer 183-184; 285-286; 337; 368 4; 5; 6; 7
16. Major shareholders    
  16. Shareholders holding more than 5% of the share capital 4; 319 Integrated Presentation; 7
  16.2 Existence of different voting rights 7; 369; 385 Integrated Presentation; 7; 8
  16.3 Direct or indirect ownership or control of the issuer 7; 370-371 Integrated Presentation; 7
  16.4 Arrangements known to the issuer, the operation of which may result in a change of control NA N/A
17. Related-party transactions 321 5
18. Financial information concerning the issuer’s assets and liabilities, financial position and profits and losses    
  18.1 Historical financial information    
  18.1.1 Audited historical financial information covering the latest three financial years and audit report 261-323; 329-357 5; 6
  18.1.2 Change of accounting reference date NA N/A
  18.1.3 Accounting standards 268-270; 334 5; 6
  18.1.4 Change of accounting framework NA N/A
  18.1.5 Balance sheet, income statement, statement of changes in equity, cash flow statement, accounting policies and explanatory notes 261-323; 329-357 5; 6
  18.1.6 Consolidated financial statements 261-323 5
  18.1.7 Age of financial information 261-323; 329-357 5; 6
  18.2 Interim and other financial information (audit or review reports, if any) NA N/A
  18.3 Auditing of historical annual financial information    
  18-3-1 Independent audit of historical annual financial information 324-327; 358-361 5; 6
  18-3-2 Other audited information NA N/A
  18.3.3 Financial information not audited NA N/A
  18.4 Pro forma financial information NA N/A
  18-5 Dividend policy    
  18.5.1 Description of the issuer’s policy on dividend distributions and any restrictions thereon 380 7
  18.5.2 Amount of the dividend per share 6; 11; 37; 316; 378; 393; 400 Integrated Presentation; 1; 5; 7; 9
  18.6 Governmental, legal or arbitration proceedings 301; 347-348; 355 5; 6
  18.7 Significant change in the issuer’s financial position NA N/A
19. Additional information    
  19.1 Information on the share capital    
  19.1.1 Amount of issued capital, number of shares issued and fully paid, par value per share, number of shares authorised 316; 347; 309; 324 5; 6; 7
  19.1.2 Information on shares not representing capital 285-286; 373 5; 7
  19.1.3 Number, book value and face value of treasury shares 316; 347; 367; 371-372 5; 6; 7
  19.1.4 Convertible securities, exchangeable securities or securities with warrants 374-375 7
  19.1.5 Terms of any acquisition rights and/or obligations over authorised but unissued capital or an undertaking to increase the capital 376 7
  19.1.6 Capital of any member of the group which is under option or agreed conditionally or unconditionally to be put under option 97-98 3
  19.1.7 History of share capital 373 7
  19-2 Memorandum and Articles of Association 380-386 8
  19.2.1 Register and corporate purpose 22 1
  19.2.2 Rights, preferences and restrictions attached to each class of shares 376; 385 7; 8
  19.2.3 Any provision that would have an effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control of the issuer 370-371 7
20. Material contracts 46 2
21. Documents available 390 8

Cross-reference table for the 2024 Management Report

Required items Reference texts      Page     Chapter
1. Overview of the Company’s situation and business activity        
Overview of the Company’s and the Group’s situations, together with an objective and exhaustive analysis of changes in its business, performance and financial position, in particular its debt position relative to business volume and complexity

French Commercial Code

Articles L. 225-100-1, I, 1°, L. 232-1, II, L. 233-6 and L. 233-26

  36-38; 261-323;
329-357
  1; 5; 6
Financial key performance indicators

French Commercial Code

Article L. 225-100-1, I, 2°

  3; 5-6; 36-38   Integrated Presentation; 1
Non-financial key performance indicators relating specifically to the Company’s and the Group’s business

French Commercial Code

Article L. 225-100-1, I, 2°

  4; 11 ; 16-17; 37; 114-116; 238-259   Integrated Presentation; 1; 4
Major events occurring between the balance sheet date and the date on which the Management Report was approved for publication

French Commercial Code

Articles L. 232- 1, II and L. 233-26

  38; 320; 355   1; 5; 6
Existing branches

French Commercial Code

Article L. 232-1, II

  39; 321-322; 344   1; 5; 6
Significant equity interests acquired in companies having their registered office in France

French Commercial Code

Article L. 233-6, Paragraph 1

  39; 321-322; 344   1; 5; 6
Alienation of cross-holdings

French Commercial Code

Articles L. 233-29, L. 233-30 and R. 233-19

  NA   N/A
Foreseeable developments in the Company’s and the Group’s situations and future outlooks

French Commercial Code

Articles L. 232-1, II and L. 233-26

  14; 35-38   Integrated Presentation; 1
Research and development activities

French Commercial Code

Articles L. 232-1, II and L. 233-26

  32-35; 38; 222- 225; 340-344   Integrated Presentation; 1; 4; 6
Table showing the Company’s results over the past five financial years

