Atos Origin

Few can lay claim to orchestrating the biggest international sporting meet, let alone earn the rights to run five Olympic Games. Atos Origin is one of the exceptions.

The company, through the acquisition of SchlumbergerSema in January 2004, earned the right to be a bearer of the multi-colored Olympic Rings. It managed the 2004 Athens Olympics, and was awarded the rights to the 2006 Winter Olympics in Italy as well as the 2008 summer games in Beijing. In July, Atos Origin scored again, winning the games management role in the winter games in Vancouver in 2010 and the fiercely contested 2012 London Olympics.

Atos Origin was born out of a series of mergers. Even before Atos and Origin came together in November 2000, the former was a result of a merger between two French-based IT services--Axime and Sligos. Dutch company Origin was a product of a merger between BSO/Origin and Philips Communications. Bernard Bourigeaud, formerly CEO of Atos, assumed his responsibilities as Atos Origin's chairman and chief executive officer when the merger took place.

The company has three distinct businesses, partly strengthened by acquisitions in the last few years. The bulk of its business lies in managed operations, with systems integration and consulting making up its corporate portfolio. It acquired KPMG Consulting in the United Kingdom and Netherlands in 2002, and carried out the SchlumbergerSema acquisition in 2004 to create a leading global IT services company.

Having forged its mark in the European market, Atos Origin is now keen to further its ambitions in the Asia-Pacific region. With the Olympic Games in Beijing drawing near, Atos Origin has ambitious plans in China, targeting for a five-fold revenue increase by 2008.