(US and Canada) EDM Council, the global association for data management, has signed a definitive agreement to acquire the Object Management Group (OMG^®), the open membership, not-for-profit technology consortium. The combination brings together more than 700 corporate and public-sector member organizations, eight regional hubs, and a combined 50-year portfolio of internationally adopted standards and technology into a single non-profit association. The agreement is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2025.

With this acquisition, and reflecting the global growth of the organization, EDM Council is now named EDM Association, representing the first-of-its-kind non-profit trade association fostering the growth of data, software, systems, knowledge engineering, and standards capability. It will double its industry reach, representing more than 30,000 professionals worldwide as the leading global community helping organizations build trust and confidence in the data and standards they rely on.

Specifically, it will aggregate a portfolio of globally-adopted data management frameworks, OMG and ISO standards, digital engineering, digital twin, augmented reality innovation, software quality, research, communities of practice, training and more under one roof to deliver seamless support across the data and innovation lifecycle, enabling members to move from raw data to real-world solutions that drive success with a single, authoritative standards partner and community of experts.

“By bringing our two associations together, with OMG’s deep technical heritage and EDM Council’s best practices and governance leadership, we are strengthening the connections between data management, standards and innovation that make data truly portable, interoperable and AI-ready to drive organizations’ success,” said John Bottega, President, EDM Association.

“OMG’s mission has always been to create open, vendor-neutral standards and tech communities that unlock innovation,” said Bill Hoffman, Chairman & CEO, Object Management Group. “Joining forces with EDM Council and forming EDM Association accelerates that mission, expanding our reach and giving our members an immediate on-ramp to enterprise-grade data governance and expanded certification services.”

“Everyone from business leaders, CIOs, CDOs, and regulators are navigating an increasingly complex digital future,” said Peter Serenita, Chairman of the Board of Directors, EDM Association. “Now they finally have a single, integrated organization with a comprehensive end-to-end data capability and roadmap, along with a deep professional network, for gleaning value from their data and technology assets.”

Adding OMG’s standards adoption process ensures that emerging specifications can achieve swift adoption, with potential onward pathways to ISO standardization. The addition of OMG’s communities, such as the Digital Twin Consortium, AREA (Augmented Reality for Enterprise Alliance), and CISQ (Consortium for Information and Software Quality), opens new pathways for innovation across industries such as manufacturing, healthcare, automotive, and defense.

Current members of either organization will benefit from an expanded industry portfolio to foster interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation, access to broader SME expertise and industry insights, strengthened professional development opportunities, and an extended regional presence for global networking.