Boulogne-Billancourt, FR – Acolad today announced that it has entered into a binding agreement to become part of RWS, a global AI solutions company. The proposed combination marks an important new chapter for Acolad, bringing together complementary technology, services and specialist expertise, giving customers greater support as they create, manage and adapt content for international audiences.
Today, Acolad helps thousands of organisations create, adapt and deliver multilingual content through AI-enabled technology and expert human services. By joining RWS, Acolad will combine its strengths in localization, interpreting, public and regulated industries with RWS's AI-powered language and content technologies.
Customers will gain access to RWS and Acolad’s combined investment in AI-first technology, a broader global network of in-market linguistic experts and stronger capabilities across Europe with a reinforced local presence. Together, these will help customers scale faster, deliver more relevant experiences in every market and grow with greater confidence, with local support.
“Acolad is a strategically compelling acquisition and will extend our reach across Europe,” commented Benjamin Faes, Chief Executive Officer of RWS. “It gives us the opportunity to support more leading European organizations with our Cultural Intelligence Layer, Language Weaver Pro and the next generation of platforms we’re developing across our Transform business. Together, we can deepen customer relationships, solve more complex content challenges and deliver greater value across the enterprise.”
Acolad brings an established client base across Western Europe and growing activity in North America, with particular strength in interpreting, regulated industries and the public sector. Its medical devices business will complement RWS’s existing life sciences expertise, including its work with pharmaceutical organizations.
“Since my father and I founded this company in the 1990s, we have built Acolad step by step, through more than a dozen acquisitions across Europe, always combining human expertise with technology,” said Benjamin du Fraysseix, Co-founder and Former Chief Executive Officer of Acolad. “Joining forces with RWS represents the natural next chapter of that journey. I remain fully committed to supporting this combination to ensure our people, our customers and everything we have built together continue to thrive."
“I am delighted at the prospect of Acolad and RWS are coming together,” said Bertrand Gstalder, Chief Executive Officer of Acolad. “We’ve built a business focused on helping global organizations grow by combining technology with deep human expertise. Together, we can give our customers access to a broader range of language and content capabilities. We’ll also help them adopt advanced AI-powered content workflows safely, responsibly and at the scale their businesses require.”
The transaction is expected to complete by 31 March 2027, pending completion of the applicable French information and consultation process and other regulatory approvals. Until then, Acolad and RWS will continue to operate as separate businesses, while remaining fully committed to supporting customers, partners and employees with the same focus, quality and expertise that define both organizations today.