London/Oslo/Austin, Texas: 31 October 2011 – Lumesse, a global leader in integrated talent management solutions, is pleased to announce that it has completed the acquisition of SaaS-based e-learning experts Edvantage Group (www.edvantagegroup.com). Edvantage Group brings Lumesse world-class capabilities in learning management, content development and management, online content delivery, and custom course development. The combined business will have close to 2,000 customers worldwide and around two million active users of its technology.

Since the initial announcement of the acquisition in early October, the two companies have been working on integration plans as well as joint commercial opportunities, as Matthew Parker, CEO at Lumesse, notes:

“The market reception for this acquisition has been excellent, with strong interest from customers on both sides. Our intention is to bring the capabilities of the Edvantage products quickly into our Lumesse TalentLink and Lumesse ETWeb integrated talent management solutions. Learning and development are increasingly seen as key components of an effective talent management strategy, by helping to retain great people, develop their careers and build increased business contribution.”

"Learning and development continues to be one of the most important and fundamental elements of talent management," adds Josh Bersin, President and CEO of Bersin & Associates.  "The acquisition of Edvantage Group by Lumesse gives the company a set of global, proven solutions for learning management, content development, and learning services."

The acquisition accelerates the global growth of Lumesse, strengthens its leadership in Europe, extends its product set and increases its customer base by over 200 new companies to a total of over 1,900 in 70 countries worldwide. Already offering some of the most complete talent management solutions in the industry, Lumesse will broaden its products further to include Edvantage Group’s learning management system, award-winning content authoring platform, extensive range of on-demand content, and its custom developed e-learning programs. Lumesse customers will be able to easily provide formal, informal, social and mobile learning opportunities to employees as a part of a fully integrated talent development strategy.