French Commercial Code

Article R. 225-102

  356   6
Information relating to payment terms for the Company’s clients and suppliers

French Commercial Code

Articles L. 441-14 and D. 441-6

  357   6
Amount of intercompany loans granted and statement by the Statutory Auditors

French Monetary and Financial Code

Articles L. 511-6 and R. 511-2-1-3

  NA   N/A
2. Internal control and risk management          
Main risks and uncertainties to which the Company is exposed

French Commercial Code

Article L. 225-100-1, I, 3°

  15; 44-51; 302-312;347-349   Integrated Presentation; 1; 2; 5; 6
Financial risks associated with the effects of climate change and description of mitigation measures

French Commercial Code

Article L. 22-10-35, 1°

  144-158; 268   4; 5
Main characteristics of internal control and risk management procedures relating to the preparation and processing of accounting and financial information

French Commercial Code

Article L. 22-10-35, 2°

  15; 53-57   Integrated Presentation; 2
Objectives and particulars of the Company’s hedging programme for each transaction category and the Company’s exposure to price, credit, liquidity and cash flow risks, including information on the Company’s use of financial instruments French Commercial Code Article L. 225-100-1, I, 4°   301; 302-312; 347-349   5; 6
Anti-corruption arrangements French Law No. 2016-1691 of 9 December 2016 (“Sapin 2” Act)   208-212   4
Vigilance plan and report on its implementation

French Commercial Code

Article L. 225-102-4

  213-217   4
3. Shareholders and share capital          
Share ownership structure, movements in the Company’s share capital and crossing of thresholds

French Commercial Code

Article L. 233-13

  7; 367; 369; 373   Integrated Presentation; 7
Purchases and sales by the Company of its own shares

French Commercial Code

Articles L. 225-211 and R. 225-160

  371-372   7
Employee share ownership

French Commercial Code

Article L. 225-102 Paragraph 1

  368   7
Mention of potential adjustments for securities conferring access to the share capital in the event of share buybacks or financial transactions

French Commercial Code

Articles R. 228-90 and R. 228-91

  372   7
Information on transactions by senior executives and related persons involving Company securities

French Monetary and Financial Code

Articles L. 621-18-2 and R. 621-43-1 AMF General Regulation Article 223-26

  374   7
Amount of dividends distributed in respect of the past three financial years

French General Tax Code

Article 243 bis

  378   7
4. Sustainability Report          
General information

French Commercial Code

Articles L. 233-28-4

  119-143   4
Environmental information

French Commercial Code

Articles L. 233-28-4

  144-169   4
Social information

French Commercial Code

Articles L. 233-28-4

  170-207   4
Information on business conduct

French Commercial Code

Articles L. 233-28-4

  208-215   4
Business and segment-specific information

French Commercial Code

Articles L. 233-28-4

  216-225   4
Certificat report on sustainability information

French Commercial Code

Articles L. 233-28-4

  226-230   4
Cross-reference table

French Commercial Code

Articles L. 233-28-4

  231-237   4
Workforce and environmental indicators

French Commercial Code

Articles L. 233-28-4

  238-259   4
5. Additional information required for the preparation of the Management Report        
Additional tax information French General Tax Code Articles 223 quater and 223 quinquies   210; 287-290; 339-340   4; 5; 6
Pecuniary sanctions or injunctions for anti-competitive practices

French Commercial Code

Article L. 464-2

  N/A   N/A

Cross-reference table for the 2024 Report on Corporate Governance

ITEMS REFERENCE TEXTS     PAGES     CHAPTERS
1. Information on compensation          
Compensation policy for company officers

French Commercial Code

Articles L. 22-10-8 and R. 22-10-14

  99-102   3
Total compensation and benefits of any type paid during the financial year or awarded in respect of the financial year to each company officer

French Commercial Code

Articles L. 22-10-9, I, 1° and R. 22- 10-15

  103-113; 287; 338   3; 5; 6
Relative proportions of fixed and variable compensation

French Commercial Code

Article L. 22-10-9, I, 2°

  99-102; 103-104   3
Use of the option to request that variable compensation be returned

French Commercial Code

Article L. 22-10-9, I, 3°

  101   3
Commitments of any type made by the Company to its company officers

French Commercial Code

Article L. 22-10-9, I, 4°

  99-102; 98; 285-286   3; 5
Compensation paid or awarded by a company included in the Group’s scope of consolidation within the meaning of Article L. 233-16 of the French Commercial Code

French Commercial Code

Article L. 22-10-9, I, 5°

  103-104   3
Ratios between each executive company officer’s compensation and the average and median compensation of the Company’s employees

French Commercial Code

Article L. 22-10-9, I, 6°

  110-113   3
Annual change in compensation, performance by the Company, the average compensation of employees and the aforementioned ratios over the past five financial years

