Mumbai, India and Johannesburg, South Africa - 9 July, 2009 - BPeSA Gauteng, the BPO Gauteng regional industry body is proud to announce global growth and regional consolidation of member companies Aegis Limited and CCN Group.

Keryn House, CEO – BPeSA Gauteng shows her full support of the today’s acquisition announcement. When asked how this impacts the local BPO market, Ms House has reported that ‘One of our concerns has been the lack of critical mass amongst our local outsource providers. This visionary acquisition positions SA on a new level within the global off-shoring space. Up till now, many of our outsourcers with both local and international delivery capability have been playing within the 500 – 1000 seat capacity. This acquisition grows a Joburg based provider to an undisputed level of global operation with international footprint and reach. CCN Group has proved itself to be a quality organization and award winner which has been successful in securing and growing international business within SA borders. This demonstration of confidence on behalf of Aegis Limited opens up new windows of opportunity for South Africa. As BPeSA Gauteng, we look forward to supporting the growth strategy of Aegis BPO.’

Aegis Limited, a global business process outsourcing (BPO) provider and part of Essar Group today announced a 100% equity acquisition of CCN Group PTY Ltd., one of the privately owned contact center outsourcing company in South Africa.

CCN Group (Pty) Ltd is a BPO company of South Africa and has been in the BPO business for last 7 years. CCN has revenues in excess of R 150 million (USD 19 million) for FY 2008-09. Its clientele includes both onshore and offshore customers with significant revenues from clients located in UK. It has a capacity of 700 seats and has over 1000 employees operating out of 2 facilities.

Aparup Sengupta, Global CEO and Managing Director of Aegis Limited said, "CCN is a strategic fit for Aegis. This combined entity will offer CCN’s clients and prospects an expanded set of solutions and services from a broader geographic delivery platform. South Africa becomes an integral part of our growth strategy and offers an opportunity for Aegis to develop skills, create employment and bring in international experience to South Africa. This is a step towards our commitment to creating 5000 jobs in South Africa over a period of time."

Lawrence Brick, CEO of CCN said "We are confident that CCN has found a worthy parent to guide its future growth. We believe this transaction creates a win for our customers, employees and stockholders. With this transaction, Aegis proves its commitment to develop South Africa as a destination for international businesses."
Sandip Sen, Global Chief Marketing Officer and Head of Sales at Aegis said "We saw a good synergy in CCN and Aegis culture. We share a similar passion to deliver high quality services and are delighted to integrate CCN with Aegis. We are putting in significant amount of our overall South Africa planned investment of R 500 million (USD 60 million) into this acquisition. This is our way of demonstrating long term commitment to this market place. With more than 33,000 employees globally, Aegis is well positioned to right shore customized solutions to meet today’s business needs. Additionally, the clients will benefit from greater scale, deeper domain expertise, comprehensive and flexible solution offerings, robust financial strength, and a rich international talent pool."

Aegis has a successful history of integrations in the last four years, including its acquisition in October 2008 of PeopleSupport, Inc., a NASDAQ listed outsourcing firm. Aegis has established a record of aligning the interests of all stakeholders in a short period of time. This would be the 12th acquisition for Aegis, while the next one, UCMS in Australia is still awaiting regulatory approval for closing.

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