Ascensos, the Scotland-headquartered contact centre business with a network spanning Romania, Turkey, Trinidad and South Africa, has been acquired by Firstsource Solutions.

The buyer has capabilities in artificial intelligence, analytics and automation and operates across a range of industries. It has a presence in Australia, India, Mexico, the Philippines, South Africa, the UK and the US.

Ascensos will operate as a separate business unit within Firstsource, keeping its existing brand and maintaining its HQ in Motherwell while taking advantage of the combined company’s technological capabilities.

Co-founder John Devlin, who set up Ascensos with Dermot Jenkinson in 2013, will remain as CEO, guaranteeing continuity for its clients.

Mr Devlin said: “The combined strengths of the businesses are entirely complementary with barely any overlap either geographically or in our concentration on retail and B2C.

“This makes us a perfect fit and with the opportunities that come from being part of a larger group, I see many possibilities to leverage our respective strengths.”

Sanjiv Goenka, chairman – RPSG Group and Firstsource, said: “This acquisition is aligned with the strategic capabilities Firstsource has been pursuing toward growth and expansion. 

“We’re thrilled about the potential that Ascensos’s extensive retail knowledge, Firstsource’s advanced technology, and the RPSG Group’s deep expertise bring together.

“Ascensos opens a host of new growth opportunities for us that are underpinned by our strategy of delivering differentiated services built on deep industry knowledge and tailored technology. 

“This collaboration will benefit our current clients and enable us to pursue new opportunities in the thriving retail sector.”