Xansa
Encyclopedia
Xansa plc, trading as Xansa, was a British
outsourcing
and technology company, and was quoted on the London Stock Exchange
until 17 October 2007 when the purchase of Xansa by Steria
was completed and the company was delisted. Its headquarters
were in Reading, Berkshire
, England
, and it had a major presence in India
. In the 2007 financial year the company had a turnover of UK£
379.7 million.
. Two years after founding Freelance Programmers, Steve Shirley incorporated the company as Freelance Programmers Limited.
In 1974 it became F International; the 'F' standing originally for Freelance but increasingly for Flexible and Free, too. By the late 1970s Steve Shirley had recognised that, as founder entrepreneur, it was time to let go and in 1987, with Hilary Cropper's appointment as CEO, was able to bow out.
F International became F.I.Group in 1988, and in 1991 Steve Shirley sold a controlling interest in FI to the workforce. In March 1996 FI was floated on the London Stock Exchange.
Between 1997 and 2000 FI acquired IIS Infotech Limited, an Indian computer services company based in New Delhi; OSI - a London based business consulting and management support services company, and Reading-based IT consultancy company Druid.
In April 2001 the company's name was changed to Xansa.
In June 2007, Alistair Cox the CEO since August 2002, announced his resignation. His role was taken up by the Chairman, Bill Alexander.
It was announced on 27 July to the London Stock Exchange that the company was in advanced talks regarding a possible takeover.
On 30 July 2007, Groupe Steria SCA announced a recommended cash offer for Xansa Plc of 130p per share. The purchase of Xansa was completed via a scheme of arrangement
by Steria on 17 October 2007 and the company was delisted from the London Stock Exchange.
Xansa also had some smaller clients, including a high profile partnership with Renault F1, and had a logo on the F1 car
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
outsourcing
Outsourcing
Outsourcing is the process of contracting a business function to someone else.-Overview:The term outsourcing is used inconsistently but usually involves the contracting out of a business function - commonly one previously performed in-house - to an external provider...
and technology company, and was quoted on the London Stock Exchange
London Stock Exchange
The London Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located in the City of London within the United Kingdom. , the Exchange had a market capitalisation of US$3.7495 trillion, making it the fourth-largest stock exchange in the world by this measurement...
until 17 October 2007 when the purchase of Xansa by Steria
Steria
Steria delivers IT enabled business services, focusing on key vertical market sectors: public services, finance, telecommunications, utilities and transport. The company provides consulting services for its clients' core business processes, and also develops and operates their information...
was completed and the company was delisted. Its headquarters
Headquarters
Headquarters denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the top of a corporation taking full responsibility managing all business activities...
were in Reading, Berkshire
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, and it had a major presence in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. In the 2007 financial year the company had a turnover of UK£
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
379.7 million.
History
Freelance Programmers was established in 1962 by Stephanie "Steve" ShirleySteve Shirley
Dame Stephanie "Steve" Shirley, DBE, FRA, FREng, FRSA, FBCS is a British businesswoman and philanthropist. She originally arrived in Britain as an unaccompanied Kindertransport child refugee. She was placed with foster parents and later re-united with her biological parents, but later claimed she...
. Two years after founding Freelance Programmers, Steve Shirley incorporated the company as Freelance Programmers Limited.
In 1974 it became F International; the 'F' standing originally for Freelance but increasingly for Flexible and Free, too. By the late 1970s Steve Shirley had recognised that, as founder entrepreneur, it was time to let go and in 1987, with Hilary Cropper's appointment as CEO, was able to bow out.
F International became F.I.Group in 1988, and in 1991 Steve Shirley sold a controlling interest in FI to the workforce. In March 1996 FI was floated on the London Stock Exchange.
Between 1997 and 2000 FI acquired IIS Infotech Limited, an Indian computer services company based in New Delhi; OSI - a London based business consulting and management support services company, and Reading-based IT consultancy company Druid.
In April 2001 the company's name was changed to Xansa.
In June 2007, Alistair Cox the CEO since August 2002, announced his resignation. His role was taken up by the Chairman, Bill Alexander.
It was announced on 27 July to the London Stock Exchange that the company was in advanced talks regarding a possible takeover.
On 30 July 2007, Groupe Steria SCA announced a recommended cash offer for Xansa Plc of 130p per share. The purchase of Xansa was completed via a scheme of arrangement
Scheme of arrangement
A scheme of arrangement is a court-approved agreement between a company and its shareholders or creditors...
by Steria on 17 October 2007 and the company was delisted from the London Stock Exchange.
Services
Xansa had four main areas of expertise: Business and Technology Consulting, IT Services, IT Outsourcing, and Business Process Outsourcing.Industries
Xansa operated across several business sectors, with divisions in banking, insurance, public sector, retail, telecoms, transport, travel & logistics and utilities.Xansa also had some smaller clients, including a high profile partnership with Renault F1, and had a logo on the F1 car