Establishing an Offshore Centre in India for Financial Services Integration

Project Highlight

I successfully led a critical offshoring initiative for a leading Financial Services brand undergoing a 2-3 year integration programme with another similar entity. The project involved setting up a new centre in India to address capability and capacity gaps and supporting the integration programme and ongoing BAU activities.

Client Challenge:

My client needed to establish an offshore capability to rapidly:
- Support a complex integration programme
- Maintain BAU operations
- Scale up to 100+ FTEs within a fixed timeline
- Ensure seamless transition of services from in-house/onshore to offshore/managed service

The Solution:

The client deployed a Senior IT Project Manager with extensive offshoring experience to lead this critical initiative. Key aspects of our approach included:

1. Project Leadership
- End-to-end management of the offshoring project
- Technical setup oversight of offshore operations
- Coordination between onshore and offshore teams

2. Capacity Planning
- Detailed analysis of resource requirements
- Phased ramp-up strategy to reach 100+ FTEs
- Skills mapping and recruitment planning

3. Technology Infrastructure
- Design and implementation of secure connectivity
- Setup of development and testing environments
- Integration with existing onshore systems

4. Process Transition
- Identification of processes suitable for offshoring
- Development of transition roadmap
- Knowledge transfer and documentation

5. Governance Framework
- Establishment of clear reporting structures
- Implementation of performance metrics and SLAs
- Regular stakeholder communication and reporting

6. Risk Management
- Identification and mitigation of transition risks
- Contingency planning for critical processes
- Compliance with data protection and industry regulations

7. Cultural Integration
- Cross-cultural training programmes
- Team building initiatives
- Establishment of effective communication channels

Outcomes:

- Successfully established the offshore centre within the agreed timeline
- Ramped up to 120 FTEs, exceeding the initial target
- Achieved 30% cost savings on transitioned processes
- Improved operational efficiency by 25%
- Maintained service quality with 98% adherence to SLAs
- Seamless integration with the onshore teams, supporting both BAU and integration programme activities

This project showcases my ability to manage complex offshoring initiatives in the financial services sector, balancing technical expertise with strong leadership and communication skills. The approach ensured a smooth transition of services, supporting the client's strategic objectives while maintaining operational excellence.

Are you interested in optimising your operations through strategic offshoring? Contact me to explore how our expertise can drive efficiencies and support your business growth.