Saudi Aramco, GE and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) have announced the launch of the first all-female business process services centre in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
According to Saudi Aramco, the centre will be staffed by Saudi Arabian women, with TCS and GE owning 76% and 24% equity in the new venture.
The business process services centre, which will initially serve Saudi Aramco and GE as anchor clients, will promote the localisation of the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry in the country, Saudi Aramco said.
Abdullatif Al-Othman, governor of the Saudi Arabia General Investment Authority, delivered a keynote speech at the recent launch ceremony of the service centre at Saudi Aramco?s Dhahran headquarters.
The event was also addressed by Khalid Al-Falih, president and CEO of Saudi Aramco; Jeffrey Immelt, chairman and CEO of GE; Cyrus Mistry, chairman of Tata Group; and N. Chandrasekaran, CEO and managing director of TCS.
Al-Falih said, ?We are helping to build the nation?s capacity as it moves towards a knowledge economy by maximising local content, adding value through integrated industrial parks, and promoting economic diversification and entrepreneurship. In light of the demographic realities, this comprehensive framework offers a winning formula to create jobs.?
The three partners will work together with the intention of scaling up the new venture to create up to 3,000 jobs for professional Saudi Arabian women, with GE creating up to 1,000 employment opportunities for the initiative, Saudi Aramco said.
Al-Falih added, ?In addition to the array of manufacturing and industrial jobs, services are an even bigger creator of wide ranging employment through an extensive range of office functions. In recent decades, the world, including Saudi Arabian enterprises, has been outsourcing these functions offshore. It?s time to bring those jobs home.?
The centre will employ skilled graduates in the areas of finance, accounting, human resources management and supply chain management services, Saudi Aramco said.
Immelt commented, ?GE is committed to partnering with the Kingdom in helping to achieve its social and economic growth aspirations and goals. Today, Saudi Arabia is placing high emphasis on creating jobs for its youth and women and we are proud to be supporting female employment opportunities in the Kingdom, offering placement opportunities and world class training programmes.?
According to Saudi Aramco, the centre will eventually expand its customer base to other companies and institutions across the country and, in due course, GE and TCS will also work with leading Saudi Arabian universities and educational institutions to launch specialised training programmes to achieve further job creation goals.
Mistry said, ?The Tata Group has a long history of encouraging women to achieve their potential and contribute to the community and we are delighted to work with Saudi Aramco and GE to help provide careers for women in the Kingdom and enable them to contribute to its economic progress. Saudi Arabia is a focus market for the Tata Group where we have built strong partnerships and this ambitious initiative is an example of our commitment to this market.?
TCS delivers business process services from 20 service locations in more than 10 countries including China, the Philippines, India, Hungary, the UK, Chile, Ecuador, Uruguay, Mexico and the USA.
