Capgemini to Establish Colombia Operations
May 17th, 2012Capgemini, one of the largest multinational IT companies in the world with presence in 40 countries and more than 50 years of experience, will open a subsidiary in Bogotá to offer its services to local clients and subsequently to clients based in other Latin American countries while using Colombia as its regional base of operations.
“Colombia is a key country in our regional expansion strategy; it’s a country experiencing strong growth that has a very capable workforce and a very competitive cost structure. For that reason we decided to open offices here,” said Peter Kroll, Senior Vice President of Capegemini North Latam.
Proexport Colombia facilitated Capgemini’s landing in Colombia; the company will generate 400 jobs in the next two years. “’We look for computer scientists that have graduated from Colombian universities and we train them to provide Capegemini services to national clients and to other clients in the region,” explained Kroll.
“More and …
Medellin Slideshow: A City Blooming for BPO
May 16th, 2012Medellin is one of those cities that you never want to leave. Blessed with mountains on all sides, a Mediterranean climate and some of the best beef dishes anywhere in Colombia (especially when over a barbeque), Medellin is shaking loose from the shackles of its past and putting a remarkable amount of focus on global services. We spent a few days there last week – and got to know how the Paisas people see Colombia’s second biggest city evolving as a hub for innovation and global engagement.
A Heart Thumping Piece of Havana in the Heart of Cartagena
May 10th, 2012
By Bertha Leal
Walking through the doors of Cafe Havana is like walking through the doors of time and stepping into the Cuba we all love and remember.
Operated by owners Mauricio Aimone and Gabriel Mas and located on the corner of Calle de la Media Luna con Calle del Guerrero, right in the heart of Cartagena, Cafe Havana is known as “La Esquina del Movimiento” which roughly translates into The Street Corner of Dancing. It doesn’t fail to do its name justice. Plastered on the walls are the photos of some of the greatest legends of the Cuban music heritage like Benny More and Antonio Machin. Take it to the dance floor and dance the night away to the beats of a live band playing anything from jazz, to rumba, to salsa and the occasional sweet bolero for …
Atul Vashistha of Neo Group and Steve Rudderham of Capgemini with Mark Pfeiffer and Henri Sas of Teleperformance at Nexus 2012
By Jon Tonti
Teleperformance, the customer care and technical support giant with over 135,000 employees worldwide and almost $3 billion dollars in revenues in 2011, took home the Foundations for the Future Impact Award presented at Nearshore Nexus. Teleperformance bested a competitive field of applicants in part because of its exceptional ability to transform the company’s corporate social responsibility efforts into community based grassroots campaigns with sustained local support.
Carlos Slim has over 170,000 followers, but his twitter production surprises many.
By James Bargent
With close to 90% of Latin American internet users engaging with at least one social media platform, the region ranks second only to North America in adoption of this passing fad turned digital revolution. There are now over 118 million Facebook users and more than 55 million Tweeters in Latin America’s social network and where the internet-savvy have led, politics and business have followed.
By Luke Bujarski
Distinguishing between domestic and export driven business is becoming increasingly important to vendors operating in LatAm. How are Brazilian banks outsourcing their back office? Why is Mexico’s manufacturing industry rebounding and what technology solutions are producers looking for? Is Colombia’s telecoms market the next big opportunity? Likewise, multinational enterprises will be looking for those service providers best suited to support their specific industry, as they invest in these oft complex markets.
First CEO Summit of the Americas Yields Ideas…But Results?
April 26th, 2012Opportunities to deepen ties ranging from trade and investments to education and security
The First CEO Summit of the Americas wrapped up on April 14, 2012 with calls for greater cooperation among Western Hemisphere nations on matters ranging from trade and investment to education, science and technology and security, in order to boost prosperity from Canada to Chile.
At the end of the conference, held ahead of the 6th Summit of the Americas, Presidents Dilma Rousseff of Brazil, Juan Manuel Santos of Colombia and Barack Obama of the United States participated in a roundtable discussion in front of an audience that included more than 700 top executives from many of the Western Hemisphere’s leading companies.
After praising the economic and social progress achieved by countries such as Brazil and Colombia over the past decade, Obama said there were many fields where countries in this hemisphere could collaborate fruitfully. “We’ve never felt …
Uribe Declares New Day for Nearshore at Nexus
April 19th, 2012
Uribe highlighted positive social, political and business developments in the Latin American/Caribbean region
Kirk Laughlin, CEO of Nearshore Americas, kicked off today’s Nearshore Nexus Conference at the Crowne Plaza in New York City by stating nearshore outsourcing has gone from “novel to mainstream.” Laughlin promised that conference speakers would illustrate how outsourcing destinations in Latin America and the Caribbean are “no longer in the shadow of India or China,” but have instead become vibrant providers of sophisticated IT and business outsourcing services in their own right. The first speaker, former President of the Republic of Colombia Mr. Alvaro Uribe, delivered on that promise.
Marriott Doubling Hotels in Latin America and Caribbean
April 18th, 2012More than 70 additional hotels and 14,000 new jobs planned in the next five years
Heralding a “golden age of travel,” Marriott International plans to double the number of hotels in the Caribbean and Latin America within the next five years. Arne Sorenson, the new CEO of Marriott International, made the announcement at the Americas CEO Summit in Cartagena, Colombia, adding that the number of jobs at Marriott hotels in the region is expected to increase from 13,000 to 27,000 by the end of 2017.
The company also said it expects to double its presence in Colombia with the additions of Marriott hotels in both Cartagena and Cali.
This year’s hotel openings in the region showcase the company’s broad portfolio of top brands, including the first Ritz-Carlton Reserve in the Americas at Dorado Beach, Puerto Rico to the JW Marriott in Cusco, Peru and the Courtyard by Marriott at Mexico City …
By Luke Bujarski
‘Green’ is something of a new paradigm in the global contact center industry, but its potential as a competitive differentiator has become unmistakable. This was a key takeaway during last week’s visit to Teleperformance Bogota, and their soon-to-be LEED Gold certified facility near the El Dorado International Airport. Aside from slashing operations costs, green building initiatives have potential to improve call center agent productivity, reduce turnover, and help operators align their overall business proposition with their clients’ values.
