THL Group rebrands as Kordia

Stuart Corner
Tuesday, 21 November 2006 06:33

IT Industry - Deals

The THL (Transmission Holdings) Group, which comprises Broadcast Communications Ltd (New Zealand), THL Australia and AAP Communications Services (Australia) will be renamed Kordia, and the new name will apply to all the constituent businesses.

The business now comprises: the NZ holding company Kordia Group, CEO Geoff Hunt; Kordia Ltd (BCL), also headed by Hunt; Kordia Pty Ltd (THL Australia), managing director Nick Powl; and Kordia Solutions Pty Ltd (AAPCS), managing director Peter Robson.

Hunt, said: "With recent changes and a new name, we have harnessed the combined skills of our three businesses to create a more powerful, harmonised organisation.” He added that,  as telecommunications and broadcast converge, "the Australasian and regional market is showing opportunities for a company with a history and understanding in both."

The group was created in 2003 when Television New Zealand's transmission division was established as a separate company (BCL) which had an existing Australian operation, now THL Australia. THL acquired AAP Communications Services Pty Ltd (AAPCS) from AAP in 2005. AAPCS is a supplier of engineering services to the telecommunications industry. It also provides desktop support and IT services to some of Australia's largest corporations.

At the time of the acquisition it had no connection with AAPT. However the two have common origins. AAPCS began life as AAP Reuters Communications Pty Limited in 1983, a joint venture between AAP and Reuters. With the departure of Reuters it became AAPCS in 1990 and formed the basis for the launch of AAPT. AAP exited from AAPT shortly after AAPT was floated in 2000."