Capgemini buys business process services company WNS for $3.3 billion
Global consulting and technology giant Capgemini is set to get even bigger following its $3.3 billion purchase of business outsourcing provider WNS, which has a headcount of 65,000 people worldwide.
Established in 1996 with headquarters in Mumbai, London, and New York, WNS has since grown to include 64 delivery centres providing business process management outsourcing services across every continent, with Capgemini in particular keen to tap into its IT outsourcing and AI capabilities.
The deal, which is still subject to shareholder and regulatory approval but expected to close by the end of the year, would bring together combined IT outsourcing revenues pushing $2 billion, including upwards of $100 million through anticipated synergies.
“Enterprises are rapidly adopting Generative AI and Agentic AI to transform their operations end-to-end,” stated Capgemini CEO Aiman Ezzat. “Business process services will be the showcase for Agentic AI, and Capgemini’s acquisition of WNS will provide the group with the scale and vertical sector expertise to capture that rapidly emerging strategic opportunity.”
The French-origin firm also highlighted the benefits of the acquisition in increasing its exposure to the US market (Coca-Cola, United Airlines, T-Mobile, and McCain Foods are among WNS’s current blue-chip clients), while more broadly providing the opportunity for cross-sales in combination with Capgemini’s expertise in consulting, technology and platforms.
Continuing, Ezzat described business process services as a ‘springboard’ to intelligent operations; “Together we will create a leader in intelligent operations uniquely positioned to support organisations in their AI-powered process transformations, blending the critical capabilities required to deliver efficiency and agility through hyper-automation while achieving superior business outcomes.”
In addition to its own AI partnerships with the likes of Microsoft, Google, AWS and NVIDIA among others, Capgemini referenced the sector-specific AI-led solutions which had been developed by WNS, with the company focused on eight core sectors, including financial and professional services, retail, manufacturing, logistics, travel, utilities, healthcare, and insurance.
“As a leader in the digital business process services space, we see the next wave of transformation being driven by intelligent, domain-centric operations that unlock strategic value for our clients,” stated WNS CEO Keshav Murugesh. “Organisations that have already digitised are now seeking to reimagine their operating models by embedding AI at the core, shifting from automation to autonomy.”
Meanwhile, Capgemini hasn’t been afraid to make big-ticket purchases over the years as it pushes into new segments, including of course Ernst & Young’s former consulting business for more than $10 billion. More recently, the firm forked out €3.6 billion for engineering consultancy Altran, and closed numerous acquisitions around the world.
