Glasgow software firm sold by French owner

Ciboodle, the Glasgow-based call centre software maker that was formerly Graham Technology, has been sold by French owner Sword Group to American peer Kana.

Founders Iain and Sheena Graham sold their firm to Sword in 2008 in what is believed to have been an eight-figure deal, after which the company was renamed Ciboodle to match the name of its key piece of software.

Now Paris-listed Sword Group has sold the company on to California-based Kana, which lists Disney, Ford and Yahoo among its clients.

Mike Hughes – chief executive at Ciboodle, which the Grahams founded in 1986 and which now counts Allied Irish Bank, ScottishPower and Vodafone among its clients – said that both companies “share a very similar culture”.

Hughes added that the takeover will fuel the pair’s “dominance in a wide array of markets including retail, communications, financial services, utilities and government”.