LEADING consulting and IT services provider NTT DATA UK has announced the signing of a new, five-year contract with the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), the global body for professional accountants.

Valued at £50 million, the agreement builds on a 12-year existing relationship. While that relationship was based on providing support for the ACCA IT legacy platform, the new agreement significantly expands NTT DATA UK’s responsibilities as the body’s delivery partner on the strategic global digital transformation programme.

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Simon Williams, chief executive, NTT DATA UK, said: “As a Japanese company we know that business relationships are all about long-term commitment, and ACCA is one of our longest standing partners.

"Our two companies have close alignment on values and ways of working. The signing of this new five-year partnership deepens that connection and ensures that our two teams can work more effectively towards our common goal.”

Helen Brand, ACCA’s chief executive, said: “As the global body for professional accountants, with a growing network of 219,000 members and 527,000 students in 179 countries, we rely on digital innovation in order to lead in the profession."

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She added: "From the qualifications and support we offer to the overall user experience for our members and other stakeholders, and tools available to our employees, everything ACCA does needs to be digitally enabled. Thanks to this new agreement with NTT DATA UK, we will be investing in ACCA’s digital future.”

Raymond Jack, executive director - finance and operations -  ACCA, said: “Technology is a key building block for our work to provide members and partners with the best possible experience from start to finish."

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He added: "From digitising exams to giving our learning partners the ability to quickly and easily track a student’s progress, every digital touchpoint of the ACCA experience will now be streamlined and improved due to this agreement with NTT.”

Maggie Morrison, client partner, public services, Scotland, NTT DATA UK, said: “Our continuing and expanding relationship with ACCA is an important vote of confidence. It is also a tribute to the skills available in Scotland’s vibrant and expanding tech sector and reflects the NTT DATA UK commitment to continued investment and business growth in Scotland.”

ACCA has a Glasgow administration base.