Wipro eyes growth in Qatar, sees tie-up with flag carrier

By Ramesh Mathew/Staff Reporter

India-based IT solution provider Wipro is eyeing more business growth in Qatar’s banking, travel and tourism, government operations, telecom and oil and gas sectors. “We are hopeful that sooner than later there would be closer professional associations between Wipro and Qatar Airways, which is one of the most talked about airlines in the world at present,” Anand Sankaran, Wipro’s senior vice president as well as business head for global infrastructure services and business head for India and Middle East, told Gulf Times yesterday. He was in Doha on a business visit. “With a number of logistical and transport related projects coming up in Qatar, we would hopefully be able to provide tailor-made IT solutions to the new airport, seaport and Doha Metro, the work of which is expected to kick off any time from now,” he said. The official recalled that his company was actively involved in providing similar solutions to the Dubai Metro during its construction phase.Sankaran said the anti-money laundering solutions the company developed for QNB have come in for praise for its efficiency from many quarters across the world. He said Wipro’s activities in the aviation sector, especially since the company’s involvement in the development of Terminal 3 of the New Delhi International Airport, has helped it demonstrate its abilities at the highest level. “Now, the New Delhi Airport is the only one of its kind in the whole world to have outsourced core IT activities to the private sector and we are extremely happy to manage the operations there on our own,” Sankaran said. “We are in the process of developing a centre for excellence for airport operations at the New Delhi airport.” Wipro has also been providing IT solutions to the Saudi Airlines for more than five years now, Sankaran said.Wipro has recorded robust growth in its Middle East operations in the last few years.“In the region consisting of India and Middle East, our operational revenues grew by more than 32% in 2011-12 compared to the previous year,” Sankaran said.It has always been fascinating as well as challenging to have operations in the Gulf region, where business is booming, Sankaran said, while answering a query on the company’s business plans for the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries.Wipro, which employs close to 1,500 personnel in the GCC region, has about 1,100 of them working in Saudi Arabia. Qatar operations started only three years ago and the company currently employees 50 staffers in the country. Across the world, the company has more than 137,500 workers on its rolls. “Along with the KSA, UAE, Qatar and Kuwait are the countries where we feel there is room for greater growth in coming years,” said Sankaran.He said the company’s IT revenues from the Middle East alone would amount to more than $300mn. “Thanks to the enormous support we have received from many of our patrons, Wipro has a distinct identity in its operations across the region,” he said. Worldwide, Wipro is active in 54 countries, but growth in IT services has been the fastest and highest in the Middle East, Sankaran said.