Accenture is preparing to revamp its outsourcing operation in India and took the first step of that process by hiring Avinash Vashistha, a homegrown outsourcing consultant from India. The move to hire an outside specialist rather than promoting from within the Accenture ranks comes as a bit of a surprise to the business world. However, understanding its need to stay competitive with IBM in India, Accenture hired the foremost expert on IT outsourcing in India. Vashistha, 49, was ultimately given the nod as Accenture’s next managing director in India because of the specialized knowledge, experience and relationships that he has within India’s IT sector. Vashistha will replace current director Harsh Manglik, who will retire in August. The two will serve as co-chairmen until then.
Vashistha will be counted on to tap into India’s booming IT sector, which has been long dominated by US-based IBM. According to market research that tracks the Indian IT market, IBM gets nearly $1.8 billion in annual revenues, compared to just $250 million for Accenture.
Vashistha brings with him a wide range of experience in the IT field. Truth be told, there probably isn’t anyone in the world who knows more about the IT industry in India than Vashistha. He was the founder and previous CEO for two consulting and advisory firms in the area of global outsourcing and investments to India. In 1999, he founded neoIT and ten years later he founded another advisory firm dubbed Tholons. While at neoIT, Vashistha helped construct the offshoring strategies for clients such as Nortel, P&G, Cardinal Health, Lucent, Bell South, AMP, Siemens, JP Morgan Chase, ABN Amro, Home Depot, Stanford University, Agilent, Sprint, Cendant, Towers Perrin, Visa and Hewitt. He is also the author of the highly-touted book “The Offshore Nation” where he discusses the offshoring lifecycle of IT and business processes to achieve strategic and tactical business growth.
For how Vashistha won over Accenture, look no further than the comments coming from the man in charge: “Avinash brings to this role more than two decades of operational and execution leadership in global outsourcing along with knowledge, relationships and experience with Indian companies and the Indian marketplace. He will help us drive growth in our domestic business and support our global clients through our Global Delivery Network centers in India.” – Accenture CEO Pierre Nanterme
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