Bates poised for 15m IT account

Bates Worldwide is tipped to win the global account for American/ Dutch business software giant Baan, which is understood to be embarking on an international marketing offensive.

The account is worth over 15m in Europe and could go higher if the campaign rolls out across the US.

Bates is understood to have pitched against four other agencies.

Baan, which has dual headquarters in Barneveld in the Nether lands and Reston, Virginia in the US, is regarded as a market leader in software to counter the millennium bug.

It will also profit from the demand from European companies wishing to convert their accounting systems to the euro.

However, Baan is expecting a fourth quarter loss of $250m (151m) following a company restructure.

It is one of a number of IT companies tipped for rapid growth this year, along with German business software group SAP.

The company was unavailable for comment.