GlobeNewswire Inc | Feb 1, 2021 08:00AM EST

February 01, 2021

SYDNEY, Australia, Feb. 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ceridian (NYSE: CDAY; TSX: CDAY), a global leader in human capital management (HCM) technology, today announced it has entered into a definitive sharesaleagreement to acquireAscender, a leading payroll and HR solutions provider in Asia Pacific Japan (APJ). Together withAscender, Ceridian willprovide the most comprehensivepayroll andhuman capital managementsolutionsin the region. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2021.

The acquisition ofAscenderwillstrengthenour leadership inthe APJ region, accelerate our global growth strategy, and deliver even greater value to our customers, said David Ossip, Chairman and CEO, Ceridian. I look forward to welcoming theAscenderteam to Ceridian and to working together on our shared vision to create exceptional employee experiences.

The combinationofAscenderwith Ceridian will betremendous news for our employees,customers,andpartners, who willbenefit fromCeridians global scale and award-winning Dayforce platform.Were committed to helping our customers successfully navigate the future of work as we embark on a new chapter within the Ceridian family, said Andrew Wilson, CEO,Ascender.

Ascenderprovides more than 1,200 global brandswith leading payroll and HR capabilities. As a premier HCM provider in the region,Ascenderhas deep industry expertise across all verticals, including higher education and government, as well as a strong partner ecosystem. With this acquisition, Ceridian will serve a combined 1,500 customers and 2.5 million employees across 30 countries in the region, including Australia,China, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand.

TheAscenderacquisition will support Ceridians proven track record of successfully bringing value-driven organizations into the company. Previously, Ceridian acquiredExcelityGlobal,a Singapore-based leading HCM provider,andRITEQ, an Australia-based leading enterprise workforce management provider.With the acquisition,Ceridian will have the opportunity to deliver additional value toAscenders customers through the Dayforce platforms full-suite HCM capabilities, including workforce management, payroll, and time and attendance.

APJ is the fastest growing region for payroll and HCM, and Ceridian is uniquely positioned to support organizational leaders driving transformation in todays rapidly changing world, said Stephen Moore, Head of Asia Pacific Japan, Ceridian. We look forward to serving more customers in the region with Ceridians award-winning products and expanding the breadth and depth of our leadership team.

Goldman Sachs & Co LLC, PwC, and Minter Ellison are serving as advisors for Ceridian on the acquisition. Morgan Stanley, Gilbert + Tobin, Ernst & Young, and PwC are serving as advisors to Ascender. Ascender is backed by aprivate equity consortium led byPotentiaCapital and 5V Capital, which acquired the company in 2015.

About CeridianCeridian. Makes Work Life Better.

Ceridian HCM Holding Inc. (Ceridian or the Company) (NYSE:CDAY) (TSX:CDAY)is a global human capital management software company. Dayforce, our flagship cloud HCM platform, provides human resources, payroll, benefits, workforce management, and talent management functionality. Our platform is used to optimize management of the entire employee lifecycle, including attracting, engaging, paying, deploying, and developing people. Ceridian has solutions for organizations of all sizes. VisitCeridian.com or follow us@Ceridian.

About Ascender

Ascender serves more than 1.3 million employees throughout Asia Pacific Japan with Payroll and Human Capital Management platforms. With more than 900 dedicated professionalsacross 31 countries, Ascender services a diverse range of clients payroll requirements through leading technology and innovative processes. Today, more than 1,200 global brands and listed companies trust Ascender to meet their payroll and HR needs. Ascender is backed by a private equity consortium led byPotentiaCapital.

About Potentia Capital

Potentia Capital is Australias leading private equity investment firm focused exclusively on technology, tech-enabled services, and software businesses. The team is one of the most experienced in the Australian private equity market, having deployed over $2 billion in capital across more than ten investments in the technology sector globally. More information on Potentia can be found at ( http://www.potentiacap.com/)

Forward-Looking Statement and Risk Factors

This press release contains forward-looking statements that involvea number ofrisks and uncertainties. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements regarding the acquisition discussed in the press release and our expectations, hopes, intentions or strategies regarding the future are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on management's beliefs, as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available to, management. Because such statements are based on expectations as to the future and are not statements of fact, actual results may differ materially from those projected. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

This press release should be read in conjunction with the risks detailed in the Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information, Forward-Looking Statement, Risk Factors and other sections of Ceridians Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Annual Reports on Form 10-K and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Investor Relations contact:Jeremy Johnson1-844-829-9499investors@ceridian.com

Mediacontact:Teri Murphy1-647-417-2117teri.murphy@ceridian.com