A Letter from WillowTree President, Tobias Dengel

Today, Jan 4th, marks the official start of our next chapter as WillowTree, a TELUS International Company.

From the outset, nothing was more important to me and the rest of the leadership team than finding the right partner. That’s a vague concept in theory, so here’s what it meant for us in practice. Our wish list for our next partner included the following:

• Deep cultural alignment -- which to us meant a focus on a differentiated premium experience for our team members and our clients
• Access to an expanded network of world-class clients
• Financial support and stability enabling organic and inorganic growth
• Complementary offerings
• Experience achieving global scale
• The ability to continue our journey and our mission, while partnering with and supporting a deeply aligned parent
• A foundational belief in supporting not just our employees and clients, but our communities as well

We are thrilled to have landed with TELUS International because they were the only partner that checked all of our boxes.

TELUS International (TI) offers WillowTree a unique structure that is the best of all worlds — preserving WillowTree’s mission, offering a world-class client roster, and providing the global financial backing to support our ongoing growth. Tl also brings deep cultural alignment, a focus on hiring and developing the best of the best, and a commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (Forbes recognized TELUS International on their 2022 “The Best Employers for Diversity” list).

Above all, we wanted to join a company that, like us, treats its employees and clients with respect and cares about the communities in which we work. While TI and WillowTree offer complementary services, at the end of the day, we are in the same business — finding the best team members and giving them the autonomy and opportunities to delight clients. TI has an incredibly diverse workforce, beginning with its leadership team and extending throughout its global footprint. They maintain a significant commitment to their home communities. Every year, thousands of TELUS International team members put aside their daily activities to join a common cause, whether building entire schools in Central America, refurbishing centers for young children in Eastern Europe, or constructing entire villages for the homeless in the Philippines. Since 2007, they have impacted the lives of more than one million people across the globe through their volunteer activities and charitable giving, including Community Board Donations. TI is a true role model for WillowTree as we strive to make a similarly positive impact in the places we call home.

Whether through a website, contact center, mobile application, digital kiosk, chatbot, or multi-modal voice assistant, today’s customers demand world-class end-to-end experiences from brands that compete for their wallet and loyalty. By joining forces with TELUS International, we now have the expertise and global scale to delight customers at every point of the customer experience value chain. There are no missing links. How many other companies can make that claim? I could not be more bullish on our combined future together.

We would like to thank Insignia Capital for being a wonderful partner since 2018, helping us quadruple our size in four years through a combination of organic and inorganic growth.  In addition, we’d like to thank our independent Board Members, Johan Aurik and Marcus East, for their invaluable insights along the way.  Finally, this deal could not have come together without our advisory team of Canaccord Genuity serving as our exclusive financial advisor and Kirkland & Ellis LLP and Davis & Gilbert LLP serving as legal counsel to Insignia Capital and WillowTree.

Though today marks the start of a new chapter, I believe we’re still in the early pages of the WillowTree story. I look forward to working with Jeff Puritt and the rest of the TELUS International Leadership Team to make 2023 an exciting year of transformational growth and opportunity for everyone in the WillowTree family — employees and clients alike — and I’m excited about what the future holds. Thank you for sharing this journey.

-Tobias

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