Paris, 31 May 2017 – Advent International, one of the world’s leading private equity firms, and Bpifrance are pleased to announce the completion of the acquisition of Safran Identity & Security (Morpho), after receiving clearance from antitrust and regulatory authorities. The transaction creates a French global leader in identification and digital security technologies. Didier Lamouche is appointed President of the Executive Board of OT-MORPHO, and Marwan Lahoud is appointed Chairman of the Supervisory Board.

As the majority shareholder of Oberthur Technologies (“OT”), Advent International, investing alongside Bpifrance, brings together the complementary strengths of Safran I&S and OT to create a global leader in identification and security, based in France, with over €2.8 billion in revenue. By combining Safran I&S’s leadership in end-to-end biometric and identity solutions with OT’s leadership in digital embedded security, the two companies will be uniquely positioned to accelerate the convergence between governmental and commercial markets.

Didier Lamouche is appointed President of the Executive Board and Marwan Lahoud Chairman of the Supervisory Board of OT-MORPHO. The Supervisory Board of OT-MORPHO also includes, among others, the following members: Jean-François Cirelli, former Deputy CEO of GDF Suez, and Yann Delabrière, former Chairman of Faurecia, as Vice-Chairman. Anne Bouverot, formerly CEO of Morpho, becomes Senior Advisor to Advent International.

“We have today the unique opportunity to create a French champion and drive the convergence of identification and digital security technologies. With the support of its shareholders Advent International and Bpifrance, OT-MORPHO stands as a world-class leader, which will benefit from the complementary nature of the businesses, technologies and expertise developed by Safran I&S and OT”, said Mr Lahoud, Chairman of the Supervisory Board, at the announcement of the completion of the acquisition.

The President of the Executive Board of OT-MORPHO, Mr Lamouche, added: “The creation of OT-MORPHO offers great growth prospects in the banking services, telecoms, digital identity and security fields. OT-MORPHO has unique capabilities to conquer new markets thanks to cutting-edge technologies in the fields of biometrics (iris, fingerprints, facial recognition), cryptology or remote connectivity management. We are confident in our teams’ commitment and excellence to be the pioneer in the digital transformations of our sector.”