Goal IN SIGHT
Providing both software and solutions, Sopra Steria has a true industrial understanding of software that allows it to work with clients on their specific needs.
How has the company has developed, and what is its mission, vision, and main goals?
Sopra Steria currently has 46,000 employees and a turnover of EUR4.6 billion. We are active in European countries, which are our focus of ongoing activity, and we strive to be leaders in this group. In 2000, we started out with a team of 180 people, and today, 20 years later, we have more than 4,000 employees in Spain alone. Our goal is to be among the top five companies in our sector in this area.
How important is the Spanish market and that of the subsidiary in Spain for the group?
Spain is a particularly important group because we combine two types of activity here. One is geared toward to the domestic market, which we cover by providing services to the main companies in the country across all sectors. Secondly, in the industrial area of our company, Spain works in nearshore mode, and then we have an offshore in India where there are about 6,000 people.
What is the breakdown of the main sectors in which you participate, and where do the company’s revenue comes from?
The main one is the financial sector, and with this we have more than half of the company’s turnover in Spain. The second is the public sector, and this is also the case in Spain. It represents about 20% of what we do. We work both for big national institutions and territorial organizations located in the various autonomous communities as well as different generalities. We have our own software solutions, from the point of view of core banking and departmental solutions as well as human resources solutions. This is marketed through two of the company’s groups. One is Sopra Banking Software, which has a turnover of around EUR500 million, and the other for human resources solutions is Sopra HR.
What sets Sopra Steria apart from other companies?
We have an offer that is complemented by solutions. Not many companies have the services area, but simply a real industrial understanding of software publishing. We are able to combine both.
What led the company to launch Sopra Steria Next in Spain?
Spain is the third country where this brand is being launched, which is a reflection of the capabilities behind it. Only countries that are at a certain level can launch Sopra Steria Next. In our case, Spain has a department dedicated to helping private companies and public institutions face this structural challenge.
Is the digitization of public administration necessary?
It is mandatory, and Spain has missed several opportunities to do so already. This can be seen especially in terms of structural unemployment, which is always more than double the European average.
Which projects have you carried out in Spain with the public administration?
We have worked with the Tax Agency on all the algorithms for fraud detection. We have also collaborated with the Official College of Pharmacists in Spain on the development of a solution that is a jab from where more than 60,000 pharmacies in Spain interact. Also, in the more industrial area of the public sector, in the port of Algeciras, where Spain has the largest container traffic, we have a project to digitalize the entire port management.
What is your strategy or vision on sustainability at a group level?
It is a shared objective at group level and has been mandatory. We are extremely conscious of sustainability and are part of COP25. Basically, we were one of the few companies in our sector with other companies in the energy field that were involved into this objective. It is a real objective in which we have a roadmap, and we are meeting the goals that we have set to reach it.