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Capita Plc is a business process outsourcing and professional services company based in Westminster, London, that provides administration, human resources, and IT solutions to public and private sector clients. The publicly traded corporation operates at a massive scale, reaching a turnover of £3,851 million and employing approximately 64,000 people across its various divisions by 2013. The firm secures large-scale outsourcing contracts with major government and corporate entities, including the Ministry of Defence, the National Health Service, Birmingham City Council, and Telefónica UK. Its growth strategy has included significant deal activity, such as securing a £1.2 billion contract with Telefónica and completing 12 acquisitions worth £301 million in a single fiscal year. Originally formed as a division of CIPFA in 1984, the company became an independent entity in 1987 following a management buyout led by founder Rod Aldridge.
Key people at Capita Plc.
Capita Plc is a leading UK-based provider of business process outsourcing (BPO), professional services, and technology-enabled solutions, primarily serving public and private sector clients in sectors like central government, local government, defense, education, pensions, customer experience, and utilities.[2][4] Founded in 1984 as a computer services division and spun out via management buyout in 1987, it has grown into a publicly listed company (LSE: CPI) with around 34,000 employees across 8 countries, supporting over 100 million annual customer interactions and focusing on efficient operations through data, technology, and people.[1][3][4][5] In 2024, it reported revenue of £2.42 billion but an operating loss of £9.9 million, reflecting challenges amid its shift toward tech-augmented services.[3]
The company serves governments, financial services, health, transport, insurance, and corporates by handling complex processes like customer management, HR, IT, finance, and pensions administration, solving pain points in scalability, cost-efficiency, and seamless citizen/consumer experiences.[2][4] Its growth has been fueled by contracts (e.g., driving tests, police payroll) and acquisitions, though recent years show momentum in digital transformation and European expansion via entities like Capita Europe.[1][5]
Capita traces its roots to 1984, when it launched as the CCS computer services division of CIPFA (Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy) to generate additional revenues for the non-profit.[1][3] In 1987, Rodney Malcolm Aldridge led a management buyout, renaming it Capita and establishing independence; Aldridge became the first chairman.[1][3][7] It went public in 1989 on the Unlisted Securities Market (valued at £8 million with £1.5 million profits) and achieved a full London Stock Exchange listing in 1991 as revenues hit £25 million with 320 employees.[1][2][3]
Early traction came from government outsourcing contracts, like the 1996 driving test administration and 1998 Metropolitan Police payroll/pensions deal, driving rapid expansion—revenues topped £238 million by 1998 (5,000 employees, £1 billion market cap) and £2.4 billion by 2008.[1][2] Growth accelerated through acquisitions (e.g., Eastgate in 2000, McLarens Toplis in 2001, Ventura in 2011) and major wins like Transport for London's congestion scheme in 2003, evolving from IT services to a broad BPO powerhouse.[1][2][3]
Capita rides the wave of public sector digital transformation and outsourcing trends, where governments seek efficiency amid budget pressures and rising demands for seamless services like utilities and pensions administration.[2][4] Timing aligns with post-2010s shifts to tech-integrated BPO, as seen in its ICT/contact center extensions (e.g., £300 million Birmingham City Council deal) and European push, capitalizing on market forces like aging populations needing pension support and utilities digitization.[2][4][5]
It influences the ecosystem by enabling governments to offload non-core functions (e.g., Transport for London schemes, police services), freeing resources for policy while standardizing operations via proprietary tech—though scrutiny over outsourcer reliability (e.g., past IT failures) underscores risks in this concentrated UK market.[1][2] As a bridge between legacy systems and AI-driven processes, Capita helps scale public services amid societal changes like remote interactions.[4]
Capita is pivoting to technology-led outsourcing to reverse recent losses, emphasizing AI augmentation, data value, and optimized people-services in core areas like government and pensions.[3][4] Upcoming trends—regulatory pushes for digital public services, EU data privacy demands, and automation in customer experience—position it well if execution improves, potentially through more acquisitions or divestitures like Constructionline (sold for £160 million in 2018).[3]
Influence may evolve toward a pan-European tech-BPO leader, but profitability hinges on cost controls and contract wins amid competition; success could restore its 2000s growth trajectory, reinforcing its role as a backbone for efficient public-private interactions.[2][4][5] This evolution from 1987 buyout upstart to global outsourcer underscores its enduring adaptability in creating better outcomes.
Key people at Capita Plc.
