WNS Global plans IPO next year

WNS Global Services (P) Limited, a global business process outsourcing (BPO) company, is contemplating setting up 500-seat centres in Hyderabad and Chennai.

The $165-million company currently has offshore delivery centres in Mumbai, Pune, Nashik and Gurgaon in India, and Colombo in Sri Lanka. The company is also planning to go for an initial public offering (IPO) next year.

WNS' service offerings include transaction processing in accounting and finance, core business administration, marketing programme support, HR administration, client interaction management, etc.

Its six business units include travel services, insurance services, health claims, knowledge services, mortgage and real estate, manufacturing, distribution and retail.

Speaking to Business Standard, Mudit Kulshreshtha, associate director (knowledge services), WNS Global Services (P) Ltd, said, "We are looking at extending our operations to Hyderabad and Chennai to capture and retain talent from these two cities. We are hopeful of setting up delivery centres in both the cities by the end of this financial year" WNS currently employs around 8,000 people in India.

When asked about the size of the delivery centres in each of the cities, Kulshreshtha said, "We usually start with 500-seat centres and then expand." The company has more than 80 clients as on date.

WNS is also planning to raise funds from the public next year. "We will be going for an IPO next year," he said. Kulshreshtha, however, declined to give further details on the public offer.

The company has client service and transition offices in New York, USA, besides London and Ipswich in UK.

In 2002, WNS acquired Town and Country Assistance Limited, a UK-based insurance claims management company, which gave WNS the 150-seat centre in Ipswich. The company plans to grow by 40 per cent this year.