Accenture to ramp up Chennai operations

Accenture, a global management consulting, technology and outsourcing company, will be expanding its Chennai operations by adding another facility with a capacity for 3,000 people.

The facility will be set up near its existing facility at Sozhanganallur, the information technology corridor of Chennai, with a view to supporting its growth plans. The company has ramped up its headcount in Chennai to over 3,000 from 1,100 people over the past 12 months.

Talking to reporters, Steve Rohleder, chief operating officer, Accenture, said the expansion of Chennai operations came on the heels of the company adding a few new clients and also its decision to shift some of the works from US, UK and Australia, to India.

Accenture began its Chennai operations in 2005. It will continue to focus on providing technology and business process outsourcing services to Accenture's global clients.

Stating that Accenture would see accelerated growth across all aspects of its business, Rohleder pointed out that the Indian operations formed the foundation for Accenture's global offshore strategy.

The vast majority of people in India "" over 27,000 at its delivery centres in Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Pune, as of January 2007 "" are part of Accenture's global delivery network, which has over 53,000 people in 44 delivery centres, spanning across 29 cities in five continents, as well as at numerous other Accenture and client locations around the world.

The $16.65-billion company plans to increase the headcount of its global delivery network division to about 65,000 people by August this year. Accenture is working with other industry players to help identify problem areas relating to skills shortage and devise solutions.

The company had an attrition rate of 18 per cent in the first quarter (October-December 2006) globally, and has taken several initiatives to gradually reduce this, including retaining high performers.

As part of its global career programme, it has launched an initiative to provide opportunities for Indian employees to work abroad. The company currently has about 1,000 Indian employees deployed overseas.