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Anand Parthasarathy

Stronger financial sector offerings, bigger team

NEW FACILITY: Mr Paul Hermelin, Global CEO, Capgemini, and Mr Baru S. Rao, CEO of its Indian operations, at the newly inaugurated facility in Bangalore on Thursday. - Anand Parthasarathy

Bangalore , Nov. 23

The acquisition, just one month ago, by Europe's biggest computer services company Capgemini of the US-based financial services specialist Kanbay, has created a new synergy in India where both players have a significant presence.

Human resource-wise, this has meant a doubling of strength for Capgemini, which had a 6,000-strong presence here — and now is over 12,000 strong, if one also adds what the controlling interest since September of Hindustan Lever's Indigo shared services business has brought in.

But while size does matter — like Godzilla — Capgemini's global CEO, Mr Paul Hermelin, thinks the acquisition has more significantly given the parent a new edge: "Kanbay always had an `India Inside' quality... and their Indian resources were central to their business... we will certainly be the gainer for that," he said in the course of an interaction with Business Line on Thursday.

Mr Hermelin was here, with Capgemini's Chairman, Mr Serge Kampf, for the inauguration of the company's new facility in Bangalore, which complements operations in Mumbai and Kolkata.

"We have never thought of India as a nice place for subcontracting. Nor did we load Indian output with Western overheads."

Mr Hermelin added, "They contribute equally to help us create what we call a Collaborative Business Experience for our customers."

Capgemini's India CEO, Mr Baru S. Rao, added that some applications tailored for clients such as Canada-based aeronautics player Bombardier had a strong India input.

By 2010, Capgemini's road map sees the company employing 35,000 in offshore operations outside Europe — though Mr Hermelin is quick to stress that they prefer to use the word Rightshoring to their clients — a seamless `masala' mix of onshore, offshore and inshore resources.

However, as a result of recent operations, the company, which reported 2005 earnings of 6,954 million euros, now has more people in India than anywhere else outside its headquarters, France.

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