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<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/small-business/companies/Indias-Essar-deal-with-Russias-Rosneft-does-not-violate-sanctions-by-the-US/articleshow/54901296.cms">Essar Group</a>, led by the influential <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/latest/Industrialist-Pawan-Ruiaarrested-on-charges-of-theft-of-railway-equipments-in-West-Bengal/articleshow/55920192.cms">Ruia </a>family, has announced the sale of its BPO company Aegis Ltd to private equity fund manager <keyword id="2038547" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Capital-Square-Partners">Capital Square Partners</keyword>, based in Singapore, thus exiting BPO business. 
 
The deal has been estimated to be worth $275 to 300 million. 
 
Also read: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Indias-biggest-deal-worth-Rs-72800-crores-Essar-oil-sellsto-Russias-Rosneft/articleshow/54877758.cms">India's biggest deal worth Rs 72,800 crores: Essar oil sells to Russia's Rosneft</a> 
 
Aegis had a global presence in the BPO business, with operations in India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Australia, South Africa, Peru, Argentina, Saudi Arabia and the UK. With around 40,000 employees, it had 47 BPOs in these 10 countries and had $400 million worth of revenue. 
 
Also read: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/lic-wants-essar-to-clear-all-dues-to-give-noc-to-its-deal-with-rosneft/articleshow/57807554.cms">LIC wants Essar to clear all dues to give NOC to its deal with Rosneft</a> 
 
"AGC Holdings Ltd (AGC) Mauritius, a wholly-owned portfolio company of Essar Global Ltd, has entered into a definitive agreement with Capital Square Partners (CSP) to sell 100 per cent of its stake," said a statement from Essar. 
 
"Net proceeds of this sale will be used to retire Essar's debt," it added. 
 
It was in 2004 that <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/enterprise/Essar-Oil-posts-record-Rs-1063-Crores-Q1-profit/articleshow/48269986.cms">Essar </a>had entered the BPO business after acquiring the US-based Aegis Communications Group, which it later sold in 2014. 
 
"This transaction is in line with our strategy of incubating, building and operating world-class businesses, and being open to monetising them at a premium value when the market conditions are favourable," said Uday Gujadhar, Director-AGC. 
 
(Image source The Indian )

Essar has sold Aegis to a Singaporean private investment firm

After the government announced note ban on November 8, <keyword id="6372077" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Nasscom">Nasscom</keyword> put together a ‘<keyword id="4362431" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Cash-Mukt-Bharat-Abhiyan">Cash Mukt Bharat Abhiyan</keyword>’ helpline number 14444, which was launched on December 15 run by the best in the service business. 
 It was launched to answer queries on <keyword id="6358577" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Digital-Payments">digital payments</keyword> after <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/fashion-industry-is-facing-the-heat-of-note-ban-this-summer/articleshow/57790830.cms">demonetisation</a>, and was to remain free till March 31. 
 
Also read: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/post-demonetisation-debit-cards-have-replaced-credit-cards-in-the-market/articleshow/57850201.cms">Post demonetisation, debit cards have replaced credit cards in the market</a> 
 Run by six bulge-bracket <keyword id="596325" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="BPO-companies">BPO companies</keyword> including TCS, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/tech-mahindra-to-acquire-u-s-healthcare-it-firm-for-110-million/articleshow/57508611.cms">Tech Mahindra</a>, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/For-all-the-super-talented-women-now-restart-your-career-with-Genpact/articleshow/47969966.cms">Genpact</a>, Intelenet Global Services, and Aegis, the fate of the helpline number is uncertain since the government has not yet announced whether or not it would be turned into a commercial service. 
 
Therefore, some companies have decided to end the run of this helpline tonight, while some will wait till April 15th to end this. 
 
The helpline made history by being the first case of private IT giants coming together to support the government without being paid. 
 
As per Prasanto Roy, head of Nasscom's Internet Council, the helpline received over 3 million calls, out of which agents answered nearly 300,000 calls. 
 
"We have also submitted a commercial proposal for the helpline, and are awaiting a response from NITI Aayog and the ministry of electronics and IT," he told ET. 
 
"If the government decides to continue the helpline, it would cost less than '40 crore a year," said an official in the know. 
 
