Clark, Philippines, 19th December 2006 - Sutherland Global Services, a leading multi-national Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) provider, today opened its third BPO Delivery Center in the Philippines. The newest facility located in Clark, Pampanga, went live with more than 1000 employees and was inaugurated today by Her Excellency Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, President of the Philippines.

As part of the inauguration ceremony Sutherland Global Services Chairman & CEO Dilip R. Vellodi presented Her Excellency with a contribution on behalf of Sutherland and its 15,000 employees worldwide to support the Typhoon Durian relief efforts.

Hiring Plans for Clark
Sutherland’s newest facility in Clark Special Economic Zone under the Clark Development Corporation increases the company’s employee base in the Philippines to over 2,000. The company plans to hire another 1000 professionals over the next 12 months bringing projected headcount in Philippines to 3000 in total. Sutherland already has two facilities in Manila. The company has added 9 marquee customers for its Philippines operations.

With headquarters in the United States, the company currently operates 18 global delivery centers in the United States, Canada, Mexico, India and Philippines. The expansion in the Philippines complements Sutherland’s recent growth in its India operations which represents well over 50% of its employee base. Its Kochi, Kerala (India) facility alone ramped up to over 600 people within the first five months of becoming operational.

Advanced BPO Training
Sutherland also announced the successful partnership with TESDA (Technical Education and Skills Development Authority) for delivering advanced BPO training in Quezon City and Clark. Sutherland has plans to replicate this model in other provinces such as Ilo Ilo, Bulacan, Tarlac and Davao.

Sutherland’s current operations, training initiatives and planned expansion support the Medium Term Philippine Development Plan set forth by Her Excellency Gloria Macapagal- Arroyo, President of Philippines.

“Sutherland's expansion to Clark, Pampanga means the addition of many high value jobs for the province. This is a real boost to this community and a vote of confidence to the talent pool available in the Philippines,” commented President Arroyo. “Within the first year of its operations, Sutherland has clearly emerged as a leading BPO player in the Philippines.”

Added Dilip R. Vellodi, Chairman and CEO, Sutherland Global Services, “The Philippines continues to exceed our expectations as a world class BPO delivery destination, offering advantages of high value solutions at competitive costs for our global clients. Following the success in Manila, we are extremely pleased that we were able to leverage our 20-year IT Enabled Services (ITES) legacy and move into the provinces as planned.”

Continued Vellodi, “With continued support from the Government of the Philippines, we are committed to continue working on expanding the reach of Sutherland’s BPO Academy and providing ITES education to the talent pool across the country. Our focus is on creating a Philippines based talent pool for delivering high-end technology services to complement our India operations.”

Sutherland provides Process Consulting, Back-Office Processing, Account Management, Customer Care and Technology Support to a global client base, 70% of which are listed among the Fortune 500. Over the past year-and-a-half, Sutherland has been successful in adding several Fortune 1,000 clients to its Philippines operations. 

Key Highlights

• Adds Clark as its 2nd offshore location in Philippines
• To hire another 1000 employees in the Philippines over the next 12 months
• Adds 9 clients for its Philippines operations
• Plans to expand its successful BPO Training operations to other provinces in the Philippines
• Contributes to Typhoon Durian relief efforts

About Sutherland Global Services
Sutherland Global Services is a multinational IT Enabled and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) company, specializing in Customer Management and Back-office services for Global 1000 clients.  Having started operations in 1986 in Rochester, New York, Sutherland now employs over 15,000 professionals offering Global Process Management, blended services from its 18 delivery centers in India, the United States, Philippines, Canada,  and Mexico. By integrating highly trained people with state-of-the-art technology and proven business methodologies, Sutherland collaborates with clients to help them excel in their industry and maximize their customer lifetime value.