French groups Cegid and Silae recently announced their intention to merge. The union of the two companies will form one of Europe’s leading technology groups, helping clients grow safely and efficiently with the backing of a fully integrated, compliant ecosystem that comprehensively covers their financial and administrative needs.
United, the two companies will support the daily management of accounting, taxation, finances, and payroll for the daily operations of 2 million clients and more than 15,000 accounting firms, while processing more than 15 million payrolls each month across Europe. The planned merger will create a combined group with an estimated enterprise value of over €10 billion, positioning it as one of the largest software companies in France and a major European technology leader.
Both brands will bring together highly complementary capabilities across flagship product portfolios and technology solutions. The native integration of Cegid’s accounting and tax tools, Shine’s banking and digital finance services, and Silae’s human resources and payroll platform will enable the group to connect key data, automate processes, and streamline interactions among businesses and their partners, including professional firms.
The combined platform will deliver tangible value to customers, for example by enabling a seamless integration between payroll software and accounting for professional advisers, activating Shine’s services through the My Silae platform, and supporting the development of advanced treasury management and forecasting tools.
Together, the offering provides business leaders and their advisory partners with tools that are simpler to use, smarter, and AI-powered to manage and grow their organizations collaboratively through an integrated, reliable, and compliant platform. This approach will automate a broad range of financial and administrative tasks through cutting-edge technology and innovation. The merged group will position itself as a leading channel for bringing AI to small and medium-sized businesses and as a trusted partner to assist companies in transitioning to the new electronic invoicing system.
Combining capabilities, both companies will be able to broaden their investment in research and development at a pivotal moment for the tech industry as AI emerges. The new group will boast one of the continent’s largest R&D teams, with more than 1,400 professionals dedicated to developing innovative solutions for corporate clients.
In line with the planned merger, Christian Pedersen has been named CEO of Cegid and will lead the integration of activities, the rollout of the combined offering, and will serve as CEO of the merged group. Pedersen joins Cegid from IFS, a global leader in AI software.
Christian Lucas, chairman of Cegid and Silae and a Managing Partner at Silver Lake, commented: “This union is an exciting milestone. It marks the successful culmination of a long journey spanning a decade, first with Cegid and then with Silae, and the beginning of an even more ambitious chapter. Together, Cegid and Silae can offer a unique set of AI-powered software and products to serve small and medium-sized businesses and their partners who are the backbone of the European economy. Silver Lake has been a steady, long-term investor in both companies, helping to transform them from French leaders into European benchmarks through ongoing investments in technology and talent. Since our initial investment, revenues and headcount have more than tripled, with a third of revenues already generated internationally, underscoring how local excellence can fuel global opportunities. We look forward to continuing to support the combined group and its leadership team with a long-term vision.”
Christian Pedersen, CEO of Cegid, added: “I’m thrilled to join this ambitious project. Together, as an integrated European platform, we can accelerate innovation and unlock AI’s full potential for customers through interconnected data across accounting, payments, payroll, and HR. My goal will be to keep turning this vision into truly differentiated, high-value solutions for businesses, professional advisers, and their clients.”
Pierre Cesarini, who will continue to lead Silae within the resulting merged group, stated: “For fifteen years, Silae has focused on making payroll and HR management simple, compliant, and reliable for our partners and clients. The real value of this merger lies in product integration: connecting payroll and HR with accounting, electronic invoicing, digital finances, and payments in a native way, so the firms and the companies they serve operate on a single platform with data flowing through it, preserving the central role of professional advisers in their client relationships.”
