The Hindu Business Line : Cisco headcount may go up to 10,000 here

New Delhi, Oct. 29 Bullish on India’s talent, innovation ability and business models, Mr John T. Chambers, Chairman and CEO of $35-billion networking giant Cisco Systems Inc, on Monday said the company plans to scale-up its headcount in the country to 10,000 by 2010, from over 3,000 employees currently.

“There is a high probability that here we will exceed 10,000 (employees) by 2010. We currently have a little over 3,000 direct employees. We did not come here for labour arbitrage, we came here because there is talent, ability to innovate and new business models. We also saw India as a platform for our globalisation strategy,” Mr Chambers said in his keynote address here at the third Annual India Public Sector Summit on e-governance. Earlier in December 2006, the company had announced the next stage of its globalisation strategy with the selection of India as the site for its globalisation centre – Cisco Globalization Center East. In addition, the company announced the appointment of Mr Wim Elfrink as Chief Globalisation Officer. “We also said that by 2012 we will have 20 per cent of the company’s top talent in every function, in India. I would not have done this without two very important attributes – a country which knows how to partner; and without technology that allows this collaboration and technology tools to empower us,” said Mr Chambers.

He is scheduled to speak at Fortune Global Forum on Tuesday before flying-off to Bangalore to inaugurate the company’s $50-million campus. The campus, in its first phase, is expected to have a capacity for 3,000 professionals, company officials said.

Cisco is on target to invest the $1.1 billion it committed in 2005 to spend in India. “We are very much on target,” he said. Of the total investment, $750 million is earmarked for research and development, $150 million on Cisco capital, $100 million on venture capital, and $100 million in expanding customer support.

Mr Chambers said that the second wave of Internet which is built around Web 2.0 and collaboration would be larger than the first wave.

More Stories on : Software | Human Resources

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page