itel acquires outsourcing firm in Guyana
Published:Friday | July 30, 2021 | 12:10 AM
O utsourced Management Limited, which trades as itel, has acquired Emerge BPO, a regional firm with operations in Guyana and Honduras.
Emerge was founded by Adrian Collins and his wife Carole Fletcher in 2008 and currently represents various large North American brands. The purchase, at an undisclosed price, now gives itel reach into nine markets, the others being St Lucia, The Bahamas, Mexico, Colombia, United States, Canada and its home market of Jamaica.
“We acquired 100 per cent of the business,” said itel founder and CEO Yoni Epstein on Thursday, but made no other comment on the terms of the transaction.
Emerge adds 700 employees to itel’s network, inclusive of workers in Guyana and Honduras and a work-from-home network in the United States. The company will operate from a seven-storey building in Guyana with the capacity for 1,500 additional staff and further buildout possibilities, according to a release on the acquisition.
“This acquisition takes us into two more ‘geos’ that we’ve had on our radar for a few years now,” said Epstein the release.
Itel intends to synchronise Emerge BPO’s processes with its network and work ethos within three months.
“We will be investing heavily in training and development of its people and systems, as well as upgrades to their sites and IT infrastructure,” said Epstein.
Itel has been in expansion mode, both in Jamaica and overseas, in recent times, some of it facilitated by investments in the operation by conglomerate PanJam Investment and private fund managers Portland Equity, each of which acquired 15 per cent of Outsourcing Management Limited.
The Emerge deal follows an announcement by itel that it was in the process of outfitting at a cost of US$7 million, a new customer centre leased at Chalmers Avenue in Kingston.