Virtusa opens technology centre in Singapore, aims for 40-50% local staff

Business consulting and IT outsourcing company, Virtusa Corporation has officially opened its new technology centre located at Changi Business Park in Singapore - inaugurated by COO Roger Keith Modder.

Speaking at the opening, Modder commented: "This (investment) streamlines our efforts as we continue to expand in the Southeast Asian region, with Singapore as our regional HQ."

"The new facility has been designed to include a Pega Centre of Excellence, reiterating Virtusa’s increased focus on our long-term commitment to hiring from the local Singapore talent pool, and continued nurturing of our employees," he added.

In an exclusive, Human Resources spoke to Virtusa Corp.'s chief people officer, Sundararajan Narayanan to find out about the talent initiatives in the pipeline for the centre.

Q. From a talent standpoint, why was Singapore chosen for the new technology centre?

Singapore has historically been a strong catalyst of business growth in the APAC region, especially in the financial services industry. Today, the strong push from the Singapore government to develop the city-state into an economic hub, combined with the growing demand for digital services, has helped create a platform where companies like Virtusa can thrive and develop a strong delivery capability.

With a robust education ecosystem, Singapore also offers a large pool of highly talented resources that are incredibly attractive reasons for us to choose Singapore as a hub for our APAC delivery operations.

The expansion of Virtusa’s business footprint with this centre acting as our regional headquarters in Singapore, will help bring our global IT consultancy and outsourcing services closer to our clients in the region, and increase recruitment of local talent in Singapore.

Q. What is the current and desired state of Virtusa's workforce in the region?

Virtusa plans to grow its workforce by 40-50% within the next three-five years, tapping into the local talent pool and through partnership with government bodies,universities and polytechnics here. We are very enthusiastic about the Singapore Government’s Smart Nation initiative, and have aligned our investments in the local region with the strategy.

Q. I understand that Virtusa is looking to ramp up to 40-50% of local staff by 2018 - what steps is the company taking to achieve this?

We have a three-pronged strategy to achieve this.

1. Hire experienced laterals through partnership with local agencies and through employee referrals.
2. Hire near-skilled resources and train them on advanced concepts.
3. Hire fresh graduates and train them on IT and latest technologies based on business need.

Q. What facilities does the new workspace provide for the primarily young workforce on Virtusa's rolls?

We have designed the new space keeping the requirements of a Millennial workforce and agile project engagements  in mind. Apart from a very open work environment, we have created zones that will enable teams to collaborate, interact and engage on a more informal level. The styles of our meeting rooms, work zones and recreational areas, has been designed to create an enabling eco system.

Photos / Provided