Also read: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/pm-modi-reminds-indians-to-go-digital-in-mann-ki-baat/articleshow/57855710.cms">PM Modi reminds Indians to ‘go digital’ in Mann ki Baat</a> 
 
However, the government is sceptical about continuing the helpline since call volumes have dropped drastically after the initial surge. 
 
Also read: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/paytm-should-be-worried-as-bhim-app-comes-to-iphones-tops-chart-on-debut/articleshow/57124897.cms">PayTM should be worried as BHIM app comes to iPhones; tops chart on debut</a> 
 “Since the <keyword id="6383340" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="National-Payments-Corporation-of-India">National Payments Corporation of India</keyword> (NPCI) is handling all the retail payments, it is up to it to decide whether it requires such a helpline. We have written to NPCI and it will take a final call on this,“ said an official at the ministry of electronics and IT. 
 
There is also some confusion pertaining to the end date of the free service. While some operators are planning to down the shutters on the service by March-end, some have put a deadline of April 15. 
 
(Image source: IITK)

The fate of note ban helpline depends on one call from the government

<keyword id="624" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Women">Women</keyword>’s Day is just a few hours away but do you have a strategy in place yet to inspire and usher in change? Inspiring the change is the theme of this year and it seems to gel well with the general scenario here in India. The upcoming <keyword id="6355187" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Lok-Sabha">Lok Sabha</keyword> polls are expected to bring in some radical changes while businesses are always ready to adopt forward-thinking vision and disrupting practices. If growth and change are very much there on your personal agenda, it may help to listen to those who have had first-hand experience of triumphs and struggles. So in the third part of our Power Women series, <keyword id="824043" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Business-Insider">Business Insider</keyword> India chats with <keyword id="232724" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Ishita-Swarup">Ishita Swarup</keyword>, co-founder and CEO of <keyword id="645258" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="99labels-com">99labels.com</keyword>. She also runs a separate <keyword id="2109310" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Catalogue-site">catalogue site</keyword> called <keyword id="2109308" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="9rasa-com">9rasa.com</keyword>, which focuses on <keyword id="63778" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="ethnic-wear">ethnic wear</keyword>. 
 But before we go ahead, here’s a quick look-back. 99labels was launched in 2009 as a members-only, <keyword id="2109315" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Flash-sales-site">flash sales site</keyword>, offering <keyword id="6574071" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Luxury-brands">luxury brands</keyword> in <keyword id="1861782" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="fashion-apparel">fashion apparel</keyword>, <keyword id="23964" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="accessories">accessories</keyword> and a wide range of <keyword id="1031145" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="lifestyle-products">lifestyle products</keyword>. Although the concept was both novel and popular at that time, an <keyword id="2109319" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Overcrowded-e-commerce-space">overcrowded e-commerce space</keyword> meant tough competition for the <keyword id="2109321" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Digital-venture">digital venture</keyword>. In another setback last year, institutional investor <keyword id="80004" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Info-Edge">Info Edge</keyword> decided to write off its entire investment in 99labels – a sum of around Rs 29.3 crore. Info Edge said the move was made due to <keyword id="2109342" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Asset-impairment">asset impairment</keyword>. 
 Although media speculations were rife that 99labels could go out of business soon, Ishita and her team have been coping with the turmoil for a year now – re-inventing the business (the flash sales model is gone) and trying to raise <keyword id="2109329" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="External-capital">external capital</keyword> to ensure growth. And it surely proves that Ishita not only loves challenges but she would go all out to tackle tough times. 
 An Economics major from <keyword id="6360099" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Delhi-University">Delhi University</keyword> and an MBA from IMT Ghaziabad, she started her career with Cadburys and later launched <keyword id="2109331" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Orion-Dialog">Orion Dialog</keyword>, a pioneer in the ITeS sector in India. Ishita exited by selling the company to <keyword id="98385" type="COMPANY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Aegis">Aegis</keyword> BPO, part of the <keyword id="6425677" type="CITY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Essar-Group">Essar Group</keyword>, and then helped set up a social venture called <keyword id="2109332" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Sakha-Consulting-Wings">Sakha Consulting Wings</keyword>, launched to provide <keyword id="2109335" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Safe-transport-solutions">safe transport solutions</keyword> for women, by women, in urban India. Next came 99labels and the saga continues in spite of ups and downs. What’s Ishita’s view on <keyword id="107737" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Entrepreneurship">entrepreneurship</keyword> and its hurdles? Find out here. 
 
