Sykes Enterprises, Incorporated to be Acquired by Sitel Group in All-Cash Transaction

Sykes Enterprises, Incorporated, a leading full life cycle provider of global customer experience management services, multichannel demand generation and digital transformation, and Sitel Group®, a leading global provider of customer experience (CX) products and solutions, announced they have entered into a definitive merger agreement in which Sitel Group, through a wholly owned subsidiary, will acquire all of SYKES’ outstanding shares of common stock at a purchase price of $54 per share in a transaction valued at approximately $2.2 billion on a fully diluted basis. The purchase price represents a premium of 31.2% over SYKES’ closing price on June 17, 2021, and a premium of 29.1% over the 30-day volume-weighted average price of SYKES’ common stock.

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President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company Chuck Sykes stated, “This combination marks a major milestone in our 40-plus year operating history. Thanks to the hard work of our team members, this transaction validates the execution of our vision, strategy, our differentiated full lifecycle business model and promises immediate and certain value for our stockholders at an attractive premium. As we embark on the next phase of our journey, there is an opportunity to take the business to historic heights with a proven partner with similar culture and values. In Sitel Group, I am confident that we have a valuable partner with a solid heritage of deep industry knowledge and experience, solid industry reputation, a shared vision and a people-first culture to better serve customers.”

“The strategic rationale driving this combination is solid,” said Laurent Uberti, President and Chief Executive Officer of Sitel Group. “By joining forces with such a healthy, profitable and financially solid U.S. brand that also has a stellar reputation, we will further enhance our global reach. With this combination, we will be a more competitive BPO player with a wide range of CX products and solutions, leveraging EXP+™, the Enterprise Experience Platform from Sitel Group, especially with the addition of SYKES’ CX solutions in digital, social media and robotic process automation (RPA), through their suite of digital transformation capabilities such as Clearlink and Symphony.

By combining the two companies, our expanded geographic footprint, multi-shore solutions and greater capacity to serve customers will make us better equipped to help our customers navigate the rapid changes within the sector together. We began this journey more than 25 years ago and our entrepreneurial mindset still guides us, along with our talented people around the world and our people-centric values. We are excited about our future and continuing our story with best-in-class CX delivery for our customers and a greater employee experience for our combined 155,000 people. We have tremendous respect for Chuck Sykes and the business he and his family have built and all they have accomplished.”

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The proposed transaction is not subject to a financing condition, is expected to be completed in the second half of 2021 and is subject to the approval of SYKES’ shareholders and customary closing conditions, including expiration or termination of the applicable waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 and other regulatory clearances. Upon the closing of the transaction, which was approved unanimously by the Company’s Board of Directors, SYKES will become a privately-held company and its shares will cease trading on Nasdaq.

“On behalf of the SYKES board of directors, this transaction delivers significant and immediate value to our shareholders. We followed a disciplined process in forming a special transaction committee of the Board of Directors, which was chaired by independent director Carlos Evans, to facilitate the Board of Directors’ evaluation of strategic alternatives. After a thorough analysis, in concert with our advisors, the special transaction committee and the Company’s Board of Directors determined that this transaction is in the best interests of SYKES and its shareholders,” commented James S. MacLeod, SYKES’ Chairman of the Board of Directors.