Combination to Create Global BPO Leader
Aegis BPO, a leading global business process outsourcing (BPO) provider
and part of Essar Group, one of India’s
largest and fastest growing business conglomerates with an estimated
enterprise value of over $50 billion, and PeopleSupport, Inc.
(Nasdaq:PSPT), a leading offshore BPO provider, today announced a
definitive agreement to merge through Essar Services (Mauritius), its
wholly owned subsidiary, through a cash transaction with an aggregate
equity value of approximately $250 million. This strategic combination
has been unanimously approved by the Boards of Directors of both
companies.
Under the terms of the agreement, Aegis BPO will pay PeopleSupport
stockholders $12.25 per share in cash through Essar Services
(Mauritius), which represents a premium of approximately 29% over
PeopleSupport’s closing share price on August
1, 2008, the last trading day prior to today’s
announcement, and a premium of approximately 42% over the average
trading price of the Company’s shares during
the previous 30 trading days.
Following the merger, Aegis BPO will become a leader in the rapidly
growing global BPO market with operations in India, the Philippines, the
United States and Costa Rica. With approximately 4,000 employees in the
U.S. and more than 25,000 employees in several offshore locations, Aegis
BPO is well positioned to provide onshore, nearshore and offshore BPO
services or a combination of customized solutions to meet client
requirements. Additionally, Aegis BPO will offer and benefit from
greater scale, deeper domain expertise, a comprehensive and flexible
solution offering, financial strength, and a rich international talent
pool.
Lance Rosenzweig, PeopleSupport CEO and Chairman, said, “PeopleSupport
has pioneered the development of offshore BPO in the Philippines and
Costa Rica, and we are excited to become a part of a global outsourcing
leader. We believe that this combination will deliver superior value to
PeopleSupport’s stockholders and customers as
well as provide our employees with an opportunity to be part of a larger
enterprise and to explore career opportunities in new geographies.
Combining PeopleSupport and Aegis BPO, with its excellent reputation for
customer service and high quality services, creates a wealth of exciting
growth opportunities, as well as operational and client acquisition
synergies. Our two companies share the same core values of customer
satisfaction and commitment to high quality solutions.