Aegis Limited, a global business process outsourcing (BPO) provider and part of Essar Group, one of India's business conglomerates, has acquired 100 percent of the equity of CCN Group (PTY) Ltd., a privately-owned contact center outsourcing company in South Africa.

CCN Group (PTY) Ltd. is one of the BPO companies of South Africa and has been in the BPO business for the last seven years.

CCN reported 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 the UK. It has a capacity of 700 seats and has over 1,000 employees operating out of two facilities.

“This combined entity will offer CCN's clients and prospects an expanded set of solutions and services from a broader geographic delivery platform,” said Aparup Sengupta, global CEO and managing director of Aegis Limited, in a statement.

Sengupta said CCN is a strategic fit for Aegis. South Africa becomes an integral part of the company’s growth strategy and offers an opportunity for Aegis to develop skills, create employment and bring in international experience to South Africa.

He said that this is a step towards the company’s commitment to creating 5,000 jobs in South Africa.

“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,” said Lawrence Brick, CEO of CCN.

Brick said that 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 that the company 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,” Sen said.

He said that the company is putting in a significant amount of its overall South Africa planned investment of R 500 million (USD $60 million) into this acquisition.

Sen said that this is the company’s way of demonstrating long-term commitment to this marketplace.

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, he added.

Aegis has a successful history of integrations in the last four years, including its acquisition in October 2008 of PeopleSupport (News - Alert), Inc., a NASDAQ listed outsourcing firm.