Acquisition supports evolution of TELUS International’s digital transformation strategy
Enhances TELUS International’s ability to support leading global technology brands developing the next generation of artificial intelligence (AI)
LAS VEGAS–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Today, TELUS International, a digital customer experience (CX) innovator that designs, builds and delivers next-generation solutions for global and disruptive brands, announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Lionbridge AI, a market-leading global provider of crowd-based training data and annotation platform solutions used in the development of AI algorithms to power machine learning. The acquisition will be at a purchase price of approximately US$935 million (approximately C$1.2 billion), subject to customary closing adjustments, and is expected to close on December 31, 2020. A press release issued by TELUS Corporation provides additional details regarding the proposed acquisition.
“We are excited to be welcoming the entire Lionbridge AI team to our TELUS International family. The addition of its industry-leading data annotation capabilities to our suite of next-generation digital solutions will support the expansion of our global service offerings and our penetration into the fast-growing new economy services market as we continue to advance our digital transformation strategy,” said Jeff Puritt, President and CEO of TELUS International. “As a unified team and company, we will be positioned to meet the end-to-end needs of today’s tech hyperscalers and industry disruptors that are building the next generation of machine learning and AI systems to develop smarter products and services, and deliver exceptional customer experiences.”
As a division of Lionbridge Technologies, Inc. – a privately-held company with more than 20 years of industry experience – Lionbridge AI is one of only two globally-scaled, managed training data and data annotation services providers in the world. Data annotation is the essential process of labeling data to make it usable for AI systems, and Lionbridge AI annotates data in text, images, videos, and audio in more than 300 languages and dialects for some of the world’s largest technology companies in social media, search, retail and mobile. Headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts, Lionbridge AI has more than 750 employees working from countries around the world, including in the U.S., Ireland, Finland, India, UK, Japan, Denmark, Costa Rica and South Korea. Lionbridge AI has also developed a proprietary data annotation platform that is used in combination with a crowdsourced community of more than one million professional annotators, qualified linguists and in-country language speakers across six continents. There are between 30,000-50,000 members of this advanced community of global crowd contributors deployed at any one point in time.
“We are thrilled to be joining the TELUS International team as we share a like-minded commitment to innovating for our clients and a focus on our people whom we consider to be unique experts in our industry and a sustainable source of competitive advantage,” said Ed Jay, President of Lionbridge AI. “We are looking forward to working together with TELUS International to continue delivering the most valuable AI training data and platform for our clients, and to build upon the scale and momentum we have achieved through our crowd of contributors spanning diverse languages, cultures and geographies.”
“Given the “new-normal” post-COVID, with many experts expecting digitization efforts to further accelerate, we believe the market demand for data annotation services to support this increased investment in AI and machine learning will have similarly strong tailwinds,” continued Puritt. “Today’s announcement with Lionbridge AI is a further testament to TELUS International’s commitment to continually elevate the breadth and scope of the leading-edge solutions we provide in order to meet the evolving needs of the valued brands we partner with today and into the future.”
About TELUS International
TELUS International designs, builds and delivers next-generation digital solutions to enhance the customer experience (CX) for global and disruptive brands. The company’s services support the full lifecycle of its clients’ digital transformation journeys and enable them to more quickly embrace next-generation digital technologies to deliver better business outcomes. TELUS International’s integrated solutions and capabilities span digital strategy, innovation, consulting and design, digital transformation and IT lifecycle solutions, and omnichannel CX solutions that include content moderation, trust and safety solutions and other managed solutions. Fueling all stages of company growth, TELUS International partners with some of the world’s most disruptive brands across high growth industry verticals, including tech and games, communications and media, eCommerce and fintech, healthcare, and travel and hospitality. Learn more at: telusinternational.com.
About TELUS
TELUS (TSX: T, NYSE: TU) is a dynamic, world-leading communications and information technology company with $15 billion in annual revenue and 15.4 million customer connections spanning wireless, data, IP, voice, television, entertainment, video and security. At TELUS, we leverage our world-leading technology’s potential to enable remarkable human outcomes. Our long-standing commitment to putting customers first fuels every aspect of our business, making us a distinct leader in customer service excellence and loyalty. TELUS Health is Canada’s largest healthcare IT provider, and TELUS International delivers the most innovative business process solutions to some of the world’s most established brands.
Driven by our passionate social purpose to connect all Canadians for good, our deeply meaningful and enduring philosophy to give where we live has inspired our team members and retirees to contribute more than $736 million and 1.4 million days of service since 2000. This unprecedented generosity and unparalleled volunteerism have made TELUS the most giving company in the world.
For more information about TELUS, please visit telus.com, follow us @TELUSNews on Twitter and @Darren_Entwistle on Instagram.
About Baring Private Equity Asia
Baring Private Equity Asia (BPEA) is one of the largest and most established private alternative investment firms in Asia, with approximately US$21 billion of assets under management. The firm manages a private equity investment program, sponsoring buyouts and providing growth capital to companies for expansion or acquisitions with a particular focus on the Asia Pacific region, as well as investing in companies globally that can benefit from further expansion into the Asia Pacific region. BPEA also manages dedicated funds focused on private real estate and private credit. The firm has a 23-year history and 190+ employees located across offices in Hong Kong, China, India, Japan, Singapore, Australia, and the US. BPEA currently has over 39 portfolio companies active in Asia with a total of 230,000 employees and sales of approximately US$32 billion.
Forward-looking statements:
This news release contains statements about expected future events, including statements relating to the planned acquisition of Lionbridge AI by TELUS International, the expected timing of the transaction, the expected benefits of the transaction and plans for its integration. By their nature, forward-looking statements require TELUS to make assumptions and predictions and are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that the acquisition will be completed as expected or upon the terms and conditions described in this news release, that required regulatory approvals will be obtained, or that the expected financial results or the expected benefits of the transaction will be realized. There is significant risk that the forward-looking statements will not prove to be accurate. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release describe our expectations at the date of this news release and, accordingly, are subject to change after such date. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as a number of factors could cause actual future events to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements. Accordingly, this news release is subject to the disclaimer and qualified by the assumptions, qualifications and risk factors referred to in TELUS’ 2020 third quarter management’s discussion and analysis and 2019 annual report, and in other TELUS public disclosure documents and filings with securities commissions in Canada (on SEDAR at sedar.com) and in the United States (on EDGAR at sec.gov). Except as required by law, TELUS disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements.
Contacts
TELUS International Media Relations
Ali Wilson
(604) 328-7093
Ali.Wilson@telusinternational.com
TELUS Media Relations
Jacinthe Beaulieu
(418) 318-6102
jacinthe.beaulieu@telus.com
TELUS Investor Relations
Ian McMillan
(604) 695-4539
ir@telus.com
