Sopra Steria delivers successful IT separation and migration programme for Royal London and the Co-operative Group

London, 18th November 2015 – Sopra Steria, a European leader in business change and digital transformation, has announced the successful delivery of a major IT separation and migration programme for the Co-operative Group, one of the world’s largest consumer co-operatives, and the Royal London, the largest mutual life, pensions and investment company in the UK.

Having partnered with the Co-operative Group for over twenty years, Sopra Steria has played a key role in successfully delivering the migration of its Life & Savings business to Royal London following its recent sale. This vast and complex programme involved the separation and transfer of IT and business assets including customer data, on-line and batch systems and processes.

The programme was completed before the two-year timeline target in this high profile and heavily regulated environment, and it delivered without disruption to customers or business teams in either organisation.

Tim Harris, Royal London’s Finance Director, comments: “The team from Sopra Steria has been at the centre of the separation work, be that working for the Co-operative Group or Royal London, and it is to their great credit that the project has been delivered before the two year timeline target and to a very high quality. Given the scale of the project and the frequent regulatory oversight, we at Royal London are delighted with the outcome. There have been many people in the Sopra Steria team who have exceeded our expectations.” Ian Lamb, Royal London’s Programme Lead adds: “Sopra Steria were an integral part of the Royal London delivery team, contributing to a successful and high quality delivery.”

Key stakeholders in the Co-operative Group, Simon Bourne, Group CIO, and Andy Maher, Separation Programme Director, comment: “The Jupiter Programme has been recognised within Co-operative Group as an exemplar Programme, where collaborative working and harnessing the combined strength of our key partners, has achieved a great outcome. Sopra Steria have been front and centre in the successful delivery of this Programme.”

Melba Foggo, Sopra Steria’s Managing Director for Financial Services, comments: “We are absolutely delighted to share this sensational feedback with the team members who have contributed to this success. We are proud to extend our twenty-year partnership with the Co-operative Group, and excited to establish a new partnership with Royal London following this significant achievement. This landmark delivery adds further credibility to Sopra Steria’s strong position in the Financial Services marketplace as a true, large scale IT enabler, ready to tackle significant divestment and consolidation programmes across Banking, Insurance and Asset Management.”