First Minister welcomes new Indian investment Hinduja Global Solutions plan to expand operations in Scotland
First Minister Alex Salmond has today welcomed plans by Hinduja Global Solutions Ltd (HGSL) to visit Scotland later this month to develop expansion plans.
At a meeting in Delhi with Sridhar Krishnamurthy, Executive Vice President Global Head Strategic Initiatives and Sanjay Sinha, Executive Vice-President of Human Resources, the First Minister congratulated HGSL on their successful move into Scotland through the acquisition of Careline contact centre operations in Alness and Selkirk.
Mr Salmond discussed HGSL's expansion plans and emphasised the Scottish Government and Scottish Development International's support to help grow the current workforce in Scotland.
Careline provides call centre services to over 20 global customers in the areas of financial services, consumer goods, automobiles, telecom and retail.
There is capacity to accommodate up to an additional 300 staff at HGSL's two Scottish sites as the business continues to add new UK and EU clients as part of their global growth strategy.
The level of investment and number of new posts will be discussed during the company's visit to Scotland later this month.
Hinduja Global Solutions Ltd is part of the multi-billion dollar conglomerate, Hinduja Group.
The First Minister is in India this week to attend the 2010 Commonwealth Games, to support Scottish athletes and capitalise on Scotland's high profile as the next host nation to explore economic opportunities in India.
The First Minister said: "I'm delighted to welcome Hinduja Global Solutions, Scotland's newest Indian investor, to the country. The company's financial commitment and expansion plans are a strong endorsement of the flexibility, dedication and skills of our workforce and the competitive advantage that Scotland offers to outsourcing operations with UK and European clients.
"The Scottish Government and Scottish Development International will work with HGSL on their plans to grow the business and increase staff numbers in Scotland.
"We are committed to strengthening and building on our existing links with India are working hard to attract new jobs and investment to Scotland."
Mr Sinha said: "In order to further and sustain our competitive advantage, Hinduja Global Solutions is looking forward to the support of the Scottish Government to help utilise the advantage that Scotland and its workforce can offer."
Mr Krishnamurthy said:"With high quality skills, Scotland provides an ideal location for setting up contact centres. We are eager to explore this opportunity to expand our footprint in the European market."