Sector study ranks AA Global as leader for language services

CEO of AA Global, Kirk Akdemir, is delighted to have gained recognition.

A HULL-BASED language services company has proved itself to be one of the best in the country after shining in an assessment by a leading public sector buying organisation.

AA Global, which also has an office in Worcester, took the top spot in more than half the categories measured by ESPO and recorded a score of more than 90 per cent in all but two groups.

The company was ranked number one nationwide in providing managed services to the key services of police, health, and local government and the wider public sector, .

It was also top for remote video spoken and non-spoken services and for translation, transcription and additional services. For face-to-face non-spoken services AA Global was first in each of the 12 regions in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, finishing top in 18 of the 31 categories overall.

ESPO was set up nearly 40 years ago, initially in education, and now provides more than 27,000 products and services across 120 frameworks to more than 200,000 customers.

The catalogue ranges from advertising, bins and books to water coolers, waste services and white goods, with suppliers assessed for financial stability, track record, experience and technical and professional ability.

Kirk Akdemir, CEO of AA Global, said: “ESPO is a very large and important framework and inclusion on that list indicates our status as a major player in the country, operating in the same league as some very big organisations.

“The listing is intended primarily as a guide for the public sector but it is also recognised in the private sector as a hallmark of excellence. It is a catalogue of the best places to source goods and services.

“We’re delighted to have gained this recognition. Two years ago we were assessed and made the top four in most categories so this shows a big improvement all round in a sector which is more competitive than ever, with more than 200 companies applying to be included.

“I’m extremely grateful to every member of our team for the part they have played in securing this recognition. We hope it sends a positive message to our clients about our commitment to providing them with the best language services, and we can assure them we are focused on continuous improvement to build on this success and to address the two areas where we fell below 90 per cent!”

AA Global employs nearly 15,000 translators and interpreters who between them cover more than 500 languages. Of the current permanent workforce of 25, more than 20 are based in Hull.