The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Outsourcing to India gets royal stamp of approval

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Nov 03, 2006
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Outsourcing to India gets royal stamp of approval

Priscilla Jebaraj

U.K. leaves it to firms to decide where to go: Prince Andrew

INTERACTING WITH STAFF: Duke of York Prince Andrew at the inauguration of the newly constructed building of the British Deputy High Commission in Chennai on Thursday. — Photo:S. R. Raghunathan

CHENNAI: "I will be going back to the United Kingdom with a message that people should not be afraid of outsourcing; they should embrace it," says Britain's Prince Andrew, who is visiting Chennai for the first time.

Addressing employees at Scope International, the captive business process outsourcing (BPO) unit of the Standard Chartered Group, he said "some people think that outsourcing in whatever form is a bad idea." Dismissing that point of view, he said, "But that's not true of the U.K. Government. The U.K. Government encourages outsourcing and leaves it to companies to decide where to go." Congratulating Standard Chartered Bank for making the "good choice" of outsourcing to India, the Prince said the technology, education and values of Indian BPOs contributed to the success of British companies.

The Duke of York is on a two-day trip to the city in his capacity as the U.K.'s Special Representative for International Trade and Investment.

Earlier in the day, he cut the blue and red ribbons to inaugurate the new building of the British Deputy High Commission in Chennai. This is the sixth busiest U.K. visa post in the world. The Prince made it clear that the "focus is not only on visas and travel but also on the commercial relationship between this part of India and the United Kingdom."

Rise in investments

The total two-way trade of goods and services between India and the U.K. had more than doubled over the last decade. In fact, the last fiscal year saw a 110 per cent rise in Indian investments in the U.K. Prince Andrew is trying to promote this trend as well as encourage and support the 100-odd British businesses, mostly in the high-tech and engineering sectors, which operate in south India. MIRA, a premier British engineering consultancy, is one such business.

Inaugurating a MIRA seminar attended by several of Chennai's top automotive design firms, the Prince focussed on the synergies that south India shares with the U.K. in the field of auto design and manufacturing. With Chennai positioning itself as an auto hub, it is no surprise that MIRA wants to partner with the city's auto sector and is in active talks with several of the region's top companies.

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