Satyam Computer Services, Ltd. (NYSE:SAY), the leading global consulting and information technology services company, is achieving 70 per cent year-on-year revenue growth in the Middle East, according to top management visiting Dubai this week. It is the first time Satyam has chosen the Middle East to host its Leadership Summit.
Addressing media and Satyam customers at a discussion forum in Dubai today, Satyam Managing Director and CEO, Rama Raju, said: “Satyam serves more than 160 customers across a variety of industry verticals in the Middle East, and since entering the region nearly 10 years ago has completed over 150 full-life-cycle projects.”
Around 250 Satyam consultants now work in the region including bi-lingual project teams. Regional Satyam customers attending today’s round table discussion on the theme ‘Globalisation through localisation’ included representatives of KOTC - Kuwait, Nissan - Dubai, BMMI – Bahrain, and Al Mana - Qatar.
Rama Raju said: “Customer wins are a key focus, but the Satyam business model demands a return investment in the markets we serve, and that’s why initiatives aimed at enhancing local human resources and improving local infrastructure are rapidly gathering pace.”
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He further commented: “Earlier this month Satyam announced plans to set up its first Global Development Centre (GDC) in the region, a 300-seat facility in Egypt, which will be a major technological and software development resource to better serve Middle East customers and improve local standards of IT fluency. Further investments in local manpower is also planned going forward.”
From its Dubai base, Satyam has expanded its regional operations through satellite offices in Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
Satyam has entered the banking sector in Kuwait, winning several enterprise applications orders with leading institutions, and has engaged a leading Kuwait based airline in a strategic enterprise data warehousing agreement. In total, nine new Kuwaiti customers have come on-board in the last year across banking, retail, telecom, manufacturing, construction, and travel. Three of the orders are valued at more than US$1 million each.
Satyam’s business in Saudi Arabia is also consolidating and the IT services leader has signed a five-year strategic engagement with the Islamic Development Bank. Underlining the importance of the Kingdom as both a consumer and innovator of IT services and consulting, a Saudi delegation led by the Minister of Higher Education met Satyam Chairman Ramalinga Raju at the company’s Hyderabad headquarters in November 2006.
There have been business wins for Satyam in Qatar across oil and gas, retail and the telecom in 2006, including a partnership agreement with Al Mana Group. Satyam has also won a strategic engagement with BMMI of Bahrain.
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Virender Aggarwal, Director and Senior Vice President – Asia Pacific, Middle East, India and Africa said:: “Satyam is experiencing a major growth phase regionally and globally, and global expansion will be fueled by local investment that brings us closer to our customers. Satyam is changing the way outsourcing is done by globalising the supply chain with GDC resource centres in Malaysia, China and soon Egypt and Saudi Arabia. That’s the essence of Satyam’s new Vertically Integrated Global Delivery Model 2.0.”
He further said: “In the 1990s Satyam pioneered the offshore development model using a satellite link, and now we are the first company to explore large-scale development centres around the globe. The success of Vertically Integrated Global Delivery Model will also demonstrate our commitment to local talent and local employment opportunity.”
Also attending today’s discussion forum were Ram Mynampati, President; Virendar Aggarwal, Director and Senior Vice President – Asia Pacific, Middle East, India and Africa; Manish Mehta, Director and Senior Vice President – SAP and Application Development and Maintenance; Vijay Prasad, Director and Senior Vice President – Enterprise Applications and Business Intelligence; Joseph Abraham, Director and Senior Vice President – Public Services Vertical; AS Murthy, Director and Senior Vice President – Human Resources; and Ed Cohen, Senior Vice President – Satyam School of Leadership.
