Staff Report
Published May 22, 2012
WNS (Holdings) Ltd., a provider of global business process outsourcing services, today said it will establish new operations in Richland County, the company’s first delivery center in North America.
The company will occupy 23,000 square feet of office space at 1401 Shop Road. The building is owned by the State Media Co., which publishes The State newspaper.
WNS, which is headquartered in Mumbai, India, described the South Carolina facility as a 300-seat center. It plans to start operations in July.
The new center is expected to provide WNS’s U.S.-based clients with onshore services and solutions including finance and accounting, research and analytics, and industry-specific offerings to a range of industry verticals.
Keshav Murugesh, group CEO of WNS, said he has been extremely impressed with the hard work and cooperation of all parties involved in this transaction.
“We are pleased with the spirit of cooperation and strong desire from the state and local government to bring WNS to Columbia, and we are excited about being here,” Murugesh said. “We already have interest from both existing and prospective clients in this new center, and expect to begin hiring and finalizing new contracts in the coming months.”
Murugesh said the new center will allow the company to partner more closely with U.S.-based clients.
“It will also allow WNS to further enhance our customized approach to solutions which provide our clients with the optimal mix of services, talent, location and technology,” Murugesh said.
“South Carolina has increasingly become a globally competitive place for businesses to set up shop in the past few years. WNS’s decision is another example of a company choosing the Palmetto State instead of going overseas with a new operation,” said Secretary of Commerce Bobby Hitt.
WNS joins the State Media Co.’s two other tenants, the Associated Press and InMed Diagnostics Services.
Henry B. Haitz III, president and publisher of The State, said the tenant agreements signify one way the media is adapting to changing consumer behaviors and a difficult economic environment. Haitz said in The State’s own coverage of the announcement that his company still has 15,000 square feet of space available for lease.
WNS will hire for new positions in several phases, beginning later this month. Anyone interested in job opportunities with the company should email SCcenter@WNS.com.
The Coordinating Council for Economic Development approved a grant from the Governor’s Closing Fund for $500,000 to assist with building upfit. ReadySC will provide recruitment and training.
WNS serves more than 200 clients worldwide in sectors including travel, insurance, banking and financial services, manufacturing, retail and consumer-packaged goods, shipping and logistics, health care and utilities.
WNS delivers a spectrum of business process outsourcing services such as finance and accounting, customer care, technology solutions, research and analytics, and industry specific back-office and front-office processes. WNS has more than 23,000 professionals across 26 delivery centers worldwide including Costa Rica, India, Philippines, Romania, Sri Lanka, United Kingdom and the United States.