French Commercial Code

Article L. 22-10-9, I, 7°

  112-113   3
Explanation of the way in which total compensation adheres to the compensation policy adopted, including its contribution to the Company’s long-term performance and how performance conditions were applied

French Commercial Code

Article L. 22-10-9, I, 8°

  99-109   3
Manner in which votes cast at the most recent Ordinary General Meeting were taken into account, pursuant to Section I of Article L. 22-10-34

French Commercial Code

Article L. 22-10-9, I, 9°

  114   3
Departures from the procedure for the implementation of the compensation policy and any exceptions made

French Commercial Code

Article L. 22-10-9, I, 10°

  115   3
Application of the provisions of Article L. 225-45, Paragraph 2 of the French Commercial Code

French Commercial Code

Article L. 22-10-9, I, 11°

  NA   N/A
Granting of options to the company officers and options held by them

French Commercial Code

Articles L. 225-185 and L. 22-10-57

  103-108   3
Granting of free share awards to the executive company officers and free shares held by them

French Commercial Code

Articles L. 225-197-1 and L. 22-10- 59

  107; 285-286; 336-337   3; 5; 6
2. Corporate governance information          
List of all corporate offices and positions held in any company by each company officer during the financial year

French Commercial Code

Article L. 225-37-4, 1°

  65; 72-88   3
Agreements concluded between a senior executive or major shareholder and a subsidiary

French Commercial Code

Article L. 225-37-4, 2°

  63-64; 96-98; 362-364   3
Table summarising current delegations of powers granted by shareholders at the General Meeting pertaining to capital increases

French Commercial Code

Article L. 225-37-4, 3°

  374-375   7
Operating procedures of Executive Management

French Commercial Code

Article L. 225-37-4, 4°

  13; 40; 62; 383-384   Integrated Presentation; 1; 3; 8
Composition and conditions for preparing and organising the work of the Board of Directors

French Commercial Code

Article L. 22-10-10-1°

  12; 64-65; 380-383   Integrated Presentation; 3; 8
Diversity policy and application of the principle of balanced gender representation on the Board of Directors

French Commercial Code

Article L. 22-10-10-2°

  12; 67-68; 180-188   Integrated Presentation; 3; 4
Any limitations that the Board of Directors has placed on the powers of the Chief Executive Officer

French Commercial Code

Article L. 22-10-10-3°

  13; 40; 62; 383- 384   Integrated Presentation; 1; 3; 8
Reference to a corporate governance code and application of the “comply or explain” principle

French Commercial Code

Article L. 22-10-10-4°

  62; 115   3
Specific procedures relating to the participation of shareholders in the General Meeting

French Commercial Code

Article L. 22-10-10-5°

  384-386   8
Procedure for the assessment of routine agreements and its implementation

French Commercial Code

Article L. 22-10-10-6°

  96-97   3
3. Elements likely to have an impact
in the event of a public tender or exchange offer
French Commercial
Code Article L. 22-10-11
       
Ownership structure of the Company     367   7
Restrictions in the Articles of Association on the exercise of voting rights and on share transfers, or clauses in agreements brought to the Company’s attention pursuant to Article L. 233-11 of the French Commercial Code     373   7
Direct or indirect investments in the Company’s share capital of which it has knowledge by virtue of Articles L. 233-7 and L. 233-12 of the French Commercial Code     373   7
List of holders of any shares granting special rights and description thereof     373   7
Agreements between shareholders of which the Company has knowledge and that could entail restrictions on share transfers and the exercise of voting rights     373   7
Rules applicable to the appointment and replacement of members of the Board of Directors and to amendments of the Articles of Association     370-371; 373   7
Powers of the Board of Directors, in particular for share issues or share buybacks     371-372; 380-383   7; 8
Agreements entered into by the Company that are amended or cease in the event of a change in control of the Company, unless this disclosure would seriously undermine its interests, except when such disclosure is a legal obligation     NA   N/A
Agreements providing for benefits payable to members of the Board of Directors or employees if they resign or are dismissed without valid grounds or if their employment is terminated due to a public tender or exchange offer     NA   N/A

Cross-reference table for the 2024 Annual Financial Report

ITEMS ARTICLES   PAGES   PRESENCE
ANNUAL FINANCIAL REPORT Article L. 451-1-2 of the French Monetary and Financial Code; Article L. 222-3 of AMF’s General Regulation        
1. Parent company financial statements     329-357   6
2. Consolidated financial statements     261-323   5
3. Management Report   See Cross-reference table for the
Management Report
   
4. Report on corporate governance   See Cross-reference table for the Report
on Corporate Governance
   
5. Declaration by the persons responsible for the Annual Financial Report     407    
6. Statutory Auditors’ reports on the parent company financial statements and the consolidated financial statements     358-361; 324-327   5; 6
     
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