Page 28 - Paragon Annual Report 2

Acquisition of ASK
ASK is a very significant addition to the Paragon Group, having been acquired in May 2017. The acquisition brings Paragon into new market segments of personal identification products and services, such as electronic passports and ID cards. In addition, our position in our core markets was strengthened significantly, with greater depth added to our offering for transport and smart cities. The acquisition also adds a manufacturing and development base in the USA, giving the Group a stronger presence in a market where we have long held many prestigious contracts, as well as adding to our growing expertise in delivering mobile-enabled solutions such as host card emulation (HCE).
Julien Zuccarelli
CEO, Paragon ID
Julien was appointed CEO at Paragon ID at the end of April following the merger between ASK and the Identification division of Paragon Group. He joined ASK as CEO in March 2014 having previously held management positions in various international groups such as Atos, Schlumberger, Bull CP8, and Morpho Cards (Safran group), where he was Deputy CEO. He was also Chairman of the Management Board of Numen, a company specialised in secure document personalisation, BPO and paperless solutions. Julien graduated from ESCP Europe in 1983 and has more than 30 years’ experience within the smart card sector.
Speed with security
Life is getting busier and faster and people want the best of both worlds: immediate access and service with absolute security.
Fast connections, fast lanes and fast payments are the new normal – at cash machines, passport control, subway gates and checkouts.
The big challenge for businesses, cities and governments is to meet these increasing expectations – and get it right every time, efficiently and economically.
Trust, too, is vital for commerce and day-to-day tasks: but as the digital revolution reaches every aspect of our daily lives, so too do the risks of fraud, counterfeiting, hacking and identity theft.
Leading the contactless revolution
From China to the US, Europe to South Africa, our 600 passionate Paragon ID colleagues show true commitment and brilliance to solve these challenges for our clients.
Our combination of talents is incredible – from software, hardware, security, data management and mobile apps to physics, chemistry, plastics and more – and it is no coincidence that this diversity has allowed us to lead
the contactless revolution.
Over years of research and development, supported by our global manufacturing, we have created a full range of best-in-class contactless solutions and become adept at putting them into a wide range of applications with the greatest security, efficiency and capability.
Our experts continue to innovate the way people and products move. We provide fast, safe public transport in over 120 cities, e-passports in 19 countries and e-ID cards for many other situations; while our security tags and traceability services track millions of healthcare treatments, retail items, luxury goods and more through global
supply chains to ensure the products you use are
genuine and safe.
We are proud to work very closely with our diverse client base and excel at collaborating with other organisations and specialists to integrate our solutions with existing systems to make rapid digital transformation possible.
With NFC technology now enabled on recent iPhones, beacon infrastructure spreading and the “Internet of Things” networking everyday objects, the opportunities for our smart technologies are endless. Paragon ID is already leading the way – perfectly placed to support our clients’ digital ambitions and achieve our own ambitious growth plans for a very bright future.
26 | Strategic report | Paragon ID
Paragon Group Limited – 05258175
PROFILE