Business process outsourcing company Sutherland Global Services, with significant offshore operations in Chennai, Kochi and Mumbai, is setting up its first global campus in Chennai.

The campus will come up in the ITeS/IT corridor of Chennai. When fully operational, the Sutherland campus in Chennai will employ over 10,000 people. The Sutherland campus will also house the `Sutherland Academy of Excellence,' a best in class global training and development centre for all Sutherland employees. Construction of phase I of the campus will commence in the second half of this year, says a release from the company. The proposed campus will involve an investment of around Rs.200 crore over the next three years.

Sutherland, it is learnt, is also planning to set up mini campuses in Madurai, Trichy and Tirunelveli.
Within 18 months of its launch in Kochi, Sutherland has increased its headcount to over 1,500 against its original target of 750 employees. The Kerala offshore facility of Sutherland is set to become the hub of back office processing work in the financial services space. Sutherland will double its headcount in Kerala over the 18 months to over 3,000 employees, the release says.

The company, which has six facilities in Chennai and one each in Kochi and Mumbai, has hired over 3,000 people in India in 2007, thus taking its India headcount to over 11,000 employees. Globally, Sutherland now has over 21,000 employees across its 22 delivery centres in India, the U.S., the Philippines, Canada, Eastern Europe and Mexico.

"We are pleased with the progress we have made in India in 2007, having ramped up our headcount to over 11,000 people. India will continue to be an integral part of Sutherland's global expansion. Chennai has been the offshore hub for Sutherland and our first point of entry into India and it will now be the location for our first global campus," the released quoted Dilip Vellodi, Chairman and CEO, as saying.

Sutherland, in the meanwhile, has expanded its presence in the Philippines with the setting up of a new BPO facility in Camarines Sur. The facility was unveiled by Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, President of the Philippines. This is Sutherland's fourth BPO facility in the Philippines, after its foray into the country in July 2005.

Sutherland also has BPO facilities in Manila, Clark and Davao City in the Philippines. The facility in Camarines Sur went live with 400 employees providing a full range of back office and customer life-cycle management services to Sutherland's Fortune 500 client base. In 2007, Sutherland more than doubled its headcount in the Philippines. The company hired over 3,000 professionals to take its Philippines headcount to over 5,600.


Source: www.hindu.com