Aegis takes over South African outsourcer

JOHANNESBURG - Aegis Ltd, a Gurgaon-based business process outsourcing (BPO) provider and part of the Essar group, has announced the 100 percent acquisition of South African contact centre outsourcer CCN group.

The acquisition, announced Thursday, is expected to boost South Africa’s economy through a 500 million rand ($60 million) injection over three years and create 5,000 jobs.

“This is our way of showing a long term association with South Africa,” Sandip Sen, global chief marketing officer and head of sales at Aegis, told the Afrikaans daily Beeld here.

CCN has been in the BPO business for seven years, with revenues in excess of 150 million rands ($18 million) last fiscal.

Sen said various international technology companies were reluctant to invest in South Africa because the country did not have a large BPO company.

Aegis services several Fortune 500 companies worldwide in the telecom, banking, financial services, insurance, healthcare and travel verticals, which Sen said would lure companies to South Africa.

“With more than 33,000 employees globally, Aegis is well positioned to right shore customized solutions to meet today’s business needs. Additionally, clients will benefit from greater scale, deeper domain expertise, comprehensive and flexible solution offerings, robust financial strength, and a rich international talent pool.”

Aparup Sengupta, global chief executive and managing director of Aegis, said in a statement earlier: “South Africa becomes an integral part of our growth strategy (following the acquisition) and offers an opportunity for Aegis to develop skills, create employment and bring in international experience to South Africa.”

Added CCN chief executive Lawrence Brick: “With this transaction, Aegis proves its commitment to develop South Africa as a destination for international businesses.”

This is the 12th acquisition for Aegis, while the next one, UCMS in Australia, is awaiting regulatory approval.