Financial services giant HSBC on Tuesday opened its fifth group service centre in India, to provide superior services to its customers worldwide. The centre in Kolkata is spread over a sprawling 1,80,000 sq ft area can accommodate 3000 people.
"Global resourcing is a fundamental component of HSBC's global strategy. Our aim is to provide superior services to our customers worldwide,'' HSBC Holdings' chief operating officer Alan Jebson said.
''The decision to open the fifth Indian centre in Kolkata was taken after considering the infrastructural development and presence of quality human resource in the area,'' Jebson said.
"Initially 500 people will be employed in the centre and the number will go up to 3000 people subsequently,'' HSBC Global Resourcing South Asia COO Malcolm H Wagget said.
"We will be taking up the basic data entry and the back office job for US and UK. Subsequently the operations will be extended to other countries,'' he said.
''The headcount will be increased taking into consideration the business capacity of the area,'' he said.
HSBC has two group service centres in Hyderabad, one in Bangalore and one in Vishakhapatnam and employs 10,000 people. Internationally HSBC has group service centres in China, Malaysia, Philippines and Sri Lanka.
British High Commissioner to India Michael Arthur said the centre gave a new dimension to the Indo-UK trade ties and it was a result of the economic reforms undertaken by West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.
Inaugurating the centre Bhattacharjee said the state has picked up the pace of growth in IT although being late starter and aims to occupy the top slot in revenue generation in the IT and ITES sectors in three years' time.
He said the second IT centre in West Bengal would be set up in the Sunrise City at Nonadanga and the third would to be at Rajarhat.
"The state is also giving special emphasis to IT education to develop quality manpower,'' he said.
UNI