I always wanted to run my own business As far as I remember, it was always there at the back of my mind. I always wanted to do something of my own. I had quite a few <keyword id="435643" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Business-ideas">business ideas</keyword> that I believed would work if they were implemented. And finally, I have always had complete belief that I can make things happen. 
 
Learn to live with ups and downs It is a given that as an <keyword id="6359301" type="POSITION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Entrepreneur">entrepreneur</keyword>, you will face highs and lows, positives and negatives. On the positive side, I would say, I have experienced success. However small, it makes me happy because I treat it as my personal success. Then, I had the opportunity to do so many varied things and learn from each. I have been extremely fortunate to be able to turn many of my ideas into reality and some into successes. 
 And the negatives are there, too. As an entrepreneur, there can be excessive <keyword id="23666" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="stress">stress</keyword>, especially when things go wrong. There are also times when one feels lonely and isolated and without support. The other thing I miss is the chance to learn from my peer group and/or seniors. But the biggest challenge has been the <keyword id="6367339" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Lack-of-funds">lack of funds</keyword>, especially when I am trying to scale the business. Still, one has to cope with these things and get ahead. 
 
<keyword id="6387628" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Inspiration">Inspiration</keyword> matters 
Because it gives you a different perspective all the time, cheers you up and makes you strong. My inspiration in life comes from the people I meet along the way and from those who are in my life. I find inspiration from my young daughter who looks at mundane things in unique ways and doesn’t take ‘no’ for an answer. My grandmother also inspires me – she was a path-breaker in many ways. My husband leads a disciplined life and I have learnt a lot from him. Then there’s a close friend whose positive spirit is extremely infectious. 
 
Want to start up? Just do it 
My only advice for anyone who wants to be an entrepreneur is that if you believe in yourself and your idea, don’t hesitate to take the plunge. Just do it. When you are running your own business, you have a lot of freedom to do it the way you want to. Don’t let go of that opportunity. 
 
Watch this space tomorrow – Power Women will be back with its last but no less intriguing success story.

Power Women:
‘Just Do It’ Is The New-age Entrepreneurship Mantra

New Delhi, Apr 7 () BPO company Startek, which employs over 20,000 people in India, on Tuesday said it has cut all non-essential expenses and capital expenditures and is in discussions with lenders to restructure debt.Further, its Executive Chairman and CEO Aparup Sengupta will forgo all cash compensation in 2020 to mitigate the impact of corovirus pandemic on financial health of the company. "Executive Chairman and CEO Aparup Sengupta has not received compensation in any form since his appointment on January 15, 2020 and will forgo any cash salary for the remainder period," the company statement said. "The decision comes in order to mitigate financial impacts to the company as global markets are impacted from widespread disruption and mandated steps to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus," Startek said. Headquartered in Colorado, US, Startek acquired India's leading BPO firm Aegis in 2018 and now has presence in 13 countries, employing over 47,000 people across 54 BPO centres globally."Our top priority continues to be the health and safety of our employees and we've implemented key measures to maximize our operations and efficiency in response to the covid-19 pandemic," Sengupta said.The company employees around 20,000 people in India across about 20 BPO centres located in tier 1 and 2 towns."We are continuously enabling employees to work-from-home after obtaining requisite client approvals. We are aligning our workforce to match with the current revenue levels and also managing our operating costs with an emphasis on minimizing disruption to our global business operations," Sengupta said. PRS MKJ

Startek cuts non-essential expenditures; CEO to forgo 'cash compensation' in 2020

New Delhi, Mar 11 () The Ruia family-owned Essar Group has embarked on the final leg of its deleveraging exercise with plans to cut down its residual debt by 70 per cent to about Rs 12,000 crore as it looks to rebuild the conglomerate post-oil and steel business selloffs. From Rs 1.83 lakh crore of debt in FY17, the group brought down the debt by a staggering Rs 1.40 lakh crore over the last three years. Now it plans to cut residual debt from Rs 42,000 crore to about Rs 12,000 crore, according to a mailer Essar sent to policymakers and bureaucrats. Post the proposed reduction of debt in the power business by over 60 per cent (Rs 12,000 crore), and similar deleveraging across its portfolio businesses, Essar would have almost cleared all its long-term debts. The remaining indebtedness is for working capital in fully operational assets. The Group said it is "poised to embark on a new phase of growth while driving growth in its existing portfolio." Despite selling the oil refinery to Russia's Rosneft and partners and losing the steel business in insolvency proceedings, the group currently has interests in oil and gas, ports, power, shipping and mining projects in India and overseas that give revenue of Rs 1 lakh crore. Essar in the mailer said, revenues are projected to rise from Rs 94,000 crore in FY19 to Rs 98,000 crore in the current fiscal and then to Rs 1,01,000 crore in 2020-21 and Rs 1,04,000 crore in the year thereafter. Indicating it has put the past behind, Essar said it is armed with a substantially lighter balance sheet after it took a conscious call of reducing its debt in response to evolving domestic and evolving economic scenario. "Our strong portfolio of companies consistently generates healthy and sustainable earnings and have combined revenue of Rs 1,00,000 crore (USD 14 billion)," it said. Essar said it has made capital investments of over Rs 2 lakh crore (about USD 28 billion) in sectors like ports, steel plants, oil refining and fuel retailing, oil and gas exploration &amp; production, power generation &amp; transmission, mining, shipping, and telecom, with substantial equity from the Essar Group. The Group said it will continue to use its entrepreneurial skills, a vast pool of human resources, and decades of experience and innovation in pursuing fresh opportunities and creating value for all its stakeholders. The Essar letter was jointly signed by promoters Ravi Ruia and Prashant Ruia. Many years back, the Group, which built India's second-largest pan-Indian telecom operations with Hutchison, sold its 33 per cent stake to Vodafone for USD 5.4 billion (Rs 28,827 crore). Later it sold its 20 million tonnes oil refinery at Vadinar and over 3,500 petrol pumps to Rosneft and partners for USD 12.9 billion (Rs 86,000 crore). Its BPO business, Aegis was monetised for USD 910 million (Rs 5,660 crore). Its steel business, which was made up of 10 million tonnes per annum plant and 20 million tonnes of pellet making capacity, went for USD 6 billion (Rs 42,000 crore) in bankruptcy proceedings to recover unpaid loans. Essar said the challenges it faced over the years did not stop it from creating world-class assets. The greenfield assets built by it have attracted significant foreign direct investment (FDI) of USD 40 billion, which is reflective of the superior and world-class quality of its assets. The Essar Oil-Rosneft deal alone saw over Rs 86,000 crore of FDI, the country's largest until date, it claimed. Essar said it currently owns businesses in the core sectors of energy, metals &amp; mining, infrastructure, services and technology. In the energy sector, Essar has commercial interests in oil, gas and coal bed methane exploration and production in India, Vietnam and Nigeria; oil refining and retailing in UK and power generation in India and Canada. In infrastructure, it operates ports and terminals in India, UK and Africa, and has commercial interests in turnkey project construction in India and the Middle East. In the metals and mining sectors, the Essar Group has exposure in iron ore mining and pelletisation and coal mining in the USA and Indonesia. In new-age services, Essar said it has business interests in digital solutions and customer experience platforms in India, Europe, and USA. "We have fulfilled our corporate social responsibility with focused community uplift programmes in areas of livelihoods and entrepreneurship, women's empowerment, health, education, infrastructure and environment. The positive impact of these initiatives makes a difference in the lives of 500,000 people from 500 villages across 8 Indian states," it said in the letter. Reminiscing the last 50 years of its journey, Essar reflected that it had to face several business and regulatory challenges along the way in its flagship steel and power businesses, "which particularly impacted us". "Committed gas supply contracts for the Essar Steel Complex were withdrawn in 2012 and allotted coal mines for power plants were canceled in 2014, leading to a partial closure of some of our prime operating assets," it said. ANZ DRR

You Searched For "Aegis BPO" and got 5 results

Essar has sold Aegis to a Singaporean private investment firm

BI India Bureau

The fate of note ban helpline depends on one call from the government

BI India Bureau

Power Women: ‘Just Do It’ Is The New-age Entrepreneurship Mantra

Sanghamitra Mandal

Startek cuts non-essential expenditures; CEO to forgo 'cash compensation' in 2020

PTI

Essar to further cut down debt by 70 pc in last leg of deleveraging exercise

PTI

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