Indian IT professionals cannot be ignored

Cyprian D'Souza, managing director, Kanbay, has played a tremendous role in taking Kanbay India to where it is today. Besides managing India operations, he was also the chief people officer of Kanbay International Inc. till recently. His insight and vision

have granted Kanbay a perceptible edge, by aiding it ascend the Organizational Value Chain.

D'Souza who is currently a Kanbay board member is entrusted with the responsibility of expanding the company's operations in India as well as in Europe, Asia-Pacific and the emerging markets.

He spoke to Arunima Nath on Kanbay's plans for India among other issues. Excerpts:

What is Kanbay's positioning in the domestic as well as international markets?

There are many ways of positioning. In the IT service sector there are many big large-scale companies, but Kanbay is not a large company. Instead it can be said that we are a below tier one company.

But there are a couple of things, which puts us in a unique position. First is our total focus on financial services sector, which puts us in much higher position than many other IT companies, as there are not too many players in the financial sector. Second, in the credit card field we are number one. Today any company that provides financial services knows about Kanbay.

What has been Kanbay's growth globally in the past one year?

In 2004, the revenue of Kanbay was over 182 million. We really enjoyed a good growth in 2004 but can't talk about 2005 right now due to the stringent US regulations.

How strategic is India for Kanbay?

India is very strategic for Kanbay. For any large company in the world, or any large IT provider, if they are not in India then they are really missing out on something. India provides the largest number of IT professional in the world, apart from the US. The Indian IT professionals are smart and qualified. If one is not tapping this pool of professional then obviously they are missing out. By 2025 India will be the biggest market. Thus I can say that India has been very strategic for growth of Kanbay and will keep on leading the way for Kanbay India operations.

What are the challenges of off shoring and outsourcing?

We look at the challenges in two ways. As a global service provider, we have a set of challenges. Our customer faces some other challenges. Challenges from the customer's point of view in off shoring are many. Today they are more accustomed with the idea of off shoring, which was not so five years back. Their biggest fear used to be control. What is going to happen to my code? Who is going to work on it?

Today the challenge is security. Another challenge is cultural. We can have the best technology, the best technicians, but if they don't communicate, if they don't know how to work with each other, things won't work. Most project fail not because of technology, but due to cultural factors. As an IT provider, we also have to focus on training -- how to communicate, accents, different terminology, etc.

Another challenge is business knowledge, as now we are not providing only code, but also business solution. So we should know about the clients business much better than the client itself and provide solution. We in India need to focus on that.

Given your new role in Kanbay, what it means for India operations?

I am now responsible for the emerging markets outside India, which comprises Europe and the Asia—Pacific. But we have decided for a bigger spotlight for India. We think India have lot to share in the emerging market. It is going to play a major role in the emerging market given its expertise and knowledge. It is going to be the engine for the global Knabay.

In 2005 you have acquired 'Accurum'. Would there be any acquisitions in this financial year?

We are always looking for acquisitions, which are strategic in nature. If it is a good one we will definitely go for it. But as of now I have nothing to share with you.

Kanbay is singularly focused on financial services. Any strategic partnerships in the offing?

In India no. We have two types of partnership, one is technology partnership and the other is business application partnership. But right now we have no plan of having strategic partners in India.

Who are your major clients in India?

In India we don't have many clients. We have only one major client in India and that is HDFC. Also HSBC uses our products.

In which geographies you are strong?

As we are US centric company so our revenue comes mostly form US. In India we are pretty strong. Next in Europe, we are already in UK and also have presence in Hong Kong. We will like to grow in Japan, as it is a very lucrative market. Then China is definitely been considered.

What is your current employee base? What is the rate of attrition in Kanbay?

Our overall employee base is 5000, out of which 4000 is in India. The number must be slightly higher now.

As far as attrition is concern, we don't measure attrition in Kanbay, instead we measure retention, which is 89%.

The reason we don't measure attrition is that we don't want to control attrition by using any arm-twisting methods. We want to facilitate retention, which can be done by giving good remuneration and benefits, providing an environment focused on learning and growth. We have more learning days than any other company. Also we believe in open culture where an employee is encouraged to voice his or her opinion freely. There is no pressure.