TELUS International Announces Agreement to Acquire Lionbridge AI
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.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201106005252/en/
Example of image annotation (Graphic: Business Wire)
“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.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201106005252/en/
Contact information
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
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Pudu Robotics Announces Newly Released Puductor2 to Improve Public Health Safety29.11.2020 10:07:00 EET | Press release
Pudo Robotics announced today the release of Puductor2, a technology-based, anti-pandemic robot. This newly designed intelligent robot has two disinfection modes of ultra-dry mist and UV-C ultraviolet ray, featuring large domain of walk, long detection distance, high positioning accuracy, and stronger environmental adaptability. Puductor2 further expands its scope of application while enhancing its disinfection and killing ability, to include such locations as government halls, schools, medical institutions, waiting rooms, airports, subways, banks and other public places. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201128005104/en/ (Photo: Business Wire) According to the BBC news, the coronavirus bounced back in late October in European countries. In 10 days, the cumulative confirmed cases in the 53 European member states of the World Health Organization (WHO) have soared from 6 million to more than 7 million. Against the
Luxembourg to Start Real Life Testing of an International Standard for a Digital Circularity Fingerprint for Products27.11.2020 14:00:00 EET | Press release
The Ministry of the Economy of Luxembourg just launched phase two of the development of an international standard. It provides information on the circularity of products to all stakeholders involved along their value chains. A first viable version of the standard is being tested in real life, allowing to identify the most suitable governance model, the audit scheme and reliable IT systems for its management. Luxembourg started the Circularity Dataset Initiative in 2018 to address the difficulty for industry and consumers to access reliable data on the circular properties of a product. A lot of circularity information is missing, as its generation and handling requires too many human and financial resources. Furthermore, trade secrets are hindering transparency and reporting standards are lacking, forcing manufacturers to send out different data sets in diverse formats to customers and product platforms. To tackle these challenges, the Luxembourg government is working with multinational
Chengdu Continues to Enhance Trade Links and Cultural Exchanges to Expand Circle of Friends Around the World27.11.2020 12:24:00 EET | Press release
The Chengdu-Europe railway line spans over 10,000 kilometers across countless rivers and mountains, transporting goods to vast numbers of people across the Eurasian landmass. With increased trade, cultural links between Chengdu and Europe are also growing stronger. Against this backdrop, Chengdu-Eurasia National Pavilion Cluster (CENPC) has emerged in the Qingbaijiang District of Chengdu to further promote trade and cultural exchanges. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201127005270/en/ Head of CENPC’s pavilion for France and the Netherlands Xu Dandan at work (Photo: Business Wire) CENPC is an important platform for trade exhibition and cultural exchange between countries along the Belt and Road. With trade promotion as a foundation, the project, which is expected to feature over 40 national pavilions, aims to deepen Sichuan’s global cooperation in fields such as culture, talent, education, and science and techno
Chengdu-Europe Railway Adds Momentum to Chengdu's Rise as an International Hub, Leading to Closer Cooperation Between Chengdu and Tilburg27.11.2020 12:14:00 EET | Press release
Chengdu in China's Sichuan Province and Tilburg in The Netherlands, the two cities at the opposite ends of the Eurasian landmass, are now closely connected via an intercontinental railway that spans nearly 11,000 kilometers. In a recent interview with Xinhuanet, Roland Verbraak, general manager of GVT Group of Logistics - the Dutch partner of the Chengdu-Europe Railway, praised: "Not only are our relationships with Chinese partners getting closer, but the two cities of Chengdu and Tilburg have also become sister cities. Chengdu's international development is progressing well at a rapid pace." This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201127005267/en/ Roland Verbraak, general manager of GVT Group of Logistics (Photo: Business Wire) Goods shuttling along the Chengdu-Europe Railway line have not only spurred economic growth in China and The Netherlands but also deepened links between Chengdu and places along the route, add
REPLY: Reply enters into eSports27.11.2020 11:00:00 EET | Press release
Reply, on the eve of Milan Games Week, announces its entry into eSports in collaboration with Totem eSports, a project born in 2019 that spent the year battling its way through the most competitive titles of the main ESL circuits, which for the 2021 season will be renamed Reply Totem eSports. The Reply Totem eSports team, thanks to the experience gained by its young talents at national and international level, will compete in the next season in the ESL EVC circuits on the mobile titles including Clash Royale, Brawl Stars and on a series of other titles, ranging from sports such as FIFA to FPS and strategic cards. Reply's entry into eSports is part of a wider range of initiatives aimed at supporting young technology enthusiasts. With this collaboration, Reply, which already operates in the gaming sector with Game Studio and B2B initiatives, enters a market in continuous growth, that symbolizes the impact of digitalization in all sectors. Filippo Rizzante, Reply's CTO, commented: "The eS
Vertex Announces European Commission Approval for SYMKEVI® (tezacaftor/ivacaftor) With KALYDECO® (ivacaftor) for Eligible Children With Cystic Fibrosis Ages 6-11 Years27.11.2020 11:00:00 EET | Press release
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (Nasdaq: VRTX) today announced that the European Commission has granted approval of the label extension for SYMKEVI® (tezacaftor/ivacaftor) with KALYDECO® (ivacaftor), to include the treatment of cystic fibrosis (CF) in patients ages 6 years and older who have two copies of the F508del mutation in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene or one copy of the F508del mutation and one copy of one of 14 mutations in the CFTR gene that result in residual CFTR activity: P67L, R117C, L206W, R352Q, A455E, D579G, 711+3A→G, S945L, S977F, R1070W, D1152H, 2789+5G→A, 3272-26A→G, and 3849+10kbC→T. “With this approval, children with CF in Europe ages 6 to 11 years with the most common mutation, F508del, have a new treatment option and children with certain residual function mutations will, for the first time, have a treatment option available that addresses the underlying cause of their CF,” said Reshma Kewalramani, M.D., Chief Executive O
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom