Wipro Keen To Tap Omani IT Market

Leading global IT company, Wipro, is looking at making Oman “its next largest strategic market- in the region and is looking forward to making big investments here.

On his first visit to Oman, Azim Premji, chairman and managing director of Wipro, told Times of Oman, “We have been in Oman for the last two-and-a-half years. It is potentially a very important market for us. It is a good to do business here and we have made a good entry. We think we can grow very aggressively here.

Azim Premji has led Wipro since the late 1960s. Then a $2 million hydrogenated cooking fat company, Wipro Limited is today a $7 billion IT, BPO and R&D services organisation with presence in over 50 countries. The company operates in segments such as IT products and services, consumer care, lighting, healthcare and infrastructure engineering.

Premji met business partners and government authorities during his day-long meetings in Oman, after which he left for Riyadh. Talking about his interactions with the government authorities, he said, “We wanted to know what the government would like us to do to be relevant to the country, apart from giving us business.- He added, “We plan to establish the seriousness of our commitment to Oman. We plan to look at the presence that we have here, the presence that we are trying to build and also build on the localisation which we are doing here.-

In Oman, Wipro has key customers across market segments including oil and gas, retail, banking, transportation among others. “We have cut across most of the verticals in Oman. We feel the potential is much more than what we have tapped. We feel Oman will throw up opportunities which will be much larger than what we have been able to exploit till now. So we will continue to make investments,- Premji said.

Wipro has around 50 employees in Oman and is looking at setting up local capability in Oman which is what the company has done in UAE and Saudi Arabia.

“We will also localise a lot in Oman,- he said. Wipro is also looking at recruiting from campuses in Oman like it has done in Saudi Arabia where 45 per cent of the staff is local. Wipro is going to universities such as SQU and getting the students to be trained at their delivery centres in Bangalore. After the training is completed, they get them back to Oman and deploy them in one of the Wipro projects.

Wipro has also done a case study with a very important travel segment client in Oman, the details of which will be revealed soon. Stressing that Wipro has been in the Middle East for the last 10 years, Premji said, “It is the perhaps the fastest growing region for us globally.-

Wipro has around 1,500 people working in the Middle East and entered the market by having two big offices in UAE and Saudi Arabia. Wipro recently won a multi-year engagement with Al Hammadi Hospital in Saudi Arabia for implementing a highly contemporary technology platform for their upcoming 350-bed hospital in Riyadh.

Besides this programme, Al Hammadi Hospital has also chosen Wipro as their strategic partner for their core Hospital Information System Application. Wipro is implementing that software across the hospital for their front end and back office and feels something similar could be possible in Oman. The project has been successful in several hospitals in India.

Indian IT sector

Sharing his views on the Indian IT industry and on whether it’s at an inflection point, Premji said, “I think the Indian IT services will grow nicely in India. The penetration levels are low and so the head space for demand is high and Indian companies have solid cash flows. They are in a position to spend. But we have to be confident and have the right proactive solutions to be able to generate the interest to spend. India is a good market for us and we concentrate a lot on it-.

Talking about the performance of Wipro, Premji said, “We are neck to neck with IBM in terms of size in India. So we are still a successful and dominant player in IT services.-

On whether the recession in the Indian economy is real, Premji said, “I don’t think it is a recession, but a slowdown. It can be attributed to lack of decision making from the government.

Parliament session was adjourned every day, so how could you put forth your decision for approval? I think the issue of Opposition looking at national interest is important but you can’t jeopardise the functioning of a democratic process beyond a certain point. Hopefully, the Winter Session will be constructive.-

Premji and other India corporate leaders like Narayan Murthy and Deepak Parikh have been vocal about the Indian government’s non-performance. “I think we have all been speaking in national interest and have had no other agenda. As responsible citizens, we have to express our views. The good think about the Indian government is that it allows free expression and doesn’t get vindictive, unlike many other countries. But I wish the authorities would act soon,- he said.

$41 billion company

Wipro, one of the world’s most trusted brands, is a name that extends to a series of products, services and solutions that cover diverse businesses -” from consumer care to cutting-edge information technology.

Apart from being a global IT major offering services in IT services and consulting, the company’s services span financial services, retail, transportation, manufacturing, healthcare services, energy and utilities, technology, telecom and media.

Its net revenues for last year were $6.98 billion and the company employs over 120,000 employees across 70 nationalities. Its Net Income for the quarter and year ended March 31, 2012 was $291 million and $1.1 billion respectively.

Times of Oman