Kirk LaughlinWe are seeing more evidence that the BPO sector of Colombia is sizzling right now – based in part on the sustained interest of global sourcing player investing in the country as well as a very strong start for the newly created IAOP chapter, which held its first conferences last week in Bogota and Barranquilla.
The event in Bogota drew an overflow crowd of approximately 120 people from the outsourcing/ BPO sector, academia, press and advisers, said Santiago Pinzon, Co-chair of the new Colombia IAOP chapter and Executive Director, Chamber of BPO &IT – ANDI. Pinzon said guest speakers – including IAOP chairman Michael Corbett, Julia Santos, Director- Worldwide Strategic Outsourcing Johnson & Johnson Group and Atul Vashistha, Chairman of NeoAdvisory stimulated great dialogue. “All topics drew great engagement – including trends on outsourcing, Colombia’s case studies and competitiveness and also interest in better understanding what multinationals look for when they are evaluating outsourcing destinations,” said Pinzon.
Another official said Colombia, and especially Bogota, are at an inflection point. Jeronimo Silva, Investment Officer, Invest in Bogota said the IAOP chapter will continue to “bring more visibility for the industry and off course, more business opportunities for local companies to open markets abroad as well as for foreign investors to tap on the great advantages Colombia and Bogota have to offer.”
The IAOP counts Colombia as the second chapter based in Latin America. The Central America chapter of the IAOP, which previously held events in Nicaragua and Guatemala, is expected to be re-vitalized in the fall with another conference in Nicaragua. (More details will be made public through Nearshore Americas, which has a media partnership arrangement with the IAOP.)
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