Aegis has acquired all of the shares of UCMS Group Limited through an all-cash transaction with an aggregate equity value of approximately AUD 54 million (Rs200 crore). The transaction has received all the necessary approvals, including UCMS shareholder approval, approval by the Supreme Court of Victoria and certain other customary closing conditions.
Aegis has paid UCMS stockholders AUD 0.98 per share in cash through Aegis BPO Services Australia Pty Limited, which represents a premium of 133% over the closing price of UCMS on May 14, 2009, of AUD 0.42, being the last trading day prior to the media announcement made on May 15, 2009.
Aparup Sengupta, CEO and Managing Director of Aegis Limited, said, “Australia and New Zealand are an integral part of our growth strategy and the integration with UCMS offers us an opportunity to consolidate our presence in this region. The Aegis UCMS combined entity will offer clients and prospects an extended set of solutions and services from a broader geographic delivery platform.” Elaborating on future plans, Mr Sengupta said, “Australia is a very mature market and there is a need for effective and efficient proximity services in the customer lifecycle management space. Our intention is to grow Australia by adding 1,500-2,000 people.”
Denice Pitt, CEO of UCMS Group Limited, said, “We are happy that Aegis has found a worthy partner in UCMS to guide its future growth. This transaction creates a win-win situation for our customers, employees and stakeholders.”
With the completion of this transaction, Aegis is poised to become a leader in the rapidly growing global BPO market with operations in India, the Philippines, the United States, Costa Rica, Kenya, South Africa and now Australia. With more than 35,000 employees globally, Aegis is well positioned to provide onshore, near-shore, and offshore BPO services or a combination of customized solutions to meet client requirements. Additionally, Aegis will offer and benefit from greater scale, deeper domain expertise, a comprehensive and flexible solution offering, financial strength, and a rich international talent pool.
Aegis has established a record of successfully aligning the interests of all stakeholders in a short period of time. This would be the 13th acquisition for Aegis, having recently announced its acquisition of the South Africa based CCN group.
About Aegis
Aegis is one of the leading global BPO providers that offers customer lifecycle management and a variety of value-added interactive and back-office services for global enterprise clients. Aegis is one of the fastest growing BPO companies globally with annualized revenues of approximately half-a-billion USD. With deep industry expertise, Aegis services several Fortune 500 companies worldwide in the telecom, banking and financial services, insurance, healthcare, and travel verticals. Aegis offers an end-to-end global delivery platform spanning onshore, near-shore, and offshore locations with 32 delivery centers in the United States, the Philippines, India, Costa Rica, and Africa. For more information, please visit www.aegisglobal.com
Media contacts
India
Manisha Awasthi, Corporate Communications
Telephone: (+91 098) 3394 5761
Email:manisha.awasthi@essar.com
USA
Peter Hargittay, Aegis Marketing Americas
Telephone: +310 824 6182
Email: peter.hargittay@aegisbpo.com
Australia
Polly Johnson
Group Manager, Kinetics PR – representing UCMS
Telephone: +61 2 9212 3848, +61 404 833 179
Email: polly@kinetics.com.au
