A LEADING software and

IT services company which has an office in Glasgow and contracts with the Scottish Government has been sold to Japanese giant NEC Corporation.

No jobs will be lost and the name of Northgate Public Services (NPS) will remain in the takeover, which saw NPS’s owners – international private equity firm Cinven – bank a total of £475 million.

Some 30 staff work at the NPS office in Glasgow, and the company, which is based in Hemel Hempstead, has more than 2000 employees worldwide.

According to the company, NPS has seen a period of transformation following the appointment of chief executive Stephen Callaghan in 2016, securing substantial contracts with government and state agencies such as the South Australia Housing Trust, Richmond and Wandsworth Councils, and West Midlands Police.

NPS was already working with the Scottish NHS, supplying data safety services.

The company said it has helped the NHS across the UK to screen eight million babies for hearing loss, enabled around 200 housing providers to manage more than two million homes and has been contracted by 14 police forces to increase information exchange on victims and offenders.

NPS said its leadership team will remain in their roles following the acquisition, and there are no plans for any job cuts or redundancies as a result of the transaction.

Callaghan said: “This is a very exciting time to be part of Northgate Public Services.

“Our colleagues and leadership team have worked incredibly hard over the past two years to get the company into great shape operationally and financially, with the result that NPS is a highly attractive asset to NEC.

“This transaction represents a

step-change in our ability to serve our clients.”

Takashi Niino, president and chief executive of NEC, said: “This is a highly strategic acquisition for NEC and is a win-win transaction for all parties which will provide new and exciting opportunities for both businesses.

"This transaction provides NPS with the opportunity to develop its proven and market-leading software across our growing international client base in North America,

Asia-Pacific and other